The Orlando Magic had a huge opportunity to steal home-court advantage vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers and head back to Florida with a chance to close their series out at home. Unfortunately for them, the Cavs held on to win Game 5 on Tuesday 104-103, and Game 6 could be a little tougher considering the injury Gary Harris sustained Tuesday.

Harris, who has had a rough series to this point, exited Game 5 with a right hamstring strain and did not return. With how unpredictable hamstring injuries can be to recover from, Harris could miss Game 6, which is on Friday, but he will at the very least be affected by the injury.

While Harris has been anything but solid so far this series, he is a starter and regular part of Orlando's rotation, which means his absence would put more stress on the other members of the Magic's backcourt.

Magic facing crucial Game 6 vs. Cavaliers

Orlando Magic player Gary Harris

Neither the Orlando Magic nor the Cleveland Cavaliers had much playoff experience coming into this postseason. The likes of Gary Harris and Joe Ingles provided much of the relevant playoff experience for the Magic, one of the NBA's youngest teams and whose best players had never been to the playoffs. The Cavaliers were in a better position in terms of experience, although much of it was done separately from each other, with offseason acquisitions such as Max Strus, Georges Niang, and Tristan Thompson all bringing their own experience. Cleveland also had the misfortune of being dominated by the New York Knicks in last year's postseason in the franchise's first playoff appearance since 2018.

Both teams have had the chance to experience a lot already in five game in their own series, though. The Cavaliers, the No. 4 seed, decisively won the first two games at home as the Magic's offense struggled to get going. In the first pair of games, Orlando scored 83 and 86 points, its second and third-fewest point totals all season.

Back in Orlando for Games 3 and 4, the roles reversed in a major way. No longer did the Magic have trouble with offense, but the Cavaliers sure did. In Game 3, Orlando crushed Cleveland 121-83 as the Cavaliers set a new low mark for points this season. Game 4 didn't go much different, as the Magic won by 23 to tie the series up as Cleveland again failed to surpass 90 points.

While the first four games were decisive, double-digit victories, Game 5 was about as tight as it can get. The Cavaliers' offense, despite a 15-point second quarter, was improved and proved to be just enough to overcome a 39-point performance by Paolo Banchero. Cleveland defended its home court to win 104-103, highlighted by a clutch block at the rim by Evan Mobley on Franz Wagner.

The intense Game 5 now sets the stage for Game 6, which will be back in Orlando. If Games 3 and 4 are any indication, the Magic should cruise to another blowout win. But with their backs against the wall and now possibly down a veteran member of their backcourt, it is unclear how the young and inexperienced Magic will react to a do-or-die elimination game.