NBA Picks and Betting Tips: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic

NLB Staff

02.11.2024 01:55

Cavaliers vs Magic Predictions

As the Cleveland Cavaliers enter this game looking like the top team in the Eastern Conference, they will face a Magic team that has grown rapidly and turned into a potential finals contender. With the Cavaliers beating Los Angeles by over 20 points and continuing their undefeated streak, Orlando took a tough 3-point loss against Chicago before this matchup. This game will occur on November 2nd at 4:30 A.M. IST in Amway Center of Orlando. Underneath are our key injuries, betting tips, player props, and recent head-to-head performances to create an accurate prediction for this contest.

Key Betting Tips & Predictions

1. Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic Moneyline Pick

The money line for the Cavaliers in this game is at -162 because they could have a huge advantage over the Magic inside. As Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have created a lockdown duo in the middle, they will have a massive size dominance over Wendell Carter Jr. Even though Paulo Banchero should be one-on-one against Mobley, he has never proven to be a great defender and will always try to create a one-on-one pump fake over Mobley. Given that Evan is nearly 7 feet, this will be a huge factor in shutting down Banchero and having to force it out of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Jalen Suggs to keep shooting. Just because of their defense and size, the Cavs at -162 is the perfect money line.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic Point Spread Pick

As the spread for this game is -4.5, the Cavs have shown to control full games against some of the best teams including the Lakers and Knicks this season. Their ability to score in the middle and add a lot from their backcourt led by Donovan Mitchell plus a great driver in Darius Garland, could help make this margin a lot bigger. Even though Darius Garland could be vulnerable to defense, there will be a lot more doubles from Donovan Mitchell as he can handle KCP’s threes and Franz Wagner’s dribbling at a similar time. With Mobley rejecting a lot of shots and Allen picking him up with the boards, the Cavs should improve their record to 8-3 on the money line in their last 11 matchups.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic Over/Under Pick (Total Points)

As the over/under for this game is 229.5, it will be a very high-scoring game due to all the elite finishers on either side. Since both squads have big men who could shoot from mid-range or three as well and guards who handle the floor well, a lot of baskets will be made in this game. With these teams hitting over 225 points in 3 of the last 4 matchups, it should be a similar situation in this game.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic Top Player Props

Paolo Banchero over 22.5 points at 1.96: Even though Banchero will have Evan Mobley guarding him in the paint, a big thing is that he can stretch the Cavs power-forward out to the mid-range area. Seeing that he has done it with many other great shot-blocking big men and is averaging 29.0 points a game, there could be a lot of scoring from him. On top of that, as someone who knows to cut at that size, it could be hard for a great defender like Jarrett Allen to handle before he takes the shots or gets space for a layup.

Jarrett Allen over 9.5 rebounds at 1.74: As someone who has shown consistency in clearing the boards, Allen will have a great opportunity to do it on either end in this matchup. His ability to control Wendell Carter’s scoring will play a huge role as he can force him into a lot of bad shots, where no one will want to be around him due to his huge size. In addition, if Mobley can get his blocks and Donovan Mitchell forces bad shots, this will be a huge rebounding night for Allen stat’s wise.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando MagicInjury News & Impact

Orlando Magic Injuries: Although Franz Wagner went out with an illness against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, he is set to return to full strength during this matchup. Having him back as the Magic’s 2nd biggest scorer remains key and this will help them run similar rotations to an average night when everyone is healthy. Given this, there is no such injury that will actually affect this Orlando roster heading into this game as they can continue running the same system on offense.

Cleveland Cavaliers Injuries: As Max Strus remains out for the Cavaliers squad, they have to continue relying on a less consistent defender in Dean Wade. Even on the offensive end, Strus shot 35.1% from three and averaged 12.2 points, while Wade has been averaging 5 fewer points per game. As his defense is a weakness alongside the shooting guard Darius Garland showing similar problems, the Cavs will miss Strus’s ability to trap two scorers at once.

Head-to-Head Trends

As the Cavaliers won their series against the Magic last year in NBA playoffs, they have also won 7 of their last 9 regular season matchups with Orlando. With 3 of the last 4 games ending in a difference of 10 or more points, these games usually tend to not be close and don’t favor either the home side or away. With a 1-1 home and away record for each side respectively, only two of the past 5 games have seen both sides scoring over 100 points. With the Cavs being 2-3 against the spread in their previous 5 matchups after being 5-0 in the past 5 matchups before that, this game will depend on which offense can strike fast.

Betting Insights & Public Trends

As we see, 65.6% of the betters are backing the Cleveland Cavaliers to knock off the Orlando Magic in this matchup.

Final Prediction

As the Cavaliers have always had the Magic’s number over the past couple whether they have been good or bad, this is another good matchup for them to grab a victory. Although the Magic do look much improved this season from any other, Cleveland being 5-0 and beating down some of the best teams in the league has been a presence to watch. With Donovan Mitchell leading the way for the Cavaliers, he will help Darius Garland in the passing game as the Magic’s Jalen Suggs could give him a tough time one-on-one. With someone as big as Jarrett Allen going up against Wendell Carter Jr., he is slightly better in defense and continues to show how good he is at rebounding, even against the best centers. Having that unique size and also forcing Carter to move towards a much-improved shooter in Mobley, he can get a mismatch with Banchero and slam a lot of baskets through the net. As Mitchell is someone who can drive from his shooting guard position, he could keep a lot of pressure on the Magic’s best defender in Kenatvious Caldwell-Pope, causing Dean Wade to get better looks against a worse shot blocker in Franz Wagner. Although this could be said, the Magic could also end up victorious if Paolo Banchero can dominate the paint against Evan Mobley and Franz Wagner works with Anthony Black as the team's main three-point shooters.

Our Prediction: We are backing the Cavs to win this game and cover their -4.5 spread, while the combined score goes over 229.5 points.