Orlando Magic vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 26/04/2024, 05:16  by Kennedy Kechula | Modified on 27/04/2024 at 05:00 in NBA Prediction

The Orlando Magic will be at home again against the Cleveland Cavaliers for game four of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff matchup. They trail the series 2-1 and will now seek to tie things up before heading to Cleveland again. The Magic made use of home court and emphatically won game three to earn their first postseason victory at home in 13 years. Jamahl Mosley’s men tallied 121 points in a blowout 38-point victory. The last time the Magic won a playoff home game was in the first round of the 2010/11 season. The Magic know they must win here with the series switching back to Cleveland for game five. Failure to do so they will face an elimination game at an arena they were abysmal in in the first two games of this series. Paulo Banchero was instrumental in pulling Orlando to within one win of tying this series. He tallied 31 points and 14 rebounds to lead all players in the game in both categories. Jalen Suggs poured in 24 points with three other players scoring at least 10. The Magic defeated the Cavaliers twice in the regular season and had a strong 29-12 home record.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had an off-shooting night, impacted by the Magic’s rigid defence. They shot 39% from the field and just 23% from three. In game two, they were 41% from the field and 30% from three. No single player scored more than 15 points for J.B. Bickerstaff’s men. Caris Levert and Jarrett Allen had 15 while All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell managed just 13 points. Mitchell led all other scorers in games one and two and had scored a combined 53 points before game three. Another offensive lull from the visitors and it could almost certainly mean their advantage gets wiped out. Dean Wade, Craig Porter Jr. and Ty Jerome haven’t played in this series due to injury and could likely be absent again. Cleveland, who finished just one game clear of Orlando in the regular season, have lost their last five away fixtures. They are yet to score 100 points in this series.