Cavaliers vs. Raptors Prediction
The Toronto Raptors led much of Game 1 at home before ultimately falling in overtime to a Cleveland Cavaliers team they have been eliminated by the last two postseasons. Can Toronto bounce back with a victory tonight or is Cleveland going to have the hosts’ number once again?
Game Snapshot
511 Cleveland Cavaliers at 512 Toronto Raptors
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Air Canada Centre at 6PM ET
TV: ESPN
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Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Raptors are a 6.5-point favorite to win on the spread line. The total sits at 212.5 points. As of Thursday morning, 54 percent of public bets are coming in on host Toronto. Check out our NBA Public Betting Page for the latest info.
Another triple-double for LeBron
Cavaliers superstar LeBron James guided his team back from varying deficits much of regulation before putting the clamps down in overtime as Cleveland stole a 113-112 victory. James tpta;ed 26 points on 13-of-30 shooting while adding 13 assists and 11 rebounds to send the Cavs to the unlikely win. James was helped in part by a big night from shooting guard JR Smith, who connected on 5-of-6 from 3-point range and scored 20 points. Kyle Korver also made five 3-pointers and scored 19. One concern is the continued shooting struggles of Kevin Love, who shot 3-of-13 from the floor for only seven points although he did pull down 13 boards.
Raptors fail to capitalize on chances
After blowing their lead in the fourth quarter, Toronto had a chance to win it at the end of regulation but a missed Fred VanVleet 3-pointer plus a couple missed putback attempts sent the contest into overtime at 105-105. In overtime, the Raptors pulled close after a quick start by Cleveland and eventually had a chance to win it on another VanVleet 3-point attempt but once again it was off the mark.
Quote from Demar DeRozan, who scored a team-best 22 points: “He got a heck of a shot. I’ll live with him shooting that shot 10 times out of 10. We got a good look and it just didn’t fall.”
NBA Betting Trends
Cleveland
The Cavaliers are 6-1-1 ATS in the last eight meetings. Cleveland is 4-0-1 ATS in its last five conference semifinals games.
Toronto
The over is 4-1 in the last five meetings. The Raptors are 7-0-1 ATS in their last eight games versus a team with a winning road record.
Prediction:
Most people probably weren’t surprised that Toronto collapsed in Game 1 given its history versus Cleveland. But count me as someone who is still a Toronto believer. This is the best team they have ever had and there is a reason they are a 6.5-point favorite this evening. Toronto is outstanding at home and the Cavs have a tendency to struggle on the road. Expect that to all show here.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: TORONTO RAPTORS -6.5