The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a monster game from Paolo Banchero and came up with some big stops late to hold off the Orlando Magic in Game 5. That made 5-straight wins for the home team in this series and sets up a pivotal Game 6 matchup in Orlando.
Friday's matchup is the first half of an ESPN doubleheader, with the tip set for 7:00 PM EDT. Both teams are relatively injury-free, with Jarrett Allen (ribs) and Gary Harris (hamstring) both looking like game-time decisions.
The Magic opened as 3.5-point favorites for game 6, with the consensus total set at 200.5.
| Team | Spread | Money | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Cavaliers | +3.5 | +150 | o200.5 |
| Orlando Magic | -3.5 | -160 | u200.5 |
We've hinted at the home team's dominance in the series, but this has really been a season-long trend for the Magic. Orlando is 31-12 at home and 17-29 on the road this season, with a considerably better record against the spread at home.
The Magic not only dominated the Cavs in both games in Orlando during the playoffs, but have won 10 of their last 13 home games against Cleveland.
The key for Orlando at home in this season has been the improved play of Franz Wagner. He shot 66% from the floor in the two home games, while shooting just 35% in Cleveland.
We think Orlando finds a way to cover the spread and force a game 7, but can they win a game on the road and advance to the second round? We'll find out on Sunday.
This has been a series dominated by the home team, with Cleveland taking three games at home and Orlando taking the two at theirs. While Evan will be able to score in double figures this game, he might struggle to initiate for others and get offensive rebound opportunities as Orlando’s defense at home is one of the best in the NBA.
Mobley averages just 11.1 RA in 26 away games this season including the two playoff games in Orlando where he had 11 RA combined during the two losses. We expect him to stay under his 13 rebounds prop on Friday.
We are trusting the Magic wing to reach his RA over in Game 6 at home. Franz hit this mark in both playoff games at home, while coming a hair short with 11 RA in Cleveland Game 5.
Due to play 40 minutes in a win-or-go-home game, look for Wagner to take advantage of the smaller Cavs guards for offensive rebound opportunities as well as finding open Magic shooters from deep.
The Magic shot 35% from deep in Game 3 and 46% from beyond the arc in Game 4 with 24 total assists in each outing. Look for Franz to use his size to win his individual matchups in the biggest game of his pro career.