The top-rated sportsbooks have released the NBA odds for Game 2 between the Magic and Cavaliers.
For your NBA best bets, I recommend investing in Cleveland. Also, if you’re looking to place bets on the following matchup, check out this article for a detailed analysis.
NBA Best Bet: Cavaliers -6 (-105) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Monday, April 21, 2024 – 07:00 PM ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Orlando’s Poor Shooting
Orlando scored 83 points in Game 1. The Magic were held back primarily by the offensive ineptitude of their guard play.
This is a very young team, starting with their guards. But the main issue is that this is a poorly constructed roster. To pose any threat on offense, the Magic need to be able to shoot. They converted 8 of 37 three-point attempts in Game 1, good for 21.6 percent.
I just don’t see any reason to expect them to shoot much better in Game 2. Yes, they probably won’t score 83 points again.
But they’ll need to score well over 90 points to cover the spread. As measured by three-point percentage, they are one of the NBA’s worst shooting teams.
When they can’t shoot, Cleveland can easily collapse inside on defense. Paolo Banchero‘s shots were, as a result, pretty much all tightly contested.
Orlando struggled to score inside against a Cavaliers rim protection unit, led by Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, that is very good in general at limiting opposing efficiency inside the basket.
Cleveland’s Shooting
The Cavaliers won Game 1 by 14 points despite underachieving from behind the arc. They shot 26.7 percent from deep.
Cleveland will improve in this respect. In the regular season, they shot over 38 percent from deep at home. In the regular season, Cleveland exceeded 120 points twice against Orlando.
Knowing what Cleveland can do against Orlando’s defense must help assure us that the Cavaliers will be more acclimated in Game 2 to Orlando’s sort of pressure and physicality, which limited their scoring somewhat in Game 1.
NBA Best Bet
Cleveland could have also scored more in Game 1, except that Orlando’s offense wasn’t pushing it.
When the Magic drew close, the Cavaliers responded by setting aside their endeavor to shoot threes and drive inside, especially with Donovan Mitchell. His combination of scoring quality and playoff experience distinguishes him from anything that Orlando’s offense can offer.
Mobley could also get more attention in Game 2, given the spacing that he provides for others as a consequence of the threat that he poses to Orlando’s rim protection. He scored 16 points in Game 1.
NBA Best Bet: Cavaliers -6 (-105) 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.
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