After only mustering up 83 points in Game 1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Orlando Magic will hope to light the spark offensively as they attempt to get a split on the road in Game 2 of their first-round series with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night.
Let's put together a same-game parlay and win some money.
(Related Link) Magic vs. Cavaliers First Round Preview, Betting Odds
Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 2
Matchup Page: Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, 7 p.m. ET
| Bet | Odds |
|---|---|
| Cleveland Cavaliers ATS -5.5 | -110 |
| Donovan Mitchell OVER 24.5 Points | -122 |
| Jalen Suggs OVER 12.5 Points | -113 |
| Overall | +467 |
Same-Game Parlay Pick No. 1: Cleveland Cavaliers ATS -5.5
Game 1's dominant performance courtesy of Cleveland was a combination of Orlando's inability to generate points in its own right, as well as the Cavaliers locking in defensively and holding down the paint area in commanding fashion.
Cleveland had its own poor luck shooting the rock, as well, missing 18-straight 3-pointers after connecting on a perfect 5-of-5 to kick off the game. The Magic's offensive struggles were far more noticeable, though, going 32.6 percent from the field, 21.6 percent from 3-point range, and even 63.3 percent from the charity stripe.
Orlando averaged 107.5 points across the four meetings with the Cavaliers during the regular season, which is down from the 110.5 points it averaged over the entire 82-game slate. No one on the roster looked particularly good on Saturday, outside of maybe Paolo Banchero who dropped 24 points on a respectable 9-of-17 clip.
The Cavaliers were also 5.5-point favorites in Game 1 and emerged victorious SU and ATS rather convincingly. The Magic's shooting should improve, because it honestly can't get any worse, but will it be enough to cover the spread and pick up the win? This writer/expert thinks things won't turn around until the series heads to the Kia Center.
Same-Game Parlay Pick No. 2: Donovan Mitchell OVER 24.5 Points
Including last year's five-game series loss to the New York Knicks, Donovan Mitchell has scored 28 or more points in half of his last six postseason appearances. The All-Star guard had a game-high 30 points and three 3-pointers in 36 minutes in Game 1.
The Cavaliers didn't break the 100-point mark either, with Mitchell accounting for just under 31 percent of the team's 97 points. Magic guard Jalen Suggs will be in the running for an All-Defensive team spot, but his matchup with Mitchell was completely one-sided as he had zero luck thwarting his progress.
A 24-point player prop total for Mitchell is intriguing since he went OVER 33 of a possible 55 times in 2023-24, including his final two games of the campaign. Suggs is too strong defensively to get torched to such a degree consecutively, but Mitchell's offensive prowess can counteract that and should at least balance the scales for another high-scoring box score.
Same-Game Parlay Pick No. 3: Jalen Suggs OVER 12.5 Points
Speaking of Suggs, even on a night when he drilled only four shots, his 16 total attempts were promising as they were the second-most on the Magic and a good sign for his player prop in Game 2.
Surprisingly, his 13-point effort was actually his best of the season against the Cavaliers. Suggs had a pair of games of single-digit scoring, and finished with exactly 12 points twice.
Orlando's backcourt options from the second unit in Cole Anthony, Joe Ingles, and Markelle Fultz put up a goose egg going a combined 0-of-13 from the field in Game 1. Suggs will get plenty of run, if only for his defensive chops should his shooting touch fail him once again. A slight improvement still gets him OVER 12.5 points, so let's roll with that.
