The NBA regular season has concluded and the postseason is officially underway! This Eastern Conference playoff series features a matchup between the #4 Cleveland Cavaliers and the #5 Orlando Magic. The Cavaliers claimed a 2-0 lead after holding Orlando to 84 points per game, but now head on the road.
Before Betting on Cavaliers vs Magic
The Cavaliers jumped out to a 2-0 series lead after winning the first two games at home in Cleveland. Their defense was truly impressive, holding the Magic to 83 points in Game 1 and 86 points in Game 2. Donovan Mitchell lead the offense, providing the Cavs with enough scoring punch to emerge victorious in the first two games of this defensive series.
Despite winning both games by double digits, there are still some aspects to improve on. The Cavaliers failed to reach 100 points either time, which could put them in danger if Orlando heats up offensively. It also creates an area of concern for potential later-round matchups against teams with more potent offenses. Cleveland needs free-agent acquisition Max Strus to break free from his scoring troubles soon.
Orlando finds itself in a hole after the first two games of this series. They’ve been overwhelmed by the physicality of the Cavaliers. The youth and inexperience of the Magic has also been visibly exposed by Cleveland. That being said, they can’t be fully counted out yet. Despite being young, Orlando is a capable team and should play much better on their home court.
To have any chance at tying this series up at 2-2 before heading back on the road, the Magic need their offense to improve. They shot just 34% from the field through the first two games, and an even worse mark of 23% from 3pt-range. Orlando needs Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to step up on offense to avoid going down 3-0 after this game.
Cavaliers vs Magic Offshore Odds
This series is leaning heavily in Cleveland’s favor, but is still far from over. It’s unlikely Orlando gets swept, which means at least one of the next two games should be winnable. As bad as their offense has been, the Magic have been too good this season to go down 3-0 on their home court. A bounce-back game from Orlando is worth betting on.
