A rematch of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs takes place on Tuesday, Feb. 25 as the Cleveland Cavaliers hit the road to play Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic.

Last season, these teams went to seven games in the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup in the East, but both squads look a lot different in the 2024-25 season.

Cleveland is one of the best teams in the NBA this season, winning 47 of its first 57 games to hold the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Magic, on the other hand, are one game under .500 and currently hold the No. 7 seed in the conference.

Injuries to Banchero and Franz Wagner early in the season have slowed Orlando’s rise into the top half of the Eastern Conference, and it has one of the worst offensive ratings in the league this season because of it.

Meanwhile, the Cavs have the No. 1 offense in the NBA and have dominated night in and night out under new head coach Kenny Atkinson. 

Can Cleveland keep that dominance going as a road favorite on Tuesday night?

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, players to bet on in the prop market and my game prediction for this Eastern Conference battle. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Moneyline

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Cavs Injury Report

Magic Injury Report

Cleveland Cavaliers Best NBA Prop Bet

This season, Garland is averaging 6.7 assists per game, but he picked up just four dimes in his lone matchup with Orlando.

The Magic are one of the better defensive teams in the NBA, and they rank No. 2 in opponent assists per game, making this a tough matchup for Garland. The other issue is Garland’s health. After missing Sunday’s game with a hip injury, do the Cavs (who have listed him as questionable tonight) ease him back into action tonight?

If he plays, Garland is a fade candidate for me tonight. 

Orlando Magic Best NBA Prop Bet

This prop has dropped two points after Cole Anthony had a dreadful 1-for-9 game on Sunday against the Washington Wizards.

While I’m not nearly as high on this prop as I’d like to be, Anthony has thrived overall without Jalen Suggs, averaging 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 22 games. He’s cleared 12.5 points in 14 of those games, including three of his last four.

I’ll take him to bounce back on Tuesday night. 

The Magic are just 3-4-1 against the spread when set as home underdogs this season, and they’ve gone just 9-15 straight up in the 24 games that Jalen Suggs has missed.

Suggs is out once again on Tuesday, and the Magic are sizable underdogs against a Cleveland team that is 14-8 against the spread as a road favorite while posting an average scoring margin of +10.4 points per game in those matchups.

The Cavs have the best record in the NBA, but their major advantage in this game comes on the offensive end.

Cleveland is the No. 1 offense in the league, and it also is an elite shooting team, ranking first in the NBA in effective field goal percentage (third over its last 10 games).

The Magic, on the other hand, are 28th in offensive rating and 29th in effective field goal percentage this season. Orlando instead relies on slowing games down and winning on the defensive end.

While that can be a recipe for success, the Magic have struggled mightily against teams over .500 this season, going 8-20 straight up. 

I expect them to add another loss to that column on Tuesday. 

Pick: Cavs -7.5 (-108 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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