Cavaliers vs. Magic Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 2 (Defense Shines at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse)

Cavaliers vs. Magic Game Info

• Date: Friday, December 2, 2022
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse -- Cleveland, Ohio
• Coverage: BSOH and BSFL

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Friday with 11 more games, including a battle between the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Magic couldn't keep up with the Atlanta Hawks in a 125-108 loss on Wednesday. Second-year pro Franz Wagner logged 23 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers shot the lights out in a 113-85 win over the Philadelphia 76ers their last time out. Cleveland drained 45 of its 74 attempts (60.8%), including 15 of 29 shots from three-point range (51.7%). Caris LeVert led the way with a team-high 22 points in 33 minutes played off the bench.

Cavaliers vs. Magic Odds & Spread

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: CLE: (-500) | ORL: (+385)
• Spread: CLE: -10.5 (-106) | ORL: +10.5 (-114)
• Total: 217 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Cavaliers enter this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 7:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 217 points, which is below average compared to the rest of Friday's projected totals.

Cavaliers vs. Magic Betting Trends

• The Cavaliers put together a 41-36-5 ATS record last year.
• The Magic's ATS record as underdogs of 10.5 points or greater was 10-13 last year.
• The Cavaliers and their opponents combined to go over the point total 37 out of 82 times last season.
• In 82 Magic games last year, 42 of them went over the total.

Cavaliers vs. Magic Prediction & Pick

The Cavaliers were in a need of a bounce-back win and that is exactly what they got on Wednesday. Everyone chipped in and Cleveland looked like the Eastern Conference contender many fans expect it to be. They improved to 9-1 at home on the year and have a perfect opportunity to win on Friday.

Orlando allows 51.6 points in the paint per game this season (No. 21 in NBA) and will be without their best rim protector in Wendell Carter Jr. due to a foot injury. The Magic also average 16.5 turnovers per game (No. 28 in NBA), while the Cavs force 15.9 turnovers per home game (T-No. 10 in NBA).

Orlando is a dismal 1-13 straight up in its last 14 away games, so I'll side with Cleveland.

Final Score Prediction: Cavaliers: 112 | Magic: 102

Cavaliers vs. Magic Best Bet

Cleveland plays at the second-slowest pace in the NBA as it tends to take possessions deep into the shot clock and create second chances with offensive rebounds. That style of play has resulted in a ton of low-scoring games, too. The under has cashed in six of Cleveland last seven games overall.

The total has also hit the under in 12 of the Cavaliers' last 15 games against the Magic. Orlando has failed to put up much of a fight on offense this season, averaging just 108.3 points per game (No. 29 in NBA). Missing Carter along with guard Jalen Suggs won't help Orlando turn things around, either.

Bet: Under 217 Points (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.