Like their shots that clanked off the rim all afternoon, two glorious streaks belonging to the Cavaliers were snapped March 16 at Rocket Arena. The Cavs were riding a franchise-record 16-game winning streak. They had won 48 straight when leading or tied after three quarters. The Cavs led the Orlando Magic, 83-82, after three quarters in their last home game before heading west for a five-game road trip that begins March 18 in Los Angeles against the Clippers. The one-point lead was tenuous, but if this had been a television cops show, the good guys would have prevailed before the final commercial. That is not what happened. Coach Kenny Atkinson said the #Cavaliers were "humbled" in a 108-103 loss to the #Magic Sunday at Rocket Arena. The loss snapped the Cavs' 16-game winning streak. pic.twitter.com/QgY7YOMWTJ — Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) March 16, 2025 The Magic outscored the Cavs, 26-20, in the final 12 minutes to win, 108-103. The Cavaliers turned the ball over four times in the fourth quarter after turning it over seven times in the third. The Cavs were 10-of-40 on 3-point attempts for the game — 4-of-13 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter. “I told the guys in the locker room,” Coach Kenny Atkinson said. “16 in a row — we had a couple of these games where they went our way. This is one that didn’t. We didn’t shoot the ball well enough to win.” The sky isn’t falling. The Cavaliers are 56-11 and own the best record in the NBA. They lead the second-place Celtics in the East by 7 1/2 games. The West leading Oklahoma City Thunder are a game behind the Cavaliers for best record at 55-11. Though the lead over the Celtics is comfortable with 15 games left in the regular season, the battle with the Thunder for the best record in the league, which would determine home-court advantage if the current conference leaders meet in the NBA Finals, could go down to the wire. “Huge credit to (Orlando),” Atkinson said. “That stretch at the end of the third quarter when they turned us over — that seemed like it flipped it. “We did not have our normal ball movement. They kept us out of transition. But this league is humbling. You think you’re like — 16 in a row or whatever. This (the Magic) is obviously a playoff team and a tough team to play.” The Magic (32-37) lost seven of 10 games before beating the Cavs. They are eighth in the East and at best will be a play-in team unless they can close a 5.5-game gap on sixth-place Detroit before the season ends. Cavaliers All-Star Evan Mobley missed the game with a bruised right foot. De’Andre Hunter started in Mobley’s spot and scored nine points in 25 minutes. He was 2-of-11 from the field, including 1-of-5 on 3s. PHOTOS: Cavaliers vs. Magic, March 16, 2025 The 16-game winning streak began with the game after the Cavs acquired Hunter from the Hawks before the Feb. 6 trade deadline. He is averaging 14.5 points a game with the Cavs after averaging 19 a game with the Hawks. “You’re not going to win every game,” Hunter said. “The streak was cool, but back to reality, We’re looking to start another one. We went cold toward the end of the game and they made big shots. That was the turning point, for sure.” Atkinson said the loss “will be a teaching moment” ahead of the playoffs next month. The Magic were more physical than the Cavs. As anyone who has followed the Cavaliers the last couple years knows, the Cavs were pushed around by the Knicks in the playoffs two years ago and by the Magic and Celtics in the 2024 playoffs. Darius Garland tries to save the ball during the Cavaliers' loss to the Magic on March 16. (Tim Phillis - For The News-Herald) The score Magic 108, Cavaliers 103   ...read more read less