The Cleveland Cavaliers just suffered the worst playoff loss in the history of their organization at the hands of the Orlando Magic in game three and they will be looking to bounce back and steal one on the road in this Saturday afternoon playoff matchup. We take a look at this matchup to make a Cavaliers-Magic prediction and pick.
Cleveland's (50-35) couldn't get anything going right from the start against the Orlando Magic in game three. By halftime, they were already down 16 points and it was all downhill from there. In the third quarter the Cavaliers were outscored 16-35 which was the point where the Cavaliers just gave up.
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Donovan Mitchell finished the game with just 13 points while shooting just 1-6 from beyond the arc. The rest of this Cavaliers team wasn't able to do much as well as the leading scorer was Caris LeVert who had just 15 points in the game.
The Cavaliers struggled mightily from the field as a whole. They shot just 39% from the floor and an abysmal 24% from beyond the arc. Their shooting struggles can't continue if they want to get this one back against the Magic here in this Saturday's matchup.
The Cavaliers will need to come with their intensity on offense and defense as they did in games one and two if they want to get back to their winning ways and take game four on the road before heading back home.
Orlando Magic (48-37) dropped each of the first two games of the series pretty handily but they came into game three at home with a vengeance and put it on the Cavaliers. It looked like a completely different Orlando Magic team that was shooting lights out as well as playing stout defense.
Paolo Banchero led the way with a game-high 31 points in just 29 minutes on the floor. The rest of this Orlando Magic team gave Banchero the support that he drastically needed but didn't get in the first two games of the series.
They also stifled the Cavaliers on defense holding the entire team in check all game long. No player scored 20 points in the game and they held them to just eight 3-pointers the entire game. This newfound momentum will certainly be needed when they come into game four at home when they play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers before they head back out to Cleveland for game five
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. ORLANDO MAGIC FANDUEL ODDS FOR ARR. 27
MONEY LINE
- CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: +110
- ORLANDO MAGIC: -130
SPREAD
- CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: +2 (-108)
- ORLANDO MAGIC: -2 (-112)
OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)
- OVER 202 (-110)
- UNDER 202 (-110)
BEST ODDS FOR CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. ORLANDO MAGIC
- The Orlando Magic are -2-point favorites against the Cleveland Cavaliers. DraftKings currently has the best odds at -2 (-110)
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- The Cleveland Cavaliers are the underdogs by 2 points to cover the spread. Hard Rock Bet currently has the best odds at +2.5 (-110)
- BetRivers currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 201 (-112) for the over, and (-109) for the under
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS VS. ORLANDO MAGIC INJURY REPORT
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS INJURY REPORT
- CRAIG PORTER JR. - OUT SAT- ANKLE
- DEON WADE - OUT - KNEE
- TY JEROME - OUT - ANKLE
ORLANDO MAGIC INJURY REPORT
WHY CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD
The Cleveland Cavaliers came out in the first game of the series looking to set the tone. They pushed the pace and made Orlando shoot contested long-range shots that were off the mark early on. The Cavaliers got off to a 12-point lead at halftime only to cruise in the second half to capture game one with a 97-83 victory covering the -5-point spread with relative ease.
It was the Donovan Mitchell show who was seemingly unguardable as he racked up 30 points on 11-21 shooting from the floor and 3-8 from beyond the arc. He did have help from the best tandem in the frontcourt in the NBA.
Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley combined for 32 points, 29 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks.
They eliminated the paint the offensive boards and second-chance points for the Magic. However, the rest of the Cavaliers team severely underperformed according to their standards.
In game two, it was more of the same song and dance where the Cavaliers were seemingly too much for the Magic on both ends of the court and they dominated the paint. However, game three came along in Orlando and that's where things took a turn for the worst for the Cavaliers as they struggled mightily from the field.
They struggled as a whole which means they need to get back to form as a whole, especially Mitchell. He is the heart and soul of this team and if he can get back to form and if they can dominate in the paint as they have been they can steal one from the Magic and get back to Cleveland with a 3-1 lead in the series.
WHY ORLANDO MAGIC WILL COVER THE SPREAD
The Orlando Magic were looking like a team to watch out for as they made their playoff push and then they struggled down the stretch which continued into their game one matchup with the Cavaliers. The Magic struggled to hit their shots and turned the ball over a ton.
However, they were still able to limit the damage against them defensively against the Cavaliers. Despite Mitchell going off for 30 points, they kept the Cavaliers under 100 points and just 27% from 3-point range for the game.
The Magic were able to stop limit a very good offensive team in the Cavaliers to just 97 points where almost 1/3 of the points came from just Mitchell. They held the trio of Max Strus, Darius Garland, and Caris LeVert to just 26 combined points which is a great feat in itself.
In the second game of the series, it was more of the same, good defense from the Magic but not enough on the offensive end to get the job done. However, game three came along and it was a whole different Magic team as they were finally able to hit their shots from the beginning to the end.
They got out to a big lead in that game and never let up and that is something Banchero and company must do to tie this series up. The way this Magic team has been playing defense all series long, if they can keep that up and keep up their scoring onslaught like in game three they have a great chance at heading back to Cleveland in game five with this series all tied up.
FINAL CAVALIERS-MAGIC PICK & PREDICTION
The Cleveland Cavaliers certainly have what it takes to get the job done here against the Orlando Magic. While I expected the last game to be closely contested, the way that the Magic played in game three could be the turning point in this series. The Cavaliers will need a big game from Mitchell and the rest of the squad to take one away from Magic on the road but that is easier said than done.
Expect Banchero to play his best ball like he did in game three and this Magic defense to stifle the Cavaliers. Lay the points with the Magic as they even the series and head back to Cleveland in game five.
FINAL CAVALIERS-MAGIC PICK & PREDICTION: ORLANDO MAGIC -2 (-112)
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