Free NBA Pick: Cavaliers vs. Raptors NBA Odds
Looking for Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Cavaliers taking on the Raptors on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022 at Scotiabank Arena. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Cavaliers Raptors matchup.
2022 NBA Handicapping
(0-0) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors (0-0)
Date: Wednesday, October 19th
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Venue: Bankers Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
NBA Moneyline Odds: Cavaliers +115 | Raptors -163 (Bet Now!)
NBA Betting Odds: Raptors -3
NBA Betting Total: 214
The 2022-23 NBA season tips off for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, October 19th. Both teams have championship desires and are dark horses to achieve that goal.
Cleveland spent the preseason searching to develop chemistry and registered a 1-3 record with their lone win versus the Hawks and losses to the 76ers (twice), and Magic.
Toronto posted a 3-2 record with losses to the Rockets and Bulls while collecting victories against the Jazz and two overtime wins versus the Celtics.
Cleveland Cavaliers
The addition of Mitchell will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the offensive end of the court where the Cavaliers ranked 20th last season.
His presence will negatively impact the defensive end of the floor but with a fifth-ranked defense, Cleveland has some leeway.
With the majority of teams leaning toward small ball Cleveland took a different direction featuring three bigs all over 6’11 highlighted by Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Lauri Markkanen was the other 7′ presence but he exited in the Mitchell trade which means JB Bickerstaff may need to make some tweaks to the Cavs’ style because now their backcourt features Mitchell and Darius Garland both 6’1.
Arguably the main issue to resolve is the lack of wing depth and their two options being limited to one side of the court — Caris LeVert (offense) and Isaac Okoro (defense).
That might not be an issue versus most teams but facing a Raptors positionless squad featuring 10 players ranging 6’9 to 7’1 in height will be a true test.
Toronto Raptors
Per above the other five rotational Raptors feature only two under 6’5 – – Fred VanVleet and Malachi Flynn – – both 6’1. The remaining trio are Gary Trent Jr. (6’5), Justin Champagnie (6’6), and O.G Anunoby (6’7).
That’s in line with Masai Ujiri’s vision of building a roster comprised primarily of 6’8 and 6’9 positionless players capable of handling the ball and defending all five positions.
It’s an intriguing experiment that offers dividends, particularly on defense. Conversely, there are questions about the Raptors’ ability to stretch the floor although Nick Nurse is adamant shooting unlike height can be taught.
The perfect example of Nurse’s assessment is Precious Achiuwa who attempted one 3-point shot with Miami in 2020-21 but took 156 last season connecting on 35.9% but steadily improved as the season progressed shooting 39.2% post All-Star break.
Granted, it’s not likely Toronto will lead the league in 3-point shooting but they will feast on the glass, force turnovers, and push the ball for easy transition buckets.
NBA Betting Trends:
- The Cavaliers are 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games overall.
- The Raptors are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
- Over is 8-2-1 in the Cavaliers’ last 11 road games.
- Under is 4-1 in the Raptors’ last 5 overall.
- The Cavaliers are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Toronto.
Free Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors NBA Prediction:
Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes represented the top rookies of last season with the latter edging out the former for Rookie of the Year.
However, Mobley got the satisfaction of his squad winning the season series (3-1). Granted, injuries impacted all three games with core players out including one game featuring a makeshift lineup with four players meeting on the bus ride to the arena and four Raptors bench players.
While the Cavaliers made the big off-season roster move to acquire Donovan Mitchell in contrast, one Raptors’ strength is continuity as 12 players return. The main additions were draft pick Christian Koloko – a 7’1 center and two-way vet Otto Porter.
Although this is just the first of 82 games with the East so strong one game could be the difference in positioning at season end.
It’s a bit of a coin toss but I’ll take the Cavs to keep the score close and the Raptors to eek out the win.
4* Free NBA Betting Pick: Cavaliers +3
If you’re looking for more NBA picks like this Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors matchup we’ll be providing 4* free NBA predictions on the blog during the entire NBA season, and check out our Experts for guaranteed premium & free NBA predictions!
Register here for a FREE NBA Betting Account Now for Daily Free Picks & More Special Offers!
