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Orlando tops Cleveland, clinches playoff spot

Apr 16, 2012 - 3:24 AM Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Jameer Nelson led four teammates in double- figures with 21 points and nine assists as the Orlando Magic rolled to a 100-84 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and clinched a playoff spot on Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena.

Jason Richardson was 4-of-7 from three-point range en route to 16 points, while J.J. Redick and Earl Clark added 13 points apiece for the Magic, who snapped a brief two-game skid and moved into a tie for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with Atlanta, which lost to Toronto on Sunday. Daniel Orton added 11 points in the victory for Orlando.

"Everybody that played contributed. It was a really, really, really good win for us," said Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy.

Antawn Jamison led the way for Cleveland with 21 points and Donald Sloan donated a career-high 15 points for the Cavs, who have dropped three of their last four games. Manny Harris and Alonzo Gee had 10 points each in defeat.

Leading by one, 8-7, early in the first stanza, the Magic created some breathing room for themselves with a 12-1 flurry to extend the lead to a comfortable 20-8 margin with less than four minutes to go in the opening stanza.

Harris connected on two free throws to cut the Cavs deficit to six with just over two minutes left in the frame, but Ryan Anderson answered with a jumper and the Magic led 23-15 after one quarter.

Lester Hudson drained a layup to cut the deficit to six, but Orlando used a crushing 20-6 run to extend its lead to 43-23 on a Clark layup with 2 1/2 minutes to go before halftime.

Cleveland chipped away at the lead and scored the final seven points of the first half to cut the deficit to 43-30 at the break.

A three-pointer by Anthony Parker with 3 1/2 minutes gone in the third quarter pulled the Cavs to within nine, 50-41, but Anderson answered with a trey to restore a double-digit lead for the Magic, 53-41, with eight minutes left in the quarter.

The Magic led by double digits throughout the rest of the third frame and took a comfortable 74-60 lead into the fourth.

Harris threw down a dunk with just under three minutes gone in the final quarter to cut the deficit to 12, but Chris Duhon drained a deep three and Quentin Richardson put home a reverse layup to put the Magic back up by 17 with 6:34 to go.

Cleveland did not get closer than 14 the rest of the way.

"We just have to do a better job of taking care of the ball," Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said. "Sometimes we get in the habit of trying to make these home run passes and we just have to make the simple play."

Game Notes

Orlando shot 45.6 percent from the floor and 11-of-29 from three-point range, while the Cavs shot just 37.3 percent from the field and 6-of-19 from beyond the arc...Magic center Glen Davis left the game in the first quarter with a sprained right knee...Cleveland outrebounded Orlando, 47-39...The Magic turned 18 Cleveland turnovers into 23 points.