The basketball clanked off the rim. Although Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. collected the offensive rebound, the final buzzer sounded before Carter dunked it. The result: a painful 125-123 loss to the injury-ravaged Bulls, and more of the Magic’s mojo and confidence going down the drain.

The Orlando Magic were routed by the Cleveland Cavaliers 122-82 on Tuesday night after Ty Jerome scored 20 points in 21 minutes, leading to the Cavaliers’ eighth consecutive win.

Cleveland Cavaliers (47-10, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (29-30, seventh in the Eastern Conference) Orlando, Florida; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland seeks to build upon its seven-game win streak with a victory against ...

A: Correct. Because the last thing the Nets, 76ers or Raptors need right now is to make the play-in, and the Hornets and Wizards are all but eliminated. The Heat practically would have to lose out to miss the play-in.