3rd Quarter Report

Only one more quarter stands between the Cavaliers and the victory they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Magic 95-78.

The Cavaliers entered the contest having won five straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it six, or will the Magic step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.

Who’s Playing

Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Current Records: Orlando 3-2, Cleveland 5-0

How To Watch

• When: Friday, November 1, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
• Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse — Cleveland, Ohio
• TV: ESPN
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $17.18

What to Know

The Magic and the Cavaliers are an even 5-5 against one another since December of 2023, but not for long. The Orlando Magic are taking a road trip to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Coming off a loss in a game the Magic were expected to win, they now face the more daunting task of proving themselves against unfavorable odds.

The Magic are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 227.5, but even that wound up being too high. They fell just short of the Bulls by a score of 102-99 on Wednesday. The loss hurts even more since Orlando was up 48-28 with 8:50 left in the second.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 16.8 points) and they went ahead and made it five on Wednesday. They put the hurt on Los Angeles with a sharp 134-110 victory. Cleveland has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won three contests by 19 points or more this season.

The Cavaliers’ success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Jarrett Allen led the charge by dropping a double-double on 20 points and 17 rebounds.

The Cavaliers were working as a unit and finished the game with 37 assists. That’s the most assists they’ve posted since back in April.

Orlando’s loss dropped their record down to 3-2. As for Cleveland, their win bumped their record up to 5-0.

Keep an eye on the arc in Friday’s game: The Magic have made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 14.8 threes per game. However, it’s not like the Cavaliers struggle in that department as they’ve been averaging 14.8. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

While only the Cavaliers took care of their fans the last time they played, neither team managed to cover. As for their next game, the Cavaliers are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by eight points. They might be worth a quick bet since they’ve covered the spread the last five times they’ve played.

Odds

Cleveland is a big 8-point favorite against Orlando, according to the latest NBA odds.

The line has drifted a bit towards the Cavaliers, as the game opened with the Cavaliers as a 6.5-point favorite.

The over/under is 217 points.

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Series History

Cleveland and Orlando both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.

• May 05, 2024 – Cleveland 106 vs. Orlando 94
• May 03, 2024 – Orlando 103 vs. Cleveland 96
• Apr 30, 2024 – Cleveland 104 vs. Orlando 103
• Apr 27, 2024 – Orlando 112 vs. Cleveland 89
• Apr 25, 2024 – Orlando 121 vs. Cleveland 83
• Apr 22, 2024 – Cleveland 96 vs. Orlando 86
• Apr 20, 2024 – Cleveland 97 vs. Orlando 83
• Feb 22, 2024 – Orlando 116 vs. Cleveland 109
• Jan 22, 2024 – Cleveland 126 vs. Orlando 99
• Dec 11, 2023 – Orlando 104 vs. Cleveland 94