Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors Game 4 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The Toronto Raptors will look to even their first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers at two games apiece when the teams meet at Scotiabank Arena for Game 4 on Sunday afternoon.
The Raptors were absolutely smacked around in the first two games of this series, but they flipped a switch when they returned to Toronto for Game 3. The Dinos cruised to a 126-104 victory with Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett playing starring roles.
Can Toronto level the series in Game 4, or will the Cavs reassert their earlier dominance?
Cleveland is a 3.5-point favourite to win on the NBA odds, with the total set at 220.5.
Cavaliers vs. Raptors NBA Betting Odds
Toronto’s win in Game 3 ended a ridiculous run of a 12 straight playoff losses against the Cavaliers. That matched the longest streak against a single opponent in postseason history. If you’re doing the math, yes that record means Cleveland swept the Raptors the last two times they met in the playoffs.
Oddsmakers are giving Toronto a little more credit heading into Game 4 as they are now listed as +650 underdogs (were +1000 ahead of Game 3) to win the series on the NBA futures board. The Cavs’ price has been cut in half, going from -2000 before Game 3 to -1000 entering Game 4.
The favoured exact series result is Cleveland winning in five games at +115. However, I like the value in the Raptors winning one more game, so give me Cavaliers in six at +240.
If you’re looking for player props, James Harden, who has a series-high 10 treys, is a +110 favourite to lead the series in three-pointers made.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland’s big guns were held in check on Thursday, with no one cracking the 20-point mark. Harden led the way with 18 points, while Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley each added 15. However, the elite trio were heavily outscored on the floor, combing for a minus-51 point differential. The Cavaliers finished the day shooting just 44.4 per cent from the floor and 31.1 per cent from beyond the arc.
The biggest issue for Cleveland on Thursday was turnovers. The Cavaliers had nearly twice as many turnovers as Toronto, with the Raptors forcing 22 turnovers for 23 points. One bright spot was Max Strus, who finished with 15 points on four three-pointers.
Toronto Raptors
It was the Barnes and Barrett show in Game 4. The duo each dropped 33 points, with Barnes adding five assists and 11 rebounds, while Barrett had five dimes and five boards. Rookie Collin Murray-Boyles was also fantastic. Murray-Boyles’ 22 points was the most ever by a Raptors rookie in a playoff game and he finished with a plus-21 defensive rating.
Brandon Ingram continues to struggle with production as the team’s leading scorer during the regular season is averaging just 12.0 points per game in the playoffs. The bigger concern, however, is Immanuel Quickley, who is officially ruled out of the series with a hamstring injury. It’s a massive loss to the lineup as Quickley averaged 16.4 ppg in the regular season and he led the team with 5.9 assists.
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