Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (Jan. 4, 2021): How to Watch, Odds and Prediction
The Orlando Magic must now scramble to break even on their homestand and do so with a pair of games against a confident and strong Cleveland Cavaliers team.
Cleveland Cavaliers (4-2) vs. Orlando Magic (4-2)
Time/TV:
7 p.m./FOX Sports Florida
WATCH MAGIC-CAVALIERS ON FUBO TV
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2020 Season Series:
in Orlando on Oct. 23;
in Cleveland on Nov. 27;
in Cleveland on Dec. 6
2021 Season Series:
Tonight in Orlando; Jan. 6 in Orlando
| Pace | Off. Rtg. | Def. Rtg. | eFG% | O.Reb.% | TO% | FTR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 100.1 | 104.2 | 101.8 | 52.0 | 27.2 | 16.4 | 24.0 |
| Orlando | 103.9 | 107.9 | 107.5 | 48.7 | 25.2 | 11.2 | 25.7 |
OMD Prediction
The Orlando Magic are still trying to find their identity on both ends of the ball right now. The team has a vision for the pace-filled offense it wants to run, but it does not have the practice or expertise to run it effectively right now. The team knows what it has to do defensively, but it is not executing. And these two issues are certainly related. The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to stress the Orlando Magic in a lot of ways. They have two guards who are good at getting in the lane and plenty of length to bother drivers and wall off the paint. Orlando is going to have to have good ball containment to get stops defensively and they are going to need better ball movement to break a defense that has proven to be pretty solid so far. And more importantly, they need to hit shots. Good luck figuring out which Magic team shows up.
156. 106. 38. Prediction. 107
1) The Orlando Magic are focused on pace, but they are discovering the traps that come with playing that style in their last two losses.
2) The Orlando Magic know they need to be sharper on both ends to handle the Cleveland Cavaliers, who do a good job defending and scoring in the paint, Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel writes.
3) The Orlando Magic’s shooting woes were on display in Saturday’s loss. But they have no choice but to keep shooting and find their way out of it.
4) Collin Sexton’s scoring surge to start the season is a preview of how good the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense can be, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. He has become the Cavaliers’ closer, Dan Gilinsky of King James Gospel writes.
5) Markelle Fultz is becoming the leader of this Orlando Magic team on offense, Dan Bennett writes.
6) Isaac Okoro has already proven his value even as he struggles to score, Dan Gilinsky of King James Gospel writes. Okoro is out however for Monday’s game.
7) Dante Exum is relishing the stopper role the Cleveland Cavaliers have put him in, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes.
8) Terrence Ross and Nikola Vucevic are trending up in the early parts of the Orlando Magic’s season, Garrett Townsend of Orlando Pinstriped Post writes.
9) The Orlando Magic’s statistical profile offers a confusing picture of what this team could be. Josh Cohen highlights 10 stats from the early part of the season.
10) The Orlando Magic are still trying to get their defensive mentality back.
11) Evan Fournier is listed as questionable for Monday’s game. But this season will determine his future one way or the other.
12) Mohamed Bamba is inching his way back onto the court. But he will need to re-earn his backup center spot with how well Khem Birch is playing, Omar Cabrera writes.
13) The most challenging part of the Orlando Magic’s schedule begins after this homestand ends Wednesday, Isaac Ryu writes.
14) We recap the 2020 calendar year with our top 10 Orlando Magic moments from the year that was.
15) Be sure to review arena policies if you are headed to the Amway Center for the Orlando Magic’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.