Update: Jarrett Allen, who is averaging a double-double in the series with 17 points and 13.8 rebounds per game, has been ruled out with a rib injury. Allen popped up on the injury report later in the day and was unable to go through his warmups, which led to him being listed as out. Evan Mobley likely becomes the primary big man, with Tristan Thompson and Marcus Morris potentially getting more minutes in the frontcourt. The line is now Cavaliers -4.5 and the total is 203. I still like Cleveland as the ATS pick and the under on the total.
The Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers go into Game 5 of their first-round series in the 2024 NBA Playoffs tied at 2-2, with both teams holding serve at home. Tuesday’s contest will take place in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers won the first two games by an average margin of 12 points. The Magic have confidence after two impressive victories in Orlando, but they have yet to solve this defense on the road.
The Magic are clean on the injury front, as they have been in this entire first round. The Cavaliers have most of their key rotation guys in but are still without Dean Wade, Craig Porter Jr. and Ty Jerome.
The Cavaliers are 5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook with the total sitting at 201.5. Cleveland is -205 on the moneyline while Orlando is +170.
Magic vs. Cavaliers, 8 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Cavaliers -5
Momentum can be a big factor in the postseason and it’s easy to forget the Cavaliers dominated defensively at home in the first two games. Orlando might be surging after two home wins but they were unable to solve Cleveland early. Despite some big offensive showings in Games 3 and 4, I don’t know that they’ll be able to replicate that in a hostile road environment. Based on how the first two contests of this series went, I think the Cavaliers maintain homecourt advantage with a win Tuesday evening in Game 5.
Over/Under: Under 201.5
The Magic shot over 50% from the floor in Games 3 and 4, a big improvement from the 30-35% clip they hovered around in Games 1 and 2. The Cavaliers have largely held form throughout this series, as they still haven’t topped 100 points in a single game. Three of the four games in this series have gone under this line and with the matchup shifting back to Cleveland where the Magic struggled, I’ll take the under to hit tonight.