The ball hit off the back iron toward the corner where there were no Magic players. Jalen Suggs was boxing out under the rim but was too slow to react. Jarrett Allen had already gotten there. Allen fired the ball to a streaking Max Strus as the defense collapsed to him.

He missed and Allen rebounded before sliding the ball to Evan Mobley for an easy layup as the Magic were powerless to stop him.

Good defense turned into a missed opportunity. All because Allen was the first to the glass. And the Cavs reaped the rewards to keep the Magic at bay.

Those were two of Allen’s nine offensive rebounds in Cleveland’s Game 2 victory. The Cavaliers grabbed 15 total offensive rebounds for 18 second-chance points.

It was the difference in the game for Cleveland as the team held on for a 97-87 victory to take a 2-0 series lead. Allen’s presence on the inside has defined the series.

“I think about it like if I win my matchup, that’s one out of five things to be done,” Allen said after Monday’s game. “If Donovan [Mitchell] wins his matchup that’s two out of five. If I can do my part in terms of that, it helps propels us forward. Everyone says I played a big part in several parts with rebounding, blocking shots, defense. I just try to do my part. And that helps a lot.”

Allen has won his match and more. He grabbed 20 rebounds in Game 2 on Monday after grabbing 18 in Game 1 on Saturday. Allen has owned that area of the game.

The raw numbers do not suggest Cleveland has completely owned the glass. But in a game with so few possessions and such limited scoring, the Magic need every rebound they can get. Allen has not allowed them to do so.