Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors Game 3 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The Toronto Raptors will look to avoid a 13th straight playoff loss agains the Cavaliers when they host Cleveland for Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Thursday night.
The Raptors are in a tough spot as they head back to Toronto. Cleveland has controlled this series from the start, winning each of the first two games by double digit figures. Can the Dinos cut the series lead in half on Thursday, or will the Cavs pull ahead 3-0?
Cleveland is. 3.5-point favourite to win on the NBA odds, with the total pegged at 219.5.
Cavaliers vs. Raptors NBA Betting Odds
Toronto matched a dubious NBA record on Monday, losing their 12th straight playoff game against the Cavaliers. That’s tied for the longest streak against a single opponent in postseason history.
The streak dates back to 2016, the first of three straight years Cleveland eliminated the Raptors from the playoffs. The Cavs beat Toronto in a six-game conference final matchup that year before sweeping the Raps in a second-round series in both 2017 and 2018.
Oddsmakers haven’t seen anything through two games that suggests Toronto is capable of pulling off the comeback. Cleveland is a heavy -2000 series favourite entering Game 3, while the Raptors are +1000 underdogs on the NBA futures board.
The real question now is, will there be a sweep? That’s the favoured exact series result, with a Cavaliers win in four games priced at +160. Personally, I like the drama, so my favourite prop is for the series to feature a game-winning field goal as time expires at +1800.
Cleveland Cavaliers
It was the usual suspects for Cleveland in Game 2. Donovan Mitchell dropped a game-high 30 points, while James Harden added 28 and Evan Mobley had 25. It was the second straight season and fourth time overall that the Cavaliers had at least three players score 25+ points in a single playoff game.
The first two games of this series have been complete dominance from Cleveland, which has never trailed. The Cavs success stems from an emphasis on aggressive attacking and dictating the play. They’ve also hit their shots, finishing 53 per cent from the field in Game 2 and they’ve done a great job limiting Toronto’s Brandon Ingram.
Toronto Raptors
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with a playoff career-high 26 points in Game 2, while RJ Barrett had 22 points and nine rebounds. However, Toronto was never really in it as they were outscored in three of four quarters for the second straight game.
The biggest issue for the Raptors right now is the lack of production from Ingram, who led the team in scoring during the regular season. Ingram followed up a Game 1 performance in which he had 17 points on just nine attempts with a brutal seven-point outing in Game 2. He finished the first half of Game 2 scoreless on six attempts and ended the contest 3-for-15 shooting with five turnovers. If that doesn’t change, Toronto doesn’t stand a chance.
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