|
 Irving, who had 33 points Wednesday in a victory over Dallas,
scored 10 points the decisive fourth quarter.
Magic guard Victor Oladipo scored a career-high 45 points, but only
six in the fourth when the Cavaliers dominated.
Cleveland (49-19) won for the fifth time in the last six games,
strengthening their hold on the best record in the Eastern
Conference. They made 13 of 28 from 3-point range and 20 of 27 free
throws.
LeBron James had 18 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Kevin
Love had 14 points and six rebounds. Reserve Channing Frye, who was
traded from Orlando to Cleveland in February, had 14 points. Reserve
Tristan Thompson had 11 points, including nine in the fourth
quarter, and a game-high 15 rebounds. Irving scored eight points in
the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, lifting the Cavaliers
to a 98-92 lead they never lost.
 The Magic led 86-83 going into the final period. Oladipo scored 15
points in the third quarter when the Magic turned a nine-point
halftime deficit into 86-80 lead. James finished the third with an
emphatic breakaway dunk.
Cleveland led 63-54 at intermission after hitting 12 of their 16
shots in the second period, including six of their nine 3-point
attempts. Irving and Love each had 13 points by halftime. Frye hit a
pair of 3-pointers in the second period.
Oladipo dominated early when he scored 16 points in the first
quarter and had 24 points by halftime.
The Magic opened the second period with a 9-0 run and led by as many
as 11 points. The Cavaliers, though, made a 36-16 run leading into
halftime.
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Cleveland started slowly and made three quick turnovers, forcing
coach Tyronn Lue to call a time out 1:11 into the game. Oladipo had
13 points in the first six minutes.
NOTES: F LeBron James returned to action Friday after missing
Wednesday's win over Dallas to rest. The Cavs are only 4-12 the past
two seasons in games in which James did not play. . . . F Kevin Love
played Friday despite missing the morning practice with the flu. . .
. The Cavaliers already pummeled the Magic three times earlier this
season with an average margin of victory of 24.7 points. In those
three, they shot 44 percent from 3-point range. . . . The Cavs have
won 14 consecutive games against the Magic, dating back before James
even returned to Cleveland. . . . Magic PG Elfrid Payton missed his
fifth consecutive game with a sore elbow. Magic leading scorer C
Nikola Vucevic missed his seventh consecutive game with a strained
groin muscle. . . . The Cavaliers play in Miami Saturday night. . .
. James, after the morning workout, talked about the importance of
staying ahead of Toronto to keep the No. 1 seed in the Eastern
Conference. "You watch everyone," he said. "You're kind of seeing
the positioning. We want home court for sure. But we also know what
the main goal is (winning a title), and the main thing is staying
healthy right now."
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