The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors are both coming off hard-earned series wins in the first round against the Indiana Pacers and the Washington Wizards, respectively. This Monday, the Cavs and the Raps will begin their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup. Who will draw first blood?
LeBron James made sure that he’ll remained undefeated in Game 7s on Sunday, as he put up a gargantuan effort to tow his team to a victory over the Pacers. James scored 45 points on 16-for-25 shooting from the floor and added nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals on 43 minutes in a 105-101 win. Other than that, it’s the fact that there were other Cavs who showed up that was key for Cleveland’s success. Tristan Thompson got a surprise Game 7 start and delivered with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, while George Hill came off the bench and fired 11 points. The Raptors are a different animal than Indiana, but James will have to show the same effort he did in the first round, as the Cavs are still heavily dependent on his production. In the last meeting between the two teams, James scored 27 points, while Kevin Love had 18 markers and 15 boards in a 112-106 win at home on Apr. 3.
The Cavs are 6-1 SU and 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games in Toronto.
Betting on the Toronto Raptors (-6.5)
For all the improvements the Raptors have made this season, they still are going to go as far as where the tandem of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan takes them. In Game 7 against the Wizards at home last Friday, Lowry played in his best outing thus far in the playoffs, scoring 24 points to go with six rebounds and six assists in 32 minutes of action. DeRozan, meanwhile, only had 16 points to lead the Raps to a 102-92 win. The Raptors need to take advantage of their depth against the Cavs. Toronto’s bench is more productive than the Cavs’ second-stringers. In terms of bench scoring, the Raptors are third this postseason with 35.2 points per game, while the Cavs only get an average of 25.6 points from their relievers. Toronto is also the better scoring team in the playoffs with 109.2 points per game, more than the Cavs’ average of 94.9 – the worst among all postseason teams. Against Cleveland’s defense that has more holes than Swiss cheese, DeRozan and Anthony should find plenty of opportunities to score.
The Raptors are 5-1 ATS in their last six home games.
