Updated April 18, 2026, 4:09 a.m. ET<\/p>\n
The Toronto Raptors<\/a> (46-36) and Cleveland Cavaliers<\/a> (52-30) meet Saturday for Game 1 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series. Tip-off from Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET (Prime Video). Let’s analyze NBA odds around the Raptors vs. Cavaliers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions<\/a> for the best bets.<\/p>\n Regular-season series: Raptors swept 3-0<\/p>\n Toronto hung on for the No. 5 seed over the Atlanta Hawks despite identical records due to a head-to-head tiebreaker. The Raptors won and covered all 3 regular-season meetings vs. the Cavaliers this season — all 3 contests were before December. The last time they faced off, Toronto won 110-99 a 1.5-point home favorite Nov. 24, 2025. The Raptors took the other 2 contests, both in Cleveland, by 11 and 13 points.<\/p>\n In 2016, these teams met in the Eastern Conference Finals with Cleveland winning in 6 games. That was followed by back-to-back seasons of Cleveland sweeping Toronto in the conference semifinals.<\/p>\n Toronto finished the regular season with 3 wins in its final 4 games, while going 3-1 against the spread (ATS). In the finale April 12, the Raptors won 136-101 as 23.5-point favorites as the Over (219.5) cashed. F Scottie Barnes recorded a triple-double (18 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) with 3 blocks in the win.<\/p>\n Cleveland finished the regular season with 5 wins in its final 6 outings, while going 3-1 ATS in the final 4 contests. The Over was 3-1 in the final 4 games, too. The Cavs wrapped up the regular season with a 130-117 victory over the Washington Wizards April 12, covering as an 11-point home favorite with the Over (234.5) hitting. F Nae’Qwan Tomlin went for 26 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists with 4 3-pointers in the win.<\/p>\n Watch the NBA on Fubo!<\/a>Raptors at Cavaliers odds<\/p>\n Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub<\/a> for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:19 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n Moneyline (ML): Raptors +280 (bet $100 to win $280) | Cavaliers -350 (bet $350 to win $100)Against the spread: Raptors +8.5 (-110) | Cavaliers -8.5 (-110)Over\/Under (O\/U): 219.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)Raptors at Cavaliers key injuries<\/p>\n Raptors<\/p>\n PG Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) questionable<\/p>\n Cavaliers<\/p>\n C Thomas Bryant (calf) out<\/p>\n For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Raptors at Cavaliers picks and predictionsPrediction<\/p>\n Raptors 115, Cavaliers 111<\/p>\n The RAPTORS (+280) will nearly triple your initial investment if they pull off an upset in the series opener. With Toronto’s dominance in the regular-season series, winning all 3 of the head-to-head meetings, it’s worth a roll of the dice to build our bankroll at the start of the NBA Playoffs.<\/p>\n The Cavaliers (-350) have playoff history on their side as they’re 12-2 in 3 previous postseason series vs. the Raptors, but those games were back in 2016-’18 when F LeBron James was in his second stint with Cleveland.<\/p>\n TORONTO +8.5 (-110) is worth a play if you cannot bring yourself to take it straight up. As mentioned, the Raptors went 3-0 ATS this season vs. the Cavaliers, but each of those meetings took place in the first 2 months of the regular season.<\/p>\n The Raptors finished the regular season 21-20 ATS on the road, according to Teamrankings.com. They were also 17-17 ATS as underdogs and 11-11 ATS as road dogs.<\/p>\n The Cavaliers were one of the worst teams when favored, going 24-42 ATS. They had the lowest cover percentage at home, going 16-25 ATS (39%). As home faves, they were 15-23 ATS.<\/p>\n Don’t wager more than 1\u00bd UNITS between the Raptors ML (+280) and the Raptors spread (+8.5).<\/p>\n OVER 219.5 (-115) is worth a look.<\/p>\n The Over cashed in 3 of the final 4 games of the season for the Cavaliers, while going 5-2 in the final 7 outings.<\/p>\n The Raptors scored 121 or more points in 3 of their final 4 games, while going for 115+ points in 8 of the final 10 outings. However, the Under cashed in 2 of the 3 Toronto-Cleveland games in the regular season.<\/p>\n For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com<\/a> and BetFTW<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow @danieledobish<\/a> on\u00a0Twitter\/X.\u00a0Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter\/X<\/a> and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n Access more NBA coverage:<\/p>\n HoopsHype<\/a> | Celtics Wire<\/a> | Nets Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Rockets Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Sixers Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Thunder Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Warriors Wire<\/a>\u00a0| LeBron Wire<\/a> |\u00a0Rookie Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0List Wire<\/a><\/p>\n