Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers Preview and Predictions

• Are the Toronto Raptors losing their grip on the East?
• All roads to playoff success still lead through LeBron James
• Expert analysis for this marquee match-up, plus straight up picks for all 13 games on tap

The Toronto Raptors (55-21, 24-14 away) are in the midst of a late season gauntlet that is threatening their spot atop the Eastern Conference, and it resumes Tuesday night in Cleveland against the Cavaliers (47-30, 27-11 home).

The top-seeded Raptors were beaten by the undermanned Celtics on Saturday night, watching their lead slip from three to two games over Boston, with six games left to play.

This shouldn’t be that much cause for concern, except that the Raptors have another head-to-head with the Celtics on Wednesday, on the second night of a back-to-back, after having to deal with LeBron James.

They are officially on the hot seat.

Perhaps the loss to Boston was just an ill-timed blip, as the Raptors were held under 100 points for just the second time in their last 28 contests, but there were some other issues that arose.

Toronto’s powerful second unit, which had been pumping in 42 points a game this season, was cut down to 20 in their last contest. They also were not able to find the range from deep, shooting just 4-for-31 from beyond the arc after starting the game 4-for-6.

Meanwhile, the Cavs appear to be hitting their stride as the playoffs near – though it feels like the fourth of fifth time this season they’ve turned that switch on after being written off.

With their win over Dallas, Cleveland has now reeled off eight wins in their last 10, and despite a poor shooting performance, LeBron James continued his late run for MVP with his 17th triple-double this season.

The race for the top seed is so crucial. Claim it, and you don’t have to worry about James and the Cavs until the conference finals.

They sit in an enviable position: they’re out of the race for the top two seeds, leaving them to focus on playing well and coming together on both ends of the floor. Cleveland should hold down that third seed, and that’s why the race for the top seed is so crucial. Claim it, and you don’t have to worry about James and the Cavs until the conference finals.

You’ll still have to likely go through James, but the later you can avoid him, the better.

Team Stats

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

Head-to-Head Results

 Notable Injuries and Absences

 Team Trends

Prediction: Cavaliers (118-111)

Welcome to the new NBA, where you need to be able to score to compete at the highest levels. These two teams are top five in that category, pumping in over 110 points per contest.

For all that James does to carry his team, it’s fair to say that this iteration of the Cavaliers lives and dies by the three-pointer. When they win, they shoot it at a 40 per cent clip. With James orchestrating, that’s a devastating number. But when they lose, that number plummets down to 30.8 per cent.

Despite their new, more free flowing offence and a lineup that is more geared to shooting the three-ball, the Raptors’ strength is predicated on an inside-out flow. They are sixth in the league in paint scoring at 48.5 points per game.

Look for Cleveland to emulate some of Boston’s strategy on the Raptors, going especially big to try and force Toronto out of their closing three-guard lineup of Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Fred VanVleet, forcing either Norman Powell or OG Anunoby into VanVleet’s usual slot.

Even then, Toronto shouldn’t have trouble getting whatever shot they want, as the Cavaliers are a lowly 26th in points allowed, and also a miserable 23rd in rebounding.

But what they will have trouble doing is containing James. In their last match-up, James went berserk, pumping in 35 points and doling out 17 assists. Many of those set up teammates around the arc, where they connected on 15 of their 24 attempts.

Look for James’ dominance to continue here, ending in another W.

Straight-Up Picks (April 3)

There are a dozen other games in the NBA on Tuesday, including the Warriors and Thunder engaging in one of the most heated rivalries in the Association.

As games get closer to tip-off, be sure to visit our top betting sites, where you’ll get all the up-to-date odds for all games.