The Eastern Conference’s top team will be on the road when the Cleveland Cavaliers (11-3) head to the Air Canada Centre to face the Toronto Raptors (9-6). Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Nov. 25 and can be seen on FxO and TSN.
The Raptors enter this game hoping for similar success after topping the Clippers 91-80 on Sunday. DeMarre Carroll was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 117-103 win against the Magic on Monday. Kevin Love was the game’s top scorer, registering 34 points on 11-for-18 shooting.
Love has been hot for the Cavaliers, averaging 24.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 3.2 three-pointers over the past five games.
Expect this one to be a clinic on boxing out, as two of the NBA’s top rebounding teams face off. Toronto is among the league’s best on the offensive glass, ranking third in offensive rebound percentage at 28.0%. Meanwhile, Cleveland ranks fifth in the NBA at corralling defensive boards with a defensive rebound percentage of 78.6%.
The Cavaliers are a slim two-point favorite over Toronto. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 200 points. The Raptors come into this game 9-6 Straight Up (SU) and 10-4-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 4-3 SU and ATS against the Eastern Conference. The Raptors have made 350 free throws this season (23.0 per game), which leads the league.
Over on the other bench, the Cavaliers have 11-3 SU and 6-8 ATS records. Cleveland has a good SU record over the last 10 games (8-2), but have a 3-7 record ATS. The Cavaliers rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking fourth in the league with 143 made (10.0 per game). The Cavaliers are an unselfish team with an average of 25.1 assists per game, ranking fourth in the NBA.
The conference foes meet for what will be their first head-to-head battle of the season. Cleveland won the last game in the matchup, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 6-4. The Cavaliers also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle, ATS Winner – Cle, O/U – Under
Notes
Toronto is 5-1-1 ATS in its last 7 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Toronto’s last 14 games when playing Cleveland.
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Cleveland.
Toronto is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing Cleveland.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Toronto’s last 9 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Toronto is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 104.9 points per game (ranked fourth), while the Toronto Raptors are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 96.5 (ranked fifth).
Cleveland scores 100.3 points per away game, ranking 15th in the league. Toronto gives up just 94.5 points per home game (ranked fourth).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a superb 6-1. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Toronto Raptors have a losing record of 1-3.
The Cavaliers have a 5-2 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Raptors have also performed well when they register triple digits with a record of 8-3 in such contests.
The Cavaliers have the third-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.2). The Raptors are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 100.1 (ranked eighth).
Cleveland has an average field goal percentage of 47.0% (ranked fourth). Toronto is a losing 1-3 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, Toronto attempts 21.0 three pointers and Cleveland attempts 28.0 per game. Both teams have winning records when they have 25 or more three point attempts. The Raptors sit at 3-1 and the Cavaliers are 7-3.
Toronto has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.28 this season (ranked 25th). Cleveland ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.78 (ranked fourth).
The Toronto Raptors rebound 45.1 times per game and are ranked 13th. Ranked sixth, the Cleveland Cavaliers rebound 46.4 times per game.
The Raptors and the Cavaliers are well matched when it comes to rebounding. Toronto is ranked 16th in defensive rebounding, and Cleveland is also ranked 16th in offensive rebounding.
Though Toronto is one of the best in the league in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.7% (ranked eighth), Cleveland has an outstanding 5-1 record SU when its TOV% is 15.7% or greater.
