Filip Tomic
Show Bio
Orlando and Cleveland have gone back and forth 6 times in their series so far, and whoever wins today’s Game 7 advances to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Will it be the more experienced Cavaliers, or can Paolo Banchero lead his young Magic squad to an upset win? Tipoff is for 1:00 pm ET on ABC and I have prepared a Same Game Parlay to make things a bit more interesting.
For predictions on the side and total for Monday’s NBA postseason games simply visit our NBA Picks page.
Let’s dive into my SGP bet now!
CLE Cavaliers -3 (-112)
Max Strus Over 1.5 made threes (-215)
Franz Wagner Over 19.5 points (-120)
Same Game Parlay odds: +411
CLE Cavaliers -3 (-112)
The home team has won every single time through the first 6 games of this series, so why not continue with that trend in Sunday’s decider? Orlando has had to play catch-up for most of the series, coming back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. Playing from behind takes a toll on a roster mentally, especially if it’s young and inexperienced one like the Magic’s. Orlando has had a great season, punching above their weight class and being the surprise team in the NBA — but a first-round loss against a team this young and inexperienced would cause the Cavaliers to consider their season a loss.
Donovan Mitchell has been the best player in this series and his presence will prove vital to the Cavaliers’ success. Cleveland has done a solid job at shrouding him with shooters such as Georges Niang, Max Strus and Caris LeVert, I think the role players have to step up for Cleveland after it wasted a 50-point effort from Mitchell in Game 6. I have the Cavs winning Game 7 and moving on to face the Boston Celtics.
Max Strus Over 1.5 made threes (-215)
Strus has come to life in the last two games scoring in double-digits. His series high is a 16-point burst in Game 5 where he went 4-for-10 from 3-point land in a vital 1-point victory for Cleveland. Strus has played in 2 Game 7s in his career so far, both against the Celtics when he was part of the Miami Heat. He cleared this stat line in both of those games, proving that he can deliver when it matters the most. Cleveland is well aware that it won’t be able to win Game 7 without a total team effort, so I’m counting on Strus to do some damage.
Franz Wagner Over 19.5 points (-120)
Playing in his first-ever postseason, Wagner has really impressed with averages of 21 points per game on over 46% shooting from the field to go along with his 7 rebounds per game. Following a somewhat slower start to the series, he has really come to life in 2 of the last 3 games, logging 40+ minutes in both. His importance to this team is unquestionable. I would argue at times he’s even more important than leading scorer Paolo Banchero. Game 4 was the perfect example of that, as Wagner stepped up with a 34-point effort, more than making up for Banchero’s 9 point night. He is also no stranger to playing in big games. One of the big reasons why Germany won the FIBA World Cup last summer was because of his play. Alongside Dennis Schroder, he played a vital role in the final against Serbia with 19 points and 7 rebounds. After clearing this line in 2 of the last 3 games, I’m expecting at least 20 points from him in today’s deciding contest.
