The teams finished with identical records in the regular season so it wouldn’t be a shock for Toronto to bounce back here in Game 3 to try to make this a series, but there isn’t much that can be taken from the games in Cleveland to make the Raptors confident.
Cleveland struggled during the regular season but has come alive in the postseason and will look to deliver a critical blow to the Raptors in Game 3.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, May 5, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
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NBA Odds
The Cavaliers were only 6.5-point favorites in Game 2 but easily covered that in the 125-103 victory, beating the spread with ease for a second straight game. The scoring total was set at 214 and the “over” was the correct call.
Cleveland improved to 58-31 straight up and 40-46-3 against the spread with the win. The Cavs have played in 43 road games, covering in 18 of them and pushing once. Cleveland seems likely to be favored again despite playing on the road. The Cavs are 35-36-3 against the spread as the favorites on the year.
The Raptors are 55-36 straight up and 47-42-2 against the spread. Toronto has gone 22-21-1 against the spread at home this season and hopes playing there will give it a better chance. The Raptors are 13-12-1 against the spread as the underdog this season after failing to cover the past two against Cleveland.
Last Time Out
LeBron James had another big night on Wednesday and it resulted in another big win from the Cavaliers, who have not lost a game yet this postseason. The Cavs captured a 125-103 win in Game 2 and have outscored the Raptors by an average of 15.5 points over the first two games of this series.
James finished 10-of-14 from the field in the win including sinking 4-of-6 from behind the arc. Kyrie Irving added another 22 points for Cleveland and also had a team-high 11 assists.
The Cavs outscored Toronto 34-22 in the first quarter Wednesday and led by 14 at halftime. They came out even stronger in the second half, putting up 37 points in the third quarter behind 17 points from James to help put the game out of reach.
Key Stat
37. That’s how many points per game James is averaging this series. He doesn’t always dominate teams with his scoring but has done so early in this series. It’s safe to say the Cavs superstar has found his groove and that spells trouble for everyone in Cleveland’s path.
James shot 71.4 percent from the field in Game 2 against Toronto and is averaging 54.8 percent field goal shooting over the first six playoff games. He has also finished with five double-doubles so far in these playoffs including a triple-double in Game 3 against the Pacers where he finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Raptors were one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference during the regular season, but had trouble with the Bucks in the first round and are now getting blown out by the Cavaliers.
If they have any chance of making this a series, they need to win Game 3 at home. However, it just doesn’t look like it will be in the cards. Cleveland has been so much better that it seems like a road win is very feasible.
Toronto will keep this one much closer but look for the Cavs to make the requisite plays down the stretch to claim the victory.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 112, Raptors 108
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