Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic Odds, Player Props & Picks (Dec. 11)

• The Cavaliers visit the Magic in Orlando on Monday night
• Cleveland has won four straight road games while Orlando has won eight in a row at home
• See the Cavaliers vs Magic odds, player props, and picks for Monday’s game at the Amway Center

The NBA regular season resumes with a packed 13-game slate on Monday night, including a clash between two top-six Eastern Conference teams in Orlando as the Cleveland Cavaliers (13-0, 7-3 away, 9-11-2 ATS) visit the Magic (15-7, 10-2 home, 16-6 ATS) at the Amway Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7:10 pm ET and the Magic are listed as slight 1.5-point home favorites.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic Odds

Orlando is -125 on the moneyline in Monday’s NBA odds while the Cavaliers are a +105 underdog to hand the Magic just their third home loss of the season. The current total of 227.5 has been bet up 2.5 points from where it opened (225).

Odds as of Dec. 11 at ESPN Bet. Get an ESPN Bet promo code to bet on Monday’s NBA games. 

Note that there is a special ESPN Bet odds boost today involving Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell. The full boost is Mitchell, Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, and Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey all to go over 3.5 three-pointers, which has been boosted to +875 from +725.

If the postseason started today, Orlando would hold the #2 seed in the  East in the NBA playoff bracket, while Cleveland would be #6.

Magic Get Back in Win Column Against Lowly Pistons

From Nov. 15 to Dec. 1, the Magic reeled off nine straight wins, including over defending NBA-champion Denver and 2024 NBA title odds favorite Boston. That magical run was brought to an end in Brooklyn with a resounding 129-101 road loss on Dec. 2 and the Cavs made it two in a row with a 121-111 victory over Orlando in Cleveland last Wednesday.

The Magic got back in the win column on Friday against Detroit, though, embarrassing the 2-20 Pistons 123-91, led by 27 points from Franz Wagner. That victory improved Orlando’s record at home to 10-2 and improved its home win streak to eight straight games.

Orlando has generally been full value for its wins. The Magic own the third-best point differential in the East and fifth-best in the NBA at +4.9. Their defense has been the biggest difference compared to last season, when they went just 34-48 with a -2.6 point differential. Orlando currently ranks second in the entire league in defensive rating (108.9), trailing only Rudy Gobert’s Minnesota Timberwolves.

Reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero is ascending into superstar territory, averaging a team-high in points (20.7), rebounds (6.7) and assists (4.9). But that belies Orlando’s phenomenal depth; six players are averaging in double-figures.

Both teams are suffering from significant injuries heading into Monday’s game. Orlando will be without reclamation project Markelle Fultz- (knee) and Wendell Carter Jr (finger), who have only managed five games apiece this season, while Jalen Suggs (12.2 PPG, 2.7 APG) is questionable with an ankle injury.

Cavaliers Bring Four-Game Road Win Streak to Orlando

Mediocre away from home all last season (20-21 away), the Cavaliers have flipped that narrative so far this year. Cleveland’s 7-3 road record is tied for the best mark in the NBA and they have won four straight away from home entering Monday (at Portland, Philadelphia, Detroit, Miami).

Donovan Mitchell (27.6 PPG, 5.9 APG) and Darius Garland (19.6 PPG, 6.1 APG) continue to be the catalysts at the offensive end, but overall Cleveland’s offense sits just 24th in offensive rating (111.2) while its defense has fallen to eighth (110.5) after finishing last season first in the NBA.

The Cavs also won’t be putting out the same lineup that just beat the Magic by 10 last week. Forward Evan Mobley (16.0 PPG, 10.5 RPG) is out with a knee injury, while Caris LeVert, who hasn’t played since late November, is also still sidelined with a knee injury of his own. Mobley was third in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year odds before his injury.

Cavs vs Magic Player Props

Player props and odds from the DraftKings Sportsbook app on Dec. 11. 

Mitchell has the highest over/under point total by six full points, sitting at 29.5 in Monday’s NBA player props. Banchero leads the Magic at 23.5. With Mobley out, Cavs big man Jarrett Allen has an inflated rebound total of 10.5, despite averaging just 8.3 RPG for the season.

Cavaliers vs Magic Prediction

The line for Monday’s game indicates that oddsmakers aren’t fully buying into Orlando’s turnaround. I believe their early-season success is sustainable. They are outplaying Cleveland at both ends of the court (16th vs 24th in offensive rating, and 2nd vs 8th in defensive rating) and haven’t lost at home in over a month (120-119 vs Atlanta on Nov. 9).

Orlando isn’t going to run the table at the Amway Center the rest of the season, but there is good value on the Magic to win tonight against a Cleveland team that’s missing it’s biggest piece on the defensive end.

CLE vs ORL pick: Magic moneyline (-125)

Sascha Paruk’s 2023-24 NBA betting record:

• 7-5-2 ATS (+1.35 units)
• 3-2 ML (+1.42 units)
• 3-7 player props (-4.27 units)

All wagers one unit unless expressly stated otherwise.