The Cleveland Cavaliers are one win away from moving on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Despite not having the services of Jarrett Allen on Tuesday night during their game against the Orlando Magic, Cleveland was able to secure a 104-103 win to take a 3-2 series lead in the first round of the postseason.
In a game that was tight for much of the second half, Evan Mobley will go down as one of Cleveland’s heroes on the evening. The Cavs needed him to come up big with Allen sidelined, and he managed to put up 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting with 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. He also made the play of the game in the waning moments, as Cleveland was holding on to a two-point lead and Franz Wagner attempted to drive to the rim.
While it looked like Wagner had a path to the rim, Mobley was able to stay on his hip. And as he went up for a layup, Mobley managed to time things perfectly and use his length to pin Wagner’s attempt against the backboard.
WHAT A BLOCK FROM EVAN MOBLEY
Spida hits 2 FT’s… Cavs up 4 with 3.2 seconds remaining on NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/0NIuHYrIVg
— NBA (@NBA) May 1, 2024
Donovan Mitchell — who had 28 points on the evening — would go on to ice things from the free throw line. Now, Cleveland will head down to Orlando on Friday night with the hopes of winning a playoff series without LeBron James on the roster for the first time since 1993.