Cavs tough out win over Oladipo, Magic to clinch playoff spot

Not that it was ever in doubt, but the Cleveland Cavaliers made it official Friday night, becoming the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a 2016 playoff berth by outlasting the Orlando Magic for a 109-103 win.

The Magic gave the Cavs a stiff test, leading for much of the first half before Cleveland caught fire and rattled off 25 points in the final six minutes of the second quarter to take a nine-point edge into halftime.

Even then, Orlando refused to roll over, clawing back in the third quarter on the shoulders of a possessed Victor Oladipo to regain the lead heading into the fourth.

In the final frame, though, Kyrie Irving took over. He poured in 12 points in the first four-and-a-half minutes to help the Cavs create some separation, before LeBron James took them home - with some help from Channing Frye, who broke the Magic's back with a couple spot-up threes down the stretch.

Oladipo did all he humanly could, scoring a career-high 45 points while shooting a preposterous 16-of-22 from the field, and 6-of-7 from 3-point range. For good measure, he snagged five rebounds, handed out three assists, swiped three steals, and swatted two shots. Not a bad day at the office.

Unfortunately, the rest of the Magic managed just 58 points on 35-percent shooting.

Meanwhile, for all the strange vibes that have seemed to be emanating from Cleveland all season, the Cavs improved to 49-19 and retained their two-game cushion over the hard-charging Toronto Raptors at the top of the East.