The No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34) and No. 5 seed Orlando Magic (47-35) will meet for Game 1 of a highly anticipated first-round 2024 NBA playoff series in the Eastern Conference on Saturday afternoon. They split their four regular-season meetings, with both teams winning once at home and once on the road. The Magic are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2020 after wrapping up their best regular season since 2010-11. Cleveland is hoping to advance past the first round for the first time since 2017-18 after losing to the Knicks in five games last year.
Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The Cavaliers are 4.5-point favorites in the latest Cavaliers vs. Magic odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 207.5. Before making any Cavaliers vs. Magic picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters the 2024 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 88-58 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,600. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Magic vs. Cavs and just locked in its picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Cavs vs. Magic:
- Magic vs. Cavaliers spread: Cleveland -4.5
- Magic vs. Cavaliers over/under: 207.5 points
- Magic vs. Cavaliers money line: Cleveland -198, Orlando +164
- ORL: The Magic are 51-31 against the spread this season.
- CLE: The Cavaliers are 39-43 against the spread this season.
- Magic vs. Cavaliers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Magic can cover
Forward Paolo Banchero is impactful in multiple ways for the Magic. Banchero is a smooth playmaker and high-end finisher around the rim. The 2022 first-overall pick logs 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He dropped 26 points, 11 boards and seven assists in his last outing.
Forward Franz Wagner brings another nice scoring threat to the frontcourt. Wagner owns the instincts to be disruptive defensively with the athleticism to finish around the rim with ease. The Michigan product averages 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. He had 25 points, five rebounds and three assists in his last outing. Wagner notched 20-plus points in five of his last six games. See which team to pick here.
Why the Cavaliers can cover
Orlando has not won a playoff series since the Dwight Howard era, winning just two total playoff games over the past decade. Cleveland has recent playoff experience, making the field last year before bowing out to New York. The Cavaliers will have the best player on the court in All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, who averages 27.3 points, 7.3 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game.
He dropped 35 points against the Magic in December, and he also leads Cleveland on defense with 2.6 steals per game. Orlando relies heavily on second-year player Paolo Banchero, but he will be playing in the first playoff game of his career. The Cavaliers have won five of their last six home games against Orlando, and they have the upper hand due to being the more experienced team on Saturday. See which team to pick here.
How to make Magic vs. Cavaliers picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 213 points. The model also says one side hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick and analysis at SportsLine.
So who Magic vs. Cavaliers, and which side hits in well over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Cavs vs. Magic spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $2,600 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.
