Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors Betting Preview
October 13, 2016
Date & Time: Thursday, October 14, @8:00 PM
Venue: Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland)
Head to head record
Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers 87-113 (2015/2016 NBA)
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors 116-78 (2015/2016 NBA)
Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers 105-99 (2015/2016 NBA)
Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers 99-84 (2015/2016 NBA)
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors 108-89 (2015/2016 NBA)
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors prediction
Cleveland Cavaliers will be aiming to bounce back from a 99-93 loss to Atlanta Hawks when they welcome Toronto Raptors at their Quicken Loans Arena in yet another pre-season game. Cavs are a real force to be reckoned with at home, but they will have to prove their worth on the court.
Tyronn Lue rested key players against Atlanta
Cleveland Cavaliers did remarkably well to win the NBA title last season, with the team beating star-studded Golden State Warriors in the finals. However, seeing that Oklahoma City Thunder ace Kevin Durant joined the Warriors in the summer, Cavs are on a very difficult quest in the 2016/2017 season. The club chiefs managed to keep hold of star players LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love and it has to be noted that “the King James” signed a new three-year deal with the Quicken Loans Arena outfit. Toney Douglas, Markel Brown, Kay Felder and Chris Andersen who joined the team and, no doubt, coach Tyron Lue will use upcoming pre-season games to test as many players as possible. Lue rested his key players in a 99-93 loss to Atlanta Hawks and that is the main reason why the reigning champions failed to extend their winning run to three games.
Tyronn Lue is likely to experiment against Toronto Raptors. The likes of Kay Felder, James Jones, Dahntay Jones, Jordan McRae and Cory Jefferson started against Atlanta Hawks. LeBron James is likely to be rested against Raptors.
Back-to-back defeats
Toronto Raptors managed to upset last season’s runners up Golden State Warriors (97-93) in a pre-season game earlier in October, but they head into Wednesday’s game against Cleveland Cavaliers following back-to-back defeats to the likes of Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers. Kyle Lowry, who represented USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil was rested in the 104-98 defeat to Clippers, but the other star player DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 20 points in the Staples Center game. DeRozan will be the man to watch in Dwane Casey’s team in Wednesday’s warm-up clash against Cleveland Cavaliers and he will certainly pose a big threat for the title holders. It has to be noted that the USA star was averaging 23.5 points in the 2015/2016 NBA season.
Dwane Casey is widely expected to test new signings in Wednesday’s pre-season game against Cleveland Cavaliers. Kyle Lowry is likely to play some part against Cavs after he was rested in the loss to Clippers.
Interesting facts
- Toronto recorded their last win at Quicken Loans Arena back in 2014
- Home team emerged triumphant in nine of last ten meetings between the two teams
- Cleveland scored 108+ points in previous two pre-season games at home
- Raptors were beaten by Cavs in each of their last three meetings in Cleveland
- Kyle Lowry scored 35 points in last meeting between the two teams in NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Toronto Raptors betting pick
Both Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors aim to prepare in the best possible way for the opening match of the season and, no doubt, coaches Tyronn Lue and Dwane Casey will use upcoming warm-up games to test all players in the roster. Seeing that key players might be rested in Wednesday’s clash, there is every chance we will see a low-scoring match at Quicken Loans Arena.
Pick: Under 201 points
Odds: -110
