On Saturday, Game 1 of the best of 7 series between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers will take place. This is a game between the fourth and fifth seeds in the Eastern Conference. Orlando dropped to fifth late in the season, and come into the postseason with a 47-35 record. The Magic finished with a home win over Milwaukee on Sunday.
For Cleveland, they are 48-34 on the season. The Cavaliers wrapped up fourth in the East, despite losing at home to Charlotte on Sunday. Cleveland was anywhere from 2-4 for most of the regular season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are -4.5 in this game at home.
Orlando Ahead of Schedule?
The Orlando Magic have been one of the pleasant surprises in the National Basketball Association this season. The month of April has not been overly kind to them, as they have split their eight games, but lost four out of five late. During those four losses, the Magic allowed 121 points per game.
Orlando knows that is not going to work for them to win basketball games. The Magic are 24th in the league in scoring with 110.5 points per game. Orlando is the worst three point shooting team in the league, making just 11 per game. Orlando also is 27th in assists, with less than 25 per game.
Paolo Banchero has put together a fantastic season for Orlando. The former Duke Blue Devils star played in 80 games for the Magic, and scored nearly 23 points per game. Banchero added 5.4 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game. Franz Wagner finished second with 19.7 points per game.
Up and Down Cleveland
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished with wins over Memphis and Indiana, but then the loss at home to Charlotte. In the 120-110 loss, Cleveland did not play their top scorer Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell eventually played in just 55 games this season. He is the top scorer by far, but his health has been the biggest factor.
After Mitchell’s 26.6 points per game, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen are next for Cleveland. Garland scored 18 per game, while Allen was around 16.5 per game. Evan Mobley and Caris Levert rounded out the Top 5 for Cleveland.
As a team, the Cavaliers are 20th in the league with 112.56 points per game. The Cavaliers made 13.5 three point shots per game, and were one of the more unselfish teams in the league, with 20.5 assists per game.
Cavaliers Win Game 1 at Home
The Orlando Magic have been a fun story this season. This is a team, and a franchise that will continue to get better over the years. But, for this one, they are going to come up short. Look for Cleveland to get off to a good start at home, and win Game 1.
The spread is just under five points, and that does not seem like enough. We are going to take the Cleveland Cavaliers -4.5 over the Orlando Magic.
