Orlando Magic vs Cleveland Cavaliers Game 2 – Breakdown and Prediction

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Orlando Magic vs Cleveland Cavaliers Game 2: Eastern Conference Playoffs – First round

The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to go 2-0 up when they host the Orlando Magic at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Monday.

Are the Magic built for this?

The Orlando Magic made a significant result by just making it to the playoffs. They were among the top five teams in the East all season, but it is a huge question whether they are ready for the challenge. The Magic shot only 32.6% from the field in Game 1 and missed 11 free throws. Paolo Bacnhero had 24 points and Franz Wagner had 18, but they had no chance of winning.

The Cavaliers are in the driving seat

After a couple of early playoff exits, the Cleveland Cavaliers look ready to make a lot of noise this season. They started well with a comfortable 97-83 win, even though committing 17 turnovers is too many. Donovan Mitchell was on top of his game, leading the Cavs with 30 points. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen did a great job on both ends of the floor. Allen finished with 16 points and 18 rebounds, while Mobley added 16 and 11.

Betting Trends

The Cavs are 4-2 ATS in the last six games against the Magic. Cleveland is 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games overall, 6-14 ATS in the last 20 games as favorites and 7-1 ATS in the last 8 games played on Monday. Orlando is 1-4 ATS in the last five games overall and 0-5 ATS in the last five games on the road.

Prediction and Conclusion

Cleveland had only one win more than Orlando in the regular season, but it seems like there is a huge gap between these two teams. Cleveland has had the same group of guys for a couple of years, and they have improved both individually and as a team. Mitchell is taking the lead on the offensive end, followed by Julius Garland, while Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are probably one of the best couple of centers in the league. Orlando has no veteran presence on the team, and they are just a group of young and talented players still looking for their best basketball. They struggled big time on the offense in Game 1, and even though they will probably have better shooting percentages, that will not change much. The Cavaliers are ready for the challenge and will take a 2-0 lead tonight by covering the -5.5-point spread.