The Cleveland Cavaliers’ latest unbeaten run has finally come to an end.
After making history, the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 16-game winning streak was halted by the Orlando Magic, who defeated them 108-103.
Cleveland specifically lost down the wire. After Max Strus drained a three to give them a 103-102 lead with 1:02 left, the Cavaliers failed to score again out of five shot attempts as Paolo Banchero’s jumper gave the Magic a pivotal upper hand.
The Cavaliers lost for the first time since Feb 4 and for Donovan Mitchell, this would have never happened if only Evan Mobley was there on the court.
Evan Mobley sat out of weekend’s contest against Orlando due to a right foot contusion, an injury he sustained after a hard fall in the Cavs’ previous matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.
De’Andre Hunter, the Cavaliers’ unsung hero, filled Mobley’s starting spot. Yet in the end, Cleveland still severely missed the presence of the star big man in facing the imposing size of the Magic.
Mitchell led Cleveland in whatever way he could, finishing with 23 points. But without Mobley, they failed to get the job done and keep their win skid alive.
“1,000 percent,” Mitchell answered when asked how important Mobley is for games like this against the Magic.
“I’ve been trying to tell you that after the beginning of the year, to figure that out.
“Like I said, this is a game where obviously, he would help big time but we also got to hold ourselves accountable because we should have won this game.
“That’s on us. But one day, y’all believe when I say, Evan Mobley is who he is.”
Mobley has been a major driving force of the Cavaliers’ meteoric rise this season. After inking a max rookie extension with the team this past offseason, Mobley proved his doubters wrong as he took his game to the next level. He has been averaging a career-high 18.6 points to go with 9.3 boards and 3.1 assists per game.
The 23-year-old’s progression this year prompted his Cavs teammate Ty Jerome to campaign for him to win two individual awards.
Mobley would’ve been a tremendous help for the Cavs against the Magic. As Banchero (24), Franz Wagner (22), and Wendell Carter Jr. (16) had had inefficient nights amid productive scoring, we can only imagine their production if the All-Star ultimately managed to play.
Their defeat against the Magic simply demonstrates Mobley’s unwavering importance to the Cavaliers, and they will hope to welcome him back as quickly as possible.
