Home or on the road, the Cleveland Cavaliers are proving the Toronto Raptors are no match for them. Cleveland has dominated this Eastern Conference semifinal series and will aim for the sweep in Game 4 after cruising once again last time out.
The home court advantage for Toronto didn’t mean much last time out and it’s going to be tough for the Raptors to compete at a high level in this one knowing their season is all but over. Cleveland has looked like a juggernaut in the playoffs and will aim to turn it on one more time to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
The Cavs will be the favorites after playing so impressively in the first three games of this series.
This war on the floor will go down Sunday, May 7, 2017, at 3:30 p.m. ET at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. The game will be televised live on ABC.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Sunday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Cavaliers were only three-point favorites in Game 3 but easily covered that in the 115-94 victory. The scoring total was set at 215.5 and the “under” was the correct call.
Cleveland improved to 58-31 straight up and 40-46-3 against the spread. The Cavaliers have gone 19-24-1 against the spread. Cleveland is 35-36-3 against the spread as the favorite, covering in all three games of this series.
The Raptors are 55-36 straight up and 47-42-2 against the spread. Toronto has covered in 22 of 45 attempts at home this season, with one push. The Raptors are 13-12-1 against the spread as the underdog but have struggled against the Cavs.
Last Time Out
The game was close through three quarters but it was all Cleveland in the fourth, as they outscored the Raptors 36-17 in the final 12 minutes to cruise to the win. LeBron James was fantastic again, scoring 35 points and adding eight rebounds and seven assists.
The Cavs shot 51.3 percent from the field and 56.5 percent from three-point range, once again overwhelming the Raptors on the offensive end of the court. Toronto was led by DeMar DeRozan, who had 37 points and three steals, hitting 12-of-23 from the field and all 13 of his free throws.
The Raptors hit only 2-of-28 from three-point range, and the huge discrepancy from downtown helped Cleveland emerge victorious.
Injury Report
The Raptors suffered a critical blow when standout point guard Kyle Lowry was ruled out with a sprained ankle. He averaged 22.4 points and 7.0 assists in the regular season while also adding some solid defense. He was good in the first two games of the series, averaging 20.0 points and 8.0 assists while shooting better than 55 percent from the field and hitting four of his six attempts from downtown.
Lowry tweaked the ankle in Game 2 and went through pregame warmups with the Raptors but was in too much pain to play. Cory Joseph replaced him in the starting lineup but contributed only four points and six assists in 33 minutes.
Lowry certainly doesn’t want to sit on the sidelines in an elimination game and two more days of rest figures to be good for the ankle. However, even if he does play, Lowry may be limited and not his normal self.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Cavaliers are rolling, and the injury to Lowry, the Raptors’ second best player, is a big one. The oddsmakers keep making close lines in this one and Cleveland keeps responding with blowout wins.
Will the Raptors finally put up a fight in Game 4? Don’t bet on it. They are outclassed and seem like they will be getting swept. Take the Cavaliers to win this game on the road, and if the spread comes in close to what it was in Game 3, Cleveland will again be the choice to cover.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 107, Raptors 101
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