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In the first game of a Sunday doubleheader on ESPN, the Toronto Raptors will open up a six-game road trip against All-Star point guard Darius Garland and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The last time these two teams played each other, the Cavaliers blew out the Raptors 144-99 on Dec. 26. Kevin Love and Garland led the way for Cleveland with 22 points a piece. The Cavs are five-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at 211.5
Raptors vs. Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Cavaliers -5
The Raptors enter tonight’s game on a two-game losing streak after falling by six points to the Orlando Magic on Friday night. Toronto received good performances from both Pascal Siakam (34 points, 14 rebounds) and Malachi Flynn (20 points and eight assists). But it was not enough as the Raptors shot 39.8% from the field and 32.4% from three-point range.
Toronto will not have Fred VanVleet once again for tonight’s contest, which will put a lot of scoring pressure on Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and Gary Trent Jr. Trent Jr. has struggled since the All-Star break, averaging 12.5 points per game on 21.7% from three. The Raptors are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 road games and 1-5 ATS in their last six games.
The Cavaliers will be looking to bounce back from their tough six-point loss to the 76ers on Friday night, giving them three-straight losses. The Cavs’ defense has not been great since the All-Star break as they’ve allowed 112.6 points per game (last five games). The good news is that Cleveland will be going up against a struggling Raptors’ team, so someone will break their losing streak. The Cavaliers are 1-6 ATS in their last seven games, but 10-8-1 ATS when they are home favorites this season.
Over/Under: Over 211
The last two times the Raptors and Cavaliers played each other, the total points scored were 203 and 243. The total has gone under in seven of the Raptors’ last nine games, while the total has gone under in nine of the Cavs’ last 10 home games. The Cavs’ defense has not played well recently and even though the Raptors’ offense is missing key players, I still like the over in this spot.
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