The top-rated sportsbooks have released their NBA odds for Game 3 between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic.
For your best bet, I will recommend betting on the Magic to win in this matchup. Also, feel free to check out our YouTube video for extra coverage of the Nuggets vs. Lakers or the Knicks vs. 76ers.
Don’t miss the other NBA bets from our experts:
NBA Best Bet: Magic ML (-135) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando Magic
Thursday, April 25, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Kia Center
Cleveland on the Road
It might seem tempting to bet on Cleveland as an underdog because the Cavaliers have dominated this series so far.
However, until now, the games have taken place in Cleveland. History tells us that location is crucial for the Cavaliers.
Last year, led by the same head coach, the Cavaliers lost their two road playoff games – in New York – by 20 and nine points, respectively. In neither road game did they come close to covering the spread.
Two years ago, again coached by J.B. Bickerstaff, they were down by 20 points after the first quarter in their play-in game on the road in Brooklyn. The Nets coasted to a seven-point win.
Orlando’s Tough Defense
Cleveland’s road struggles encompass a struggle to score points. They have already failed twice in a row, at home, to reach 100 points against Orlando’s defense.
The Magic have one of the NBA’s top defenses with their pressure and physicality. They are only going to step up their energy further now that they are in desperation mode, down 0-2 in the series and now playing at home.
When I predicted that Cleveland would dominate Game 2, I relied on Magic tendencies that were apparent throughout the regular season.
Magic Three-Point Shooting
I’m obviously not going to lie to you and say that the Magic are a good shooting team. They often have two consecutive bad shooting nights, especially on the road – they shot poorly in Games 1 and 2. But you also can’t deny that they have good shooting performances, too.
This is a great spot for them to shoot well and to score a lot of points because they’ve laid two shooting duds in a row and are coming back home.
They repeatedly score at the very least 97 but typically well over 100 points when returning home from road games, such as when they scored 113 points against Phoenix.
So far in this series, they’ve made 25 percent of their wide-open three-point attempts and 24 percent of their open ones.
This team is much better than that. In the regular season, the Magic made 37.8 percent of their wide-open three-point attempts and 33.3 percent of their open ones.
They will shoot better tonight, which will prevent Cleveland from collapsing so hard inside because the Cavaliers will have to respect their shooters. Watch out for Gary Harris and Jalen Suggs especially. Better three-point shooting will make scoring all the easier for Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero inside.
Banchero’s second-highest point total in the regular season was 42 points. He did that in Cleveland, against this Cavaliers interior that is good, yes, but is getting overhyped because the Magic’s poor shooting had made them so easy to guard until now.
NBA Best Bet
It won’t take much scoring, but Orlando is going to pull it off at home against the perfect opponent, the Cavaliers who struggle on the road in the playoffs.
I foresee something like a 105-95 Magic win.
NBA Best Bet: Magic ML (-135) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
Calculators
