Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Game 1 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The Toronto Raptors are back in the playoffs for the first time in four years as they hit the road for a Game 1 matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon.
It’s a big step for Toronto this year as they failed to even reach the play-in tournament the last two years. They avoided the play-in altogether this season as the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Fourth-seeded Cleveland has had high expectations the last few years, but they’ve been bounced in the second round in back-to-back seasons.
The Cavaliers are 8.5-point favourites to win on the NBA odds, with the total set at 219.5.
Raptors vs. Cavaliers NBA Betting Odds
This will be the fourth all-time series, and fourth since 2016, between the Raptors and Cavaliers. Toronto will be looking to rewrite history as they are just 2-12 straight up against the Cavs in the playoffs, including back-to-back sweeps in 2017 and 2018.
This is just the third time the Raptors have made the playoffs since winning the NBA championship in 2019. It’s their first time back in the dance since Scottie Barnes’ rookie season in 2021-22. Toronto, also a 5-seed that year, went on to lose in six games to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Cleveland is playing playoff basketball for the fourth straight year. The Cavaliers will look to advance to the second round for a third straight season, however, they were smoked in five games in the conference semifinals in each of the last two years.
Oddsmakers see this as an uphill battle for the Dinos in this one. Toronto is a +400 series underdog on the NBA futures board, while the Cavaliers are heavy -550 favourites. The Raptors actually swept the regular season series and while I don’t see that happening in Round 1, I like this series to go six games at +260.
Toronto Raptors
Toronto was already facing an uphill battle in this series and it only gets tougher as Immanuel Quickley is listed as questionable for Game 1 with a hamstring injury. Even if Quickley plays, he’ll clearly be less than 100 per cent of the player who provides 16.4 points per game and leads the Raptors in assists (5.4).
A lot of the offensive onus in this game for Toronto will rest on Scottie Barnes’ shoulders. Barnes is averaging 18.1 ppg this season, but he’s been a bit hit-or-miss in three games against the Cavs, scoring 14, 28 and 18 points, respectively.
The biggest factor for the Raps will be shutting down Cleveland’s red-hot offence, which averages 119.5 ppg, the fourth-best mark in the NBA. It’s a strategy that has worked this season, with Toronto holding the Cavs to an average of 104.3 ppg in the season series.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The biggest reason you can essentially write off what happened between these teams earlier in the season is James Harden, who didn’t arrive in Cleveland until February. Harden has puts the Cavaliers’ offence in another level with 23.6 ppg on the season. And despite not having a ring, he provides a lot of veteran experience as his 90 career playoff wins is second all-time to Karl Malone (98) among players without a championship.
Along with Harden, Cleveland boasts a strong core four that also includes Donovan Mitchell (27.9 ppg), Evan Mobley (18.2 ppg) and Jarrett Allen (15.4 ppg). That group has only played seven games and 92 minutes together but they’ve dominated, outscoring opponents by 26.7 points per 100 possessions.
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