LeBron James has proven once again that any regular season issues go out the window when the playoffs come around. The Cleveland Cavaliers were inconsistent all year and finished with only the fourth-best record in the East this year. However, James has put the team on his back in the postseason as the Cavaliers have won the first three games of their second-round matchup against the favored Toronto Raptors.
Cleveland is at home in Game 4 and will be favored to wrap up this series and move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The oddsmakers are finally buying into the Cavs as they are solid favorites to win this game and finish off the sweep in NBA basketball gambling.
Game 4 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Monday, May 7, 2018 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The contest will be nationally televised on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for every game of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Odds Analysis
The Cavaliers are listed as 6-point favorites to capture Game 4. Despite Cleveland’s dominance in this series thus far, Toronto has gotten more of the action to cover next time out.
The scoring total is listed at 214 points, as the oddsmakers believe this game will be played at a healthy pace. The “under” is the more popular choice.
Cleveland is -255 on the moneyline to win this game and wrap up the series. The Raptors are +211 underdogs to capture this game and extend the series. Toronto is getting about 68 percent of the action at those odds to pull the upset.
Last Time Out
The Cavaliers led most of the way in Game 3, but Toronto put together a strong fourth quarter to come back and tie the game with just eight seconds left. Cleveland had time for one more shot and as expected got the ball to James who hit a nine-foot jumper off the glass to secure the 105-103 win.
James finished the night with 38 points and seven assists. Kevin Love added a big double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds.
Cleveland led by 15 points at halftime, but were outscored 38-26 in the final quarter as the Raptors roared back to knot it up. Kyle Lowry finished as Toronto’s highest scorer with 27 points but he didn’t get enough help as the Raptors fell in a game they needed to have.
Player To Watch
DeMar DeRozan -- The Raptors’ leading scorer struggled in Game 3, and didn’t see the floor in the fourth quarter as the team made its run. It was an interesting decision to leave DeRozan on the bench but the Toronto coaching staff elected to keep in the group that was making in-roads.
DeRozan finished the game with just eight points on 3-of-12 shooting and had a minus-23 plus/minus rating in his 28 minutes. Either DeRozan is going to come out intent on playing better or he may not be happy and could struggle again.
The Raptors don’t have enough elite players for DeRozan to struggle this badly again in Game 4.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Cavaliers are rolling, and they will want to close this series out at home and prepare for the Eastern Conference Finals. The Raptors lost a pair of close games in this series, and a few different changes could have changed the complexion of this series.
But the Cavaliers are now smelling blood and should be able to cruise to the victory in Game 4, covering the spread along the way in NBA basketball odds. The “under” is the choice on the scoring total as the Raptors won’t score enough to hold up their end of the bargain.
NBA ATS Pick: Cavaliers 112, Raptors 100
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