Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34) vs Orlando Magic (47-35)
Game Info: Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 1:00 pm (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse)
Betting Odds: Cleveland Cavaliers -4.5 --- Over/Under: 209.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers duke it out for the 8th seed at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. Here’s a Magic vs Cavaliers prediction.
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are coming into this series with a bit of momentum as they won five of their last nine games of the regular season capped by a dominant 113-88 win over the Bucks on Sunday. Paolo Banchero led the team with 26 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, Franz Wagner added 25 points on 10 of 21 shooting while Cole Anthony chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench. As a team, the Magic shot 49 percent from the field and 11 of 35 from the 3-point line, but this win was about their defense as they held the Bucks to just 12 points in the second quarter to take control of the contest, before they restricted the Bucks to just 17 points in the fourth quarter to run away with it.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers stumbled their way into the playoffs as they lost six of their last 10 games and their last game was a disappointing 120-110 loss to the lowly Hornets on Sunday. Georges Niang led the team with 16 points off the bench, Max Strus racked up a triple-double of 14 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists while Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley each scored 14 points. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 47 percent from the field and 16 of 33 from the 3-point line as they looked to be in control after exploding for 38 points in the third quarter to take the lead, only to go ice-cold and manage just 14 points in the fourth quarter to allow the Hornets to run them down with time to spare.
Cleveland Cavaliers Player Facts
- Jarrett Allen ranks 1st in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for FG% (63.4%) this season.
- Donovan Mitchell ranks 1st in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for steals per game (1.8) this season.
Orlando Magic Player Facts
- Moritz Wagner ranks 8th amongst qualified players for FG% (60.1%) this season.
- Jalen Suggs ranks 4th in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for steals per game (1.4) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Cavaliers are one of only two teams to lose a game when leading by 20+ points at HT this season.
- The Cavaliers rank 3rd in the league for Q2 opponent points per game this season (26.9).
- The Magic rank 1st in the league for opponent assists per game this season (23.9).
- The Magic rank 1st in the league for opponent rebounds per game this season (39.9).
Magic vs Cavaliers prediction
The Magic are coming into this one with a full squad, while the Cavaliers are still missing, Craig Porter, Dean Wade and Ty Jerome. These teams met four times in the regular season with the season series split by 2-2, so you could make an argument for either side here. The Magic hold the slight edge in recent form, and it certainly helps that they have all their players available, while the Cavaliers just haven't been able to get going lately despite getting their key players back. It's hard to split these two teams at the moment, but I am expecting a close contest, so I'm leaning towards the Magic to at least keep this one close till the end.
Peter’s Pick Orlando +4.5
AUTHOR: Peter Tran
