Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers betting tips and predictions for Thursday’s NBA game. It’s a hotly contested Eastern Conference clash between two teams battling for the 6th seed as the Toronto Raptors welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to town. Read on for all our free predictions and betting tips.
- Start date: 24.03.2022 at 07:30 PM
- Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
Toronto Raptors
Although they’ve lost 2 of their last 3 games, the Raptors have been on a solid run of 6 wins over their last 8 games to make things interesting when it comes to Eastern Conference seeding. Right now they are just 1 game back from the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 6th seed and an automatic spot in this year’s playoffs.
A win would do them well here, but this Cavs team has already beaten them 3 times this season, so the Raptors fans aren’t feeling optimistic ahead of tonight’s game. They do have a solid home record recently against the Cavs with 5 wins in the last 6 games, however, the last time they played there it was Cleveland who got the win by 1 point.
A lot has changed since, the Raptors are the more healthier team here, they might get OG Anunoby back from a finger injury. Gary Trent Jr. is listed as questionable but should be able to play with a minor toe problem.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Since the all-star break the Cavaliers have won just 6 of 14 games which is a 42% win pace. That’s a substantial difference compared to their 60% win pace before the break and a 35-23 record which had them in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference.
Injuries have had a lot to do with that, particularly to Jarrett Allen who has been missing for quite some time now. He should be back in time for the playoffs, but the Cavs need to make sure they get there first without him. They’ve won just once on the road in their last 7 games which is alarming for a team with one of the most reliable ATS records in the entire NBA. Darius Garland will have to be on top of his game, he is coming off a 29-point performance against the Lakers. So far this month he is averaging 26.4 points per game.
The Cavs rarely win at Toronto, so I think that’ll decide tonight’s game. They had a ton of luck in the first meeting of the season played there, but with the playoff seedings on the line I expect the Raptors to be more hungry here. Let’s go with the home team to cover.
Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers Predictions & Odds
The projected total has been set at a surprisingly low 214.5 points here, although the two teams finished under that number twice in 3 meetings so far, I think there is a good chance we go over that number tonight. The Cav’s defence hasn’t been confidence-inspiring lately, over their last 5 games they’ve given up 131, 109, 116, 118 and 111 points which is very uncharacteristic for them as they rank 5th in defensive efficiency this season.
The Raptors are coming off 2 straight games of under 100 points scored, but with them playing at home where they will have an extra incentive to get rolling early. Gary Trent Jr. should be able to play, he has provided a much-needed spark lately averaging 17.4 points per game over his last 9 appearances.
The last 10 meetings between the two teams have averaged 223.6 points per game and the over has cashed 6 times. If we expand that to the last 20 meetings, the over has landed in 13 of them, combine that with the Cavaliers going over in 7 of their last 8 games, including their last 4 of 5 vs Eastern Conference teams I think we have ourselves a high scoring outcome here. Let’s back to the points.
