Alex Hunter breaks down his preview, prediction and pick for Tuesday’s NBA matchup between the Cavaliers and the Magic.

The Cavaliers are hosting the Magic on Tuesday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, Cleveland is favored by 10.5 points and this game carries a total of 230.5 points.

Let’s dive into my preview and pick for this matchup.

Cavaliers vs. Magic preview

The Cavaliers took the first two meetings of the season vs. the Magic, but Orlando got revenge earlier this month with a 128-122 home win over Cleveland. Tonight’s matchup is important for both of these Eastern Conference clubs with less than three weeks remaining in the regular season. The Cavaliers are looking to hang onto the No.4 seed and they have a four-game cushion over the Raptors for that spot. Meanwhile, the No.8 seeded Magic are looking to move up the standings and possibly to avoid the Play-In Tournament. Orlando is a half game back of the 76ers for the No.7 seed and 1.5 games back of the Hawks for the No.6 seed.

The Cavaliers enter tonight as winners of three in a row, but these victories weren’t against compelling opponents, defeating the Bucks, Bulls and Pelicans, and all of these wins were by single digits. Cleveland looked great initially after James Harden’s arrival last month, but the club has cooled off since with a 10-6 record since the All-Star break. The Cavaliers still rank 10th in net rating over this time, but they are dealing with some notable injuries as Jarrett Allen (knee) and Jaylon Tyson (toe) are both sidelined.

With Allen out this season, Cleveland is just 11-9. Not having the big man as a lob threat for Harden hurts the Cavaliers’ offense. With Allen out, Harden, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley will all command larger roles. With Tyson out, Sam Merrill, Max Strus, and Keon Ellis will see extra minutes.

While the Cavaliers have won three straight, the Magic have lost five in a row, including a discouraging 128-126 home loss to the tanking Pacers last night. This losing streak comes after Orlando was on a tear, winning seven consecutive games. Since the All-Star break, the Magic are 10-8 and rank 12th in net rating.

Franz Wagner (ankle) and Anthony Black (shoulder) both remain out without timetables for a return. To make matters worse, Jalen Suggs (illness) will miss his second straight tonight. Wagner is the main missing piece here, but Suggs being out is also a big loss, as he makes a huge impact defensively and his absence was evident last night, when Orlando allowed a weak Indiana team to put up 128 points.

With both Wagner and Suggs inactive this season, the Magic are just 8-9. Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane are going to do everything they can tonight, and hopefully a secondary player like Tristan da Silva can step up. In the loss to the Pacers last night, da Silva scored 21 points and he scored 23 points when Orlando beat Cleveland earlier this month. Playing two games in two nights is never easy, but the Magic have been one of the best teams in the NBA in this situation this season with an 8-3 record, so Orlando likely won’t go down easy tonight.

Cavaliers vs. Magic pick, best Bet

While both these teams are dealing with key injuries, the Cavaliers are in better form and are the home team. Cleveland should win this game, but 10.5 points feels like too much given the Cavaliers’ track record this season. Cleveland is 29-42 ATS and 12-20 ATS as a home favorite.

This is a more important game for Orlando and I like backing the club to cover. The Magic are 7-4 ATS on the second night of back-to-back sets.

Best Bet: Magic +10.5 (-105)