Raptors at Cavaliers Point Spread: NBA Picks, Odds and Prediction

The last time the Toronto Raptors visited the Cleveland Cavaliers, it was Game 5 of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals with the series tied 2-2. The Cavs would blow out the Raptors 116-78 behind big nights from LeBron James and Kevin Love and would then win Game 6 back in Toronto to eliminate the Raptors from their first East Finals. The Raptors make the first of two regular-season visits to northeast Ohio on Tuesday. Toronto will also conclude the season there on April 12. Check out all of Tuesday’s NBA odds.

Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers

Spread: Cavaliers -6.5

Total: 208

Date:  Tuesday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m. ET

Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland

Toronto Raptors

The Raptors (7-2) enter the week with the second-best record in the East behind Cleveland. Toronto comes off its third straight win, a 118-107 home victory over New York on Saturday. DeMar DeRozan continued his red-hot start with 33 points. He joined some rare company as in the past 50 years, only DeRozan, Michael Jordan, World B. Free and Tiny Archibald have started a season scoring at least 30 points in eight of the season’s first nine games. DeRozan continues to lead the NBA in scoring at 34.0 ppg and his only game with less than 30 was a 23-ponit effort in a loss to Sacramento.

Toronto played the Knicks without small forward DeMarre Carroll, who sat out the second of a back-to-back. Carroll hasn’t played well yet, averaging 7.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in just over 25.4 minutes per night. He is shooting only 35.8 percent from the field and 29.0 percent from 3-point range. Norman Powell started for him Saturday and had 19 points.

While Carroll has disappointed, Brazilian center Lucas Noguiera has gone from seldom-used reserve to key contributor. He has played at least 25 minutes in three straight games and is averaging  8.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in that span. Nogueira has suddenly filled the role of the departed Bismack Biyombo. But with Nogueira’s emergence and the return from injury on Friday of center Jonas Valanciunas, that has meant Jakob Poeltl, Toronto’s No. 9 overall pick this year, has been squeezed out as Poeltl hasn’t played in the past two games.

This starts the toughest two-game stretch of the season for the Raptors as the Golden State Warriors, the NBA betting favourites to win their second NBA title in three years, visit the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday. Of course the Cavs beat the Warriors in last year’s NBA Finals. The only other team scheduled to play Cleveland and Golden State on consecutive nights this season is Brooklyn (Dec. 22-23).

Toronto is 6-3 against the spread this season and 3-0 ATS on the road.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs (8-1) have tied the best nine-game start in team history and no LeBron club has ever started 9-1. The Cavs’ only loss was last Tuesday at home to Atlanta, 110-106. Since, they have won two in a row. Cleveland was last on the court Sunday at home and beat Charlotte 100-93.

Coach Tyronn Lue made an interesting decision in the fourth quarter of that close game vs. the Hornets in keeping LeBron out there the entire quarter only with reserves Jordan McRae, Iman Shumpert, Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye. Those five played the entire quarter in leading a comeback. That fivesome had never played together previously. James had 11 points and five assists in the fourth. He finished with 19 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. Frye had a season-high 20 points.

Cleveland played without usual starting shooting guard J.R. Smith due to a sprained ankle, and he’s day-to-day. Smith is averaging 10.5 points per game. He is one of the team’s best 3-point shooters and the Cavs have hit at least 10 3-pointers in all nine games, setting the NBA record for consecutive games with 10 or more made 3-pointers to start a season. They are averaging a league-high 13.2 3-pointers made per game.

The Cavs were 2.5-point favourites when they visited Toronto on Oct. 28 and Cleveland won 94-91. Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 44.3 seconds remaining. Irving also had six assists and six rebounds. James had 21 points and Kevin Love 18 points and 10 rebounds. DeRozan had 32 to lead the Raptors. Valanciunas had 10 points and 17 rebounds. Nogueira was still out with his sprained ankle then.

Cleveland is 3-5-1 ATS this season and 1-4-1 ATS at home.

Raptors at Cavaliers Prediction

Counting the East Finals, the Cavs have won three straight in this series by an average of 22.4 points and are shooting 50.9 percent overall and are 39-for-84 (46.4 percent) from 3-point range in those games. Toronto has never won four consecutive road games to start a season and won’t here. Take Cleveland as the home team has covered eight of the past 10 meetings and go under the total.