Best NBA prop bets today for Magic vs. Cavaliers (How to bet Cavs’ guard duo)
Breaking down prop bets for Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland in the Cavs-Magic matchup on Thursday.
By Peter Dewey
The Cleveland Cavaliers are hoping to stay hot out of the All-Star break after they climbed to the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with strong play in January and the start of February.
Cleveland has a tough test out of the All-Star break, as the team hosts the Orlando Magic, who are one of the better defensive teams in the league (fifth in defensive rating) and currently sit in the No. 8 seed in the East.
Right now, oddsmakers have the Cavs favored in this game, but is that the best way to bet on the team?
For Cavs fans, there is a way to bet on this game and support the team without laying the points on the spread. I have player prop picks for both Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell that could be used as an alternative for betting on Cleveland.
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Let’s break them both down!
Magic vs. Cavaliers best NBA prop bets
- Donovan Mitchell OVER 26.5 points
- Darius Garland OVER 6.5 assists
Donovan Mitchell OVER 26.5 points
In two games against the Magic this season, Mitchell has scored 35 and 25 points, but he’s averaging 28.4 points per game on the season.
The Cavs guard has been terrific as of late, entering the break by clearing this prop in six of his last seven games.
Orlando is one of the better defensive teams in the NBA, but this is a play about volume. Since the start of 2024, Mitchell is averaging 20.3 shots, 9.4 3-point attempts, and 6.5 free throw attempts per game.
He’s averaging 28.8 points per game in that 21-game sample size. As long as Mitchell is pushing 20-shot attempts (he’s taken 19 and 24 in his two games against Orlando this season), he’s hard not to take the OVER on for this prop.
Darius Garland OVER 6.5 assists
I am going against the grain a bit with this pick, as the Magic are the best team in the NBA when it comes to opponent assists allowed per game, giving up just 23.9 per night.
However, Garland has cleared this prop in four straight games, and he saw his minutes increase into the 30s right before the All-Star break. The Cavs point guard also had nine dimes in his lone meeting with Orlando this season.
Garland’s assist numbers have been down in the 2023-24 season, but he’s gotten a lot of assist chances as of late, averaging 11.3 potential assists per game over his last four contests.
If he continues to get closer and closer to his usual workload, Garland should see his assists per game jump back closer to the 7.8 per game he averaged last season. He’s worth a shot at 6.5 against Orlando.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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