The Cleveland Cavaliers will debut their new backcourt when they open the season against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night. Cleveland is looking to build on last year's appearance in the play-in tournament. Toronto, meanwhile, finished in fifth place in the Eastern Conference before losing to Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Toronto is favored by 2.5-points in the latest Raptors vs. Cavaliers odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 214.5. Before entering any Cavaliers vs. Raptors picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model finished the 2021-22 season on a stunning 88-60 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning over $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Raptors vs. Cavaliers. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Raptors vs. Cavaliers:
- Raptors vs. Cavaliers spread: Raptors -2.5
- Raptors vs. Cavaliers over/under: 214.5 points
- Raptors vs. Cavaliers picks: See picks here
Why the Raptors can cover
Toronto does not have stars like Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry on its roster like it did when it won the 2019 NBA Finals, but the Raptors still have valuable pieces such as Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and OG Anunoby. They put together a solid 2021-22 campaign before losing to Philadelphia in the playoffs. Siakam missed the first 10 games last season after having shoulder surgery, but he is healthy heading into this campaign.
The Raptors also added Otto Porter Jr., Juancho Hernangomez and rookie Christian Koloko to their roster, although Porter (hamstring) will be out on Wednesday. Siakam led the team with 22.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last year, while VanVleet averaged 20.3 points. They are 6-1 in their last seven home games against Cleveland, and the Cavaliers only covered the spread four times in their final 14 games last year.
Why the Cavaliers can cover
Cleveland made one of the biggest moves of any team in the NBA this offseason, adding star guard Donovan Mitchell from Utah. Mitchell averaged 25.9 points, 5.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game for the Jazz last year. He has averaged 23.9 points and 4.5 assists per game during his NBA career, making him one of the top guards in the league.
Mitchell will pair up with point guard Darius Garland, who led Cleveland with 21.7 points and 8.6 assists per game in 2021-22. Second-year forward Evan Mobley is expected to play on Wednesday after missing the first three preseason games due to a sprained ankle. Toronto only covered the spread twice in its final eight games last season and did not make a huge splash in the offseason like Cleveland did.
How to make Cavaliers vs. Raptors picks
The model has simulated Raptors vs. Cavaliers 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Cavaliers vs. Raptors? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Raptors vs. Cavaliers spread you need to jump on Wednesday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
