Cavs at Magic preview and gamethread

The Cavs head to Orlando looking for their eighth win in a row.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will head to Orlando and take on the Magic in a rematch of the first round of last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs. The Cavs are seeking their eighth win in a row, while the Magic are treading water in the playoff race.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (47-10) at Orlando Magic (29-30)

Where: Kia Center – Orlando, Florida

When: 7:30pm EST

TV: TNT

Line: Cavaliers -7.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Cavs injury report: Darius Garland – QUESTIONABLE (hip), JT Thor – OUT (G league), Emoni Bates – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)

Expected Magic starting lineup: Cole Anthony, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Franz Wagner, Paulo Banchero, Wendell Carter

Magic injury report: Jalen Suggs – OUT (quad), Mo Wagner – OUT (knee, out for the season), Mac McClung – OUT (G league), Ethan Thompson – OUT (G League)

What to watch for

Two very different teams from last year

Remember when Orlando pushed the Cavs to the brink last season? Had it not been for Donovan Mitchell taking over and Franz Wagner shooting 1-15 from the floor in Game 7, these two teams could look very different. Turns out they are different regardless.

The Magic came into this season as one of the darling dark horses, a young, feisty defense-first team with a killer on offense in Paulo Banchero. Injuries to Banchero and fellow wing Franz Wagner derailed things this season, but there is no getting around the fact that the Magic are more middling than most people expected.

On the flip side, the Cavs have gone from a painfully bland offense into arguably the best in the league while maintaining a top-ten defense in the process. Darius Garland and Evan Mobley have transformed into better versions of themselves, the bench is much deeper, and Mitchell no longer has to be the fulcrum of the offense. Orlando is still a good team, and they clearly had the mental advantage last April, but the Cavs have leveled up in every way since.

Defense first

The Magic are not a good offensive team. In fact, they are inarguably one of the worst offenses in the league this season. Orlando ranks dead last in points per game, made three-pointers per game, three-point field goal percentage, 28th in assists per game, 27th in overall shooting, and 28th in offensive rating.

Having an offense that is on par (or ever so slightly better) than the terrible Washington Wizards while having a record near .500 is impressive. How is this possible? Defense.

Orlando is second in the league in defensive rating and sixth in steals. They force the second-most turnovers and allow the fewest three-point attempts in the league per Cleaning the Glass. The Magic find ways to win by being an elite defensive team, especially in the half-court, and forcing turnovers and bad shots. The Cavs take the fourth-most threes per game and make the second-most, a true battle of strength vs. strength.

Last season, the Cavs needed heroics to overcome Orlando’s defense. Now, they have more weapons and options to overcome it.