The Cleveland Cavaliers (3-0) will look to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals when they take on the Toronto Raptors (0-3) at Quicken Loans Arena in game four of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, May 7, 2018, and will air on TNT.
Cleveland opened as a 6-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 213 points.
Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers ATS Prediction
James scored a game-high 38 points in game three, in which the Cavaliers beat the Raptors 105-103 but did not cover as 4.5-point favorites. He also had seven assists and six rebounds. The game finished with a total of 208 points, which was 6 points below the projected point total of 214 points. The Cavaliers’ 10.0 turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over the Raptors, who had a rate of 16.5.
This battle figures to be a high-scoring affair as two of the NBA’s top offenses battle. Cleveland ranks fifth with 110.8 points per 100 possessions and Toronto is third (111.6). Ball protection should be an advantage for the Raptors. They rank 5th at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.9 percent). Conversely, the Cavaliers force the fifth-fewest turnovers in the league (opponents’ turnover percentage of 13.0 percent).
Toronto heads into the game with records of 63-28 straight up (SU) and 49-42 against the spread (ATS). Raptors games have a slight tendency to finish over the total (51.6 percent).
Cleveland is 57-35 SU, but they are just 35-55-2 ATS. It’s tough to find a trend for games featuring the Cavaliers in regards to the total, as there has been an even split between games finishing over and under.
For the playoffs, the Cavaliers are 13-8 with 11 unders, nine overs and one push while the Raptors are 7-13 ATS with 12 unders and eight overs
Jonas Valanciunas has averaged 15.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over the last five games for Toronto.
Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers ATS Pick
NBA Pick: SU Winner – Cavaliers, ATS Winner – Raptors, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Toronto is 24-21 ATS with 23 overs and 22 unders.
At home, Cleveland is 13-32-1 ATS with 25 unders, 20 overs and 1 push.
In games where they allow under 100 points, Cleveland is 18-5 and Toronto is 30-5.
When scoring more than 100 points, the Cavaliers are 54-18 and the Raptors are 57-19.
Toronto ranks second in three pointers allowed per game (24.9) while Cleveland ranks 28th (31.3).
The Raptors rank second in blocks per game (6.1) while the Cavaliers rank 27th (3.8).
Toronto ranks sixth in assists per game (24.1) while Cleveland ranks 28th in assists allowed per game (25.4).
The Raptors average 48.7 points in the paint per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Cavaliers rank 22nd in points allowed in the paint per game (47.2).
Toronto ranks 11th in second chance points per game (12.9) while Cleveland ranks 26th (10.9).
The Raptors rank fifth in rebounds allowed per game (42.1) while the Cavaliers rank 16th (43.3).
Toronto ranks fifth in steals allowed per game (7.2) while Cleveland ranks 11th (7.4).
The Raptors rank ninth in fast break points per game (13.3) while the Cavaliers rank 13th in fast break points allowed per game (11.6).
Toronto averages 16.8 points off turnovers per game, which ranks 12th in the NBA. Cleveland ranks 15th in points off turnovers allowed per game (16.2).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Toronto is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Cleveland is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Raptors have been outscored by an average of 0.2 points in their last five games. For the season, Toronto has defeated opponents by an average of 6.9 points.
During their last five games, the Cavaliers have scored an average of 107.6 points per game (2.2 below their season average) and allowed an average of 109.4 points per game (0.2 above their season average).
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