Magic guard Gary Harris makes forgettable return to playoffs

Harris went scoreless in his first playoff action since the Orlando bubble in 2020, before he was traded to the Magic from the Nuggets in a deal for Aaron Gordon. During Saturday's postseason return, He missed all six of his shots from the field and went 0-for-5 from three-point range as the Magic lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 97-83.

It wasn’t just Harris who couldn’t score for Orlando. Markelle Fultz was scoreless in 12 bench minutes. Joe Ingles had one point in his 14 minutes. Cole Anthony had four points and shot 0-for-7 from the floor.

Overall, the Magic’s guards combined to score just 17 points in 88 minutes and shot 4-for-33 from the floor (1-for-16 from three). It’s virtually impossible to win a playoff game when a team’s ostensible shooting guards don’t make a shot.

The Magic opted for a defense-first lineup featuring Harris and Jonathan Isaac. The defense part was OK, with Harris and Isaac each getting three steals and Isaac blocking three shots. Isaac also delivered some timely offense.

But despite holding Cleveland to under 100 points, the Magic lost by double-digits.

Perhaps Harris will bounce back in Game 2, though he may not get 33 more minutes to prove himself. Then again, it’s not like Orlando’s other backcourt options made their case to play ahead of him.