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NBA Betting – Raptors vs. Cavaliers (Dec. 9)

Free pick and preview plus NBA betting odds and basketball lines for the matchup featuring the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers…

NBA Sports Betting – Red Hot Cavaliers Host Reeling Raptors

The Toronto Raptors (8-11 SU, 7-11 ATS, 11-7 O/U) are mired in the midst of a four-game losing streak in the BetUS Sportsbook, failing to cover the spread for BetUS NBA sports betting backers in each contest. The Cleveland Cavaliers (17-3 SU, 16-4 ATS, 9-11 O/U) are on fire, having won eight consecutive games while covering the NBA spread in every single victory.  

Tonight, both Eastern Conference rivals will be looking to pick up a victory for fans and backers when they meet at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

The Raptors are coming off a disheartening 98-97 loss to the Portland Trailblazers on Sunday, failing to cover the spread as 3-point home favorites in the process.

Toronto got a game-high 24 points from veteran center Jermaine O’Neal and 19 points from leading scorer Chris Bosh but allowed the Blazers to a blistering 50 percent (12-for-24) from long distance.

Bosh the league’s third leading scorer, has struggled lately, averaging just 18.3 point per game on a dismal 40.7 percent shooting mark from the field during Toronto’s losing streak, which has dropped them to last place in the Atlantic Division.

Each of the past two losses have come under new head coach Jay Triano, who was named the team’s interim coach last Wednesday after the team parted ways with former head coach Sam Mitchell.

“We felt we deserved to win, it’s not we felt we got outplayed,” said O’Neal. “We felt like we played pretty good for the most part and just couldn’t get that last rebound.”

The Cavaliers are coming off a 94-74 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday, covering the spread for NBA online betting backers as an 8-point road favorite.

LeBron James scored a game-high 25 points in just 27 minutes while backup point guard Daniel Gibson added 22 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field, and 3-for4 from beyond the arc.

The Cavaliers have been covering the spread simply by beating the pants off of their opponents, winning all eight games by at least 12 points.

“We take pride in trying to build big leads,” said James.

The Cavaliers are holding their opponents to a league-low 90.2 points per game this season, including an eye-opening 86.3 points per game during their current winning streak.

“Teams are having a hard time scoring on us, on the road and at home,” said center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. “Get a lot of steals, contest all the shots, limit them to one shot and off to the races. We’ve been playing good basketball.”

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends, followed by my in-depth analysis and NBA Free Pick.

The Raptors are 7-15 ATS in their last 22 road games.
The Raptors are 5-13 ATS in their last 18 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
The Cavaliers are 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a losing S.U. record.
The Cavaliers are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games after allowing less than 75 points in their previous game.
The Over is 4-0 in Raptors last 4 Tuesday games.
The Over is 6-1 in Raptors last 7 games playing on 1 days rest.
The Under is 6-0 in Cavaliers last 6 games following a S.U. win.
The Under is 6-0 in Cavaliers last 6 games following a SU win of more than 10 points.
The Under is 20-8-1 in the last 29 meetings.

NBA Odds

Toronto Raptors +11½ -110
Cleveland Cavaliers -11½ -110

Over 194 -110
Under 194 -110

Analysis: I know the Cavaliers are playing out of their minds at the moment and have won eight straight games by at least a dozen points, but I say the Toronto Raptors come with their collective ‘A’ game to keep the spread close tonight in a losing effort.

The Raptors clearly have the talent, now they just need to come together, although I will admit that I think firing Sam Mitchell last week was the wrong move by GM Bryan Colangelo.

NBA Free Picks: Toronto +11 Points/Under 194 Total Points

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"