Good news, bad news: Cavaliers beat Magic to snap losing skid but Evan Mobley suffers sprained ankle

CLEVELAND — What started as a dream bounce-back game turned into a nightmare at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. While the Cavaliers broke their three-game losing streak with a 107-101 win over the Orlando Magic on Monday evening behind Darius Garland's 25 points and 12 assists, they also were dealt a potentially devastating blow to their postseason expectations. Star rookie Evan Mobley hobbled back to the locker room in the second quarter and was later diagnosed with a left ankle sprain. He finished with four points and two rebounds in just 9:30. Mobley entered play averaging 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks and is a strong contender for NBA Rookie of the Year. He has taken his game to another level since starting center Jarrett Allen went down with a finger injury, averaging 17.5 points and 9.9 rebounds in an 11-game span that included four 20-point outings and a career-high 30 March 14 in an overtime win against the Clippers. Now the team will wait for more news. Cleveland hosts Dallas on Wednesday. Injuries have not been kind to the Cavs, who have been without Collin Sexton since November and lost backup point guard Ricky Rubio in December. Rubio's replacement, Rajon Rondo, is still out with a right ankle sprain. Prior to the game, the Cavs ruled out forward Dean Wade for the rest of the season after he underwent successful surgery at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health to treat ongoing issues with the meniscus in his right knee. Wade had missed the previous seven games and was a key member of the rotation. Cleveland almost got a double-whammy when forward Lauri Markkanen was helped off the court in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury. However, he returned the fourth and finished with 20 points, including 10 in the fourth to help keep the Magic at bay. The injuries likely won't damage the Cavs playoff chances — they are virtually assured a top-10 finish at 42-33 — but it will damper their odds in beating out Chicago and Toronto in a race to avoid being squeezed into the four-team play-in tournament. Cleveland entered Monday as the odd team out in seventh, one game behind Toronto and two behind Chicago. All three teams were in action, but the Raptors and Bulls games were not complete at press time. Orlando (20-56), which entered Monday in a three-way tie with Detroit and Houston for the NBA's worst record, was just what Cleveland needed to break a three-game losing streak, including losses to Toronto and Chicago in its last two outings. The Cavs rattled of 17 straight points to open the second quarter, only to watch the Magic battle back before halftime and keep things tight until the fourth. The teams went back and forth until Markkanen came up with a clutch three at the 4:37 mark, giving Cleveland a 93-92 lead and sparking 12 unanswered points to slam the door. Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter.