The Raptors are a solid team but had no answer for the hyped-up Cavaliers, who surged to an early lead and were never threatened. Not only is James playing well, but he’s getting plenty of help.
Toronto needs an outstanding game from its backcourt and some better defense from everyone to have a shot at keeping the second game in Cleveland more competitive. The Cavs will be sizable favorites since they are at home once again and won so easily in the first playoff matchup.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, April 3, 2017, at 7 p.m. ET at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Wednesday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Cavaliers were listed as seven-point favorites, and while Toronto came close to a backdoor cover because of its bench at the end of the game, Cleveland picked up the well-deserved cover. The 116-105 outcome easily hit the “over” on the scoring total.
The Cavaliers are listed as 7.5-point favorites for Game 2 and are -365 on the moneyline. Toronto is the +292 underdog while the scoring total is set at 213.5 points.
Cleveland is 56-31 straight up and 38-46-3 against the spread on the season. The Cavs have gone 20-22-2 against the spread as the home team and is 33-36-3 attempting to cover as the favorite.
The Raptors are 55-34 straight up and 47-40-2 against the spread. Toronto is 25-19-1 against the spread on the road and 13-10-1 against the spread as the underdog, but failed to cover in either on Monday.
Last Time Out
Behind 35 points from James, the Cavaliers coasted to the 116-105 victory. Cleveland led by 14 coming out of halftime and were just as strong in the second half, outscoring Toronto 34-26 in the third quarter to help cement the win.
In addition to his scoring ability, James also had 10 rebounds and four assists. Kyrie Irving had 24 points for Cleveland. Toronto, which comes into this series after defeating Milwaukee 4-2 in the conference quarterfinals, came out cold in the first half, scoring just 18 in the first quarter. The team was led by Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who combined for 39 points.
Key Stat
33. That was Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson’s plus-minus rating in the first game of the series. That was the best mark among any player on the court. Thompson finished the game with 11 points, 14 rebounds and two steals. Cleveland has a talented trio of James, Irving and Kevin Love already and if the team can get impressive efforts from Thompson moving forward, Toronto will have a very hard time securing wins in this series.
Thompson doesn’t need to be a big-time scorer but if he can defend the paint and do well on the glass, it’s a big bonus for Cleveland.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Cavs completely outclassed Toronto in the first game, and many are going to ride Cleveland to another easy win. However, the Raptors are better than they showed and should be able to be more competitive next time out.
Take Cleveland to pick up another victory, but this one will be much closer. The spread is quite accurate as the margin of victory will be right around there. The Cavaliers are going to squeak out the cover as they improve to 2-0 in this series.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers 112, Raptors 104
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