ORLANDO — The Orlando Magic got back on track in a big way with a dominant 121-83 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at the Kia Center in Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
Can they string together a similar performance to tie the series 2-2 with a win in Game 4 on Saturday? SISportsbook.com believes the Magic can get the job done, as it listed them as a -2.5-point favorite. Orlando was also a 2.5-point favorite heading into Game 3, although its odds on the money line are slightly slimmer. The Magic are -137 favorites going into Game 4, as compared to -143 for Game 3.
Orlando being slightly less favored isn’t shocking, as Cleveland having a second-straight letdown performance is slim. If the Magic are going to tie up the series, they’ll need to have a similar offensive performance to the one they had on Thursday.
All-Star forward Paolo Banchero was nothing short of special, as he had 31 points and 14 rebounds. That performance made Banchero the third-youngest player in NBA history to have at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in a game, only trailing Magic Johnson and LeBron James. He was the youngest player to have that stat line without any turnovers and first to do so while playing under 30 minutes.
Banchero’s ability to take care of the ball was a 180 from his performance in Games 1 and 2, as he had a combined 15 turnovers between the two games. Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley noted the importance of carrying that into Game 4, as Cleveland will make adjustments to avoid them having similar success on Saturday.
“I think that’s very key in this game, whether that’s finishing possessions
out with a rebound, taking care of the basketball, getting a shot up each possession down, offensive rebounds, all those little things that we’re going to have to continue to do,” Mosley said. “Getting this game is great, but obviously, you have to go back and look at the film and understand there’s going to be adjustments made and so we’ve got to make sure we’ve got the right mindset walking into the next game.”
The Magic and Cavs tip-off for Game 4 at 1 pm ET inside the Kia Center.
Related stories on the Orlando Magic
- GAME 4 PLAN: The Orlando Magic have a plan to tie the series in Saturday’s Game 4. CLICK HERE
- HOW MAGIC TURNED IT AROUND ON OFFENSE: The Orlando Magic’s offense rebounded in their 121-83 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday in Game 3 of the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. CLICK HERE
- PAOLO MAKE’S HISTORY: Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is doing big things in his first playoffs. CLICK HERE
