The Orlando Magic aren’t in a position to dream big like the Cleveland Cavaliers are right now due to injuries, so we’ll have to settle for picking and betting on tonight’s NBA game.
Despite having a six-game lead over the Celtics for second place in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland has remarkably not slowed down.
Those tendencies should persist, according to my Cavaliers vs. Magic forecast and NBA picks, as Cleveland keeps surging into the season’s final stretch. On Tuesday, February 25, at 7:30 ET, you will receive the tip.
Forecast for Cavaliers vs. Magic
At bet365, the Cavaliers -7.5 odds are the best bet.
My Assessment
Perhaps the Cleveland Cavaliers have benefited from Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending blood clot. There ought to be zero correlation between the two, and that seems ridiculous.
The Defensive Player of the Year award was almost handed to Wembanyama, though. Evan Mobley of Cleveland and Jaren Jackson Jr. of Memphis are now tied for first place in the standings, as he will not have played in 65 games to be eligible for this playoff award.
It is to be expected that Mobley would be actively motivated by the honour. It wouldn’t affect his deal for a while, but it may pave the way for a bigger pay cheque at the decade’s end, similar to how Jackson hoped to get a supermax contract after winning two DPOY awards. The recognition and affirmation of the prize would be much appreciated by Mobley.
Why did Cleveland’s defence drop from 112.6 two months ago to 107.3 in their previous three games? Is it the reason?! The amazement obviously raises concerns about the sample size, but the two-bucket shift is noteworthy anyway.
It is no accident that the Cavaliers have gone 2-0-1 ATS over that span, adding to their current 4-0-1 ATS record and seven-game winning streak overall.
Cleveland needs to chill down eventually. The weariness of winning at this pace—a pace of 68 wins—is not worth denying the Thunder homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. Still, the Cavs haven’t loosened up just yet. You can put your faith in Cleveland’s refocused urgency, aided by Evan Mobley’s pursuit of awards, while the Orlando Magic are still without Mo Wagner and Jalen Suggs.
Even though it goes against common sense, selecting the Over on this game while praising Cleveland’s better defence is a vote of confidence in the Cavaliers’ ability to dictate the pace of play tonight. They have cashed in on the Over in two-thirds of their games this season, and five of their last six games have followed suit. Both parts of that reasoning are at odds with Orlando’s record this season, as the Magic have won five in a row and 62.7% of their games with the Under.
The Magic have been ranked 28th in pace since January 18, which includes a month of games played before the All-Star Break.
This payout increases from +264 to +1,000 because to the inclusion of the game’s Over in this same-game parlay, which raises doubts about Mobley making a 3-pointer. Just that increase demonstrates worth. Then it hits you: Mobley probably won’t shoot his typical handful because Orlando has allowed the fewest three-point attempts per game in the past month, at 30.8.
