The team the Orlando Magic put on the floor Tuesday night at Amway Center might be much different from the team the franchise will field Thursday night in its next game.
This season’s NBA trade deadline looms at mid-afternoon Thursday, and with the Magic in the sixth year of a rebuilding project that has no end in sight, new team executives Jeff Weltman and John Hammond might radically remake the roster if deals are available to be made.
So it’s possible that Tuesday’s game was a farewell for one or more members of the Magic’s nucleus — a nucleus that includes Evan Fournier, Mario Hezonja, Jonathon Simmons, Elfrid Payton and injured players Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic.
And if Tuesday will be the end of an era for anyone, it will be remembered as a glorious end — an atypical night compared to so many others over the last 5½ seasons.
The Magic recovered from a 21-point second-quarter deficit, dominated the entire second half and defeated the slumping Cleveland Cavaliers 116-98.
“It’s almost like it feels weird,” Fournier said. “A great win, man. The Cavs gave us a lot of problems these past few years, kicking our ass. So it feels good to beat the best player on the planet, obviously. They’re not playing their best basketball, but it still feels good.”
Simmons, who almost sat out the game because he sprained his right ankle in a win Monday, scored 22 of his career-high 34 points during the third quarter.
“We did not have an answer for him tonight,” said Larry Drew, the Cavaliers’ associate head coach, who subbed for head coach Tyronn Lue, who missed the entire second half with an illness.
Early in the third quarter, LeBron James sank 3-pointers on consecutive Cavaliers possessions, extending the Cavaliers’ lead to 75-59.
But the Magic went on a 19-2 run, with Simmons scoring 12 of the Magic’s 19 points on a jumper and on an assortment of free throws and driving layups.
“To be honest, adrenaline was just going, and myself, I didn’t even realize what was going on,” Simmons said, his sore right ankle wrapped tightly after the game. “I was just trying to play hard and trying not to have another setback. But we got it done, and I just credit all these other guys around me just playing hard all night.”
Orlando produced another decisive run early in the fourth quarter.
When Dwyane Wade sank a 3-pointer to tie the score 92-92 with 10:59 left in the game, the Magic responded by outscoring the Cavaliers 19-1.
The onslaught already had started when Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas attempted a 3-pointer from the right corner. Thomas’ shot smacked off the side of the backboard, and Shelvin Mack collected the rebound.
Seconds later, Fournier tripped and fell backward just before a teammate threw him a pass. With his back on Amway Center’s parquet floor, Fournier caught the ball and passed to a teammate. His Magic teammates — who were already standing in their bench area — broke out in smiles. The possession ended with D.J. Augustin scoring on a driving layup that put the Magic ahead 104-92.
“That was the only touchdown in basketball history,” Fournier joked. “It was cool. The crowd loved it, so I guess it was good.”
Cleveland (30-22) dominated Orlando (17-36) early.
Cleveland took leads of 59-38 and 61-40 midway through the second quarter.
And then the Cavaliers collapsed and lost for the third time in their last four games.
“Everybody has to hit on all cylinders, and right now we aren’t doing that,” James said.
The Magic, on the other hand, played one of their best halves of the season, an impressive feat given that they had played the night before.
The victory over the Cavs gave the Magic their second win in a row — their first two-game winning streak since they followed a win on Nov. 8 with a victory on Nov. 10.
“We’re making improvement,” Mack said. “Earlier in the year, if we were down 20, it would turn into a 40-point loss.”
[email protected]. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.