Magic vs. Cavs Spread Prediction
The Magic pulled off yet another upset of a quality team on Saturday when they upended the Pacers, 117-112. They’ll face a different challenge on Sunday when they visit the Cavs at 6:00 p.m. ET. Will Orlando suffer a letdown today in Cleveland?
Game Snapshot
581 Orlando Magic at 582 Cleveland Cavs
6:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, March 3, 2019
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Our NBA Live Odds page pulls spreads and totals from multiple different online sportsbooks so you can compare betting odds to ensure you’re getting the best line.
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sportsbook BetNow.eu, the Magic are 6.5-point favorites to beat the Cavs. The total, meanwhile, sits at 214 points and as of this writing, 75% of the public betting tickets wagered at online sportsbooks are on the Magic to cover the point spread.
Orlando Magic Fantasy Spin
Nikola Vucevic finished Saturday’s win over the Pacers with 27 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and one blocked shot in 32 minutes. Vucevic, who also 5-of-7 from the foul line to supplement his 11-of-19 effort from the field, has scored 23 points or more in three of Orlando’s five games after the All-Star break. The All-Star center is averaging 21.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.4 steals per game since the break, shooting 53.5% from the field, 50.0% from three and 60.0% form the foul line. Vucevic and the Magic face Cleveland Sunday, and in 11 prior second game of a back-to-back situations this season he’s averaging 21.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per with shooting splits of 53.9/48.6/79.4.
Cleveland Cavs Fantasy Spin
Larry Nance struggled in a start during a blowout 129-93 loss to the Pistons on Saturday, scoring 11 points with five rebounds, three assists, one steal and two 3-pointers in 26 minutes. There was just too much size up front in this matchup and coach Larry Drew called a timeout early in the first when Andre Drummond backed down Nance for an easy bucket. Letdown aside, Nance should have a shot at extended minutes on Sunday with Ante Zizic (concussion) likely out again. He should be owned in standard leagues.
NBA Betting Trends
Orlando
The Magic are a perfect 7-0 at the betting window in their last seven games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous contest.
Cleveland
The Cavs have covered the spread just 16 times in their last 55 home games when facing a team with a losing road record.
Prediction
I made the mistake yesterday believing the Cavs would play loose against the Pistons, who continue to fight for a playoff spot and who were coming off a loss to the Spurs earlier this week. I won’t make that mistake again. I did have the Magic covering versus the Pacers and while this is a true letdown spot for Orlando having to play on back-to-back nights, I don’t care. The Magic are 8-2 against the spread in their last 10 games, are 5-2 against the number in their last seven games coming off a win and have covered in five of their last six road games. The Cavs, meanwhile, are winless at 0-4 against the spread in their last four games playing the second game of a back-to-back and covered just once in the previous five meetings between these two teams.
Sunday NBA Prediction: Orlando Magic -6.5