The Cleveland Cavaliers open their regular season on the road Wednesday when visiting the Toronto Raptors, who will also be playing their opening game. Cleveland finished ninth in the Eastern Conference last season at 44-38. The Cavaliers were 25-16 at home and 19-22 on the road. Cleveland reached the postseason as part of the play-in phase but lost consecutive games to Brooklyn and Atlanta and were eliminated.
Cleveland made the biggest trade of the NBA offseason when acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. Mitchell joins a solid group of young talent that includes Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert. Kevin Love will start the season healthy for the first time in the last two seasons. Mitchell is just 26 and has been an All-Star three times. Cleveland has a solid defense that finished fifth in overall defensive rating after finishing 25th the previous season.
Toronto finished last season fifth in the Eastern Conference at 48-34. The Raptors were 24-17 at home and away last season. Toronto scored an average of 109.4 points per game and allowed an average of 107.1 points per game. Injuries plagued Toronto last season when the Raptors were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia 76ers. Scottie Barnes was the NBA Rookie of the Year last season for the Raptors.
Toronto will be led by Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby and Barnes. The Raptors acquired Otto Porter Jr, who last season played for the Golden State Warriors. Siakam was healthy last season and played very well leading the Raptors in scoring and rebounding with averages of 22.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Gary Trent Jr played well after being acquired the previous season and gives the Raptors a talented shooter.
Recent Betting Trends
- Cleveland is 3-9 ATS in its last 12
- The OVER has cashed in 8 of the Cavaliers last 11 on the road
- Toronto is 2-6 ATS in its last 8
- The UNDER has cashed in 4 of the Raptors last 5
Free NBA Pick:
Cleveland Cavaliers +2.5