Cavaliers carry NBA's worst ATS record into Toronto for showdown vs. Raptors
Ashton Grewal
The Toronto Raptors are playing the best basketball in the franchise’s 22-year history and are on pace to set a new single-season wins record with 59. They’re second in the Eastern Conference at 28-11 and are a tidy 22-17 against the spread in their first 39 games.
They own the third-best point differential (+7.7) and net rating (+7.4) in the league behind only the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. The Raptors and the Warriors are the only two teams in the league inside the top five in both offensive rating and defensive rating.
All these feel-good numbers get thrown out the window when one person’s name is mentioned: LeBron James. Don’t get in a knife fight with Crocodile Dundee; don’t enter a dance-off opposite Derek Hough and don’t expect to win in the East unless LBJ is on your team.
James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to the T.dot on Thursday for the early game of the TNT doubleheader knowing they own the Raptors. The Cavs played the Dinos in two of the last three years in the playoffs and made short work of them each time. Cleveland went 8-2 straight up and 7-2-1 against the spread vs. Toronto in those two playoff series, and it wasn't even really that close. DeMar DeRozan summed it up best after his team was swept out of the playoffs last spring.
The memories of that four-game sweep might still be in the heads of the Raptors when they play the Cavs for the first time since, but they can take comfort knowing they play the Cavs much closer outside of the postseason. Cleveland has won six of the last 10 meetings but eight of those games were decided by single digits. Toronto is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 regular season matchups against the Cavs.
The Raptors’ reputation around the league is based off their accomplishments in the regular season, and their rise to power in the Atlantic came at the same time James teamed up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in Cleveland. Toronto has won 49, 56 and 51 games the last three years but disappointed in the postseason each time. The Raps are 10-23-1 against the spread in their last 24 playoff games and 112-90-1 ATS in their last 203 regular season contests.
The Cavaliers in their second go-round with James have been the polar opposite. Since the King returned to Cleveland, the Cavs are 124-155-7 against the spread in the regular season and 33-25-1 ATS in the playoffs. And while they’ve never been a winning ATS bet, this season has been the hardest on the wallets of their backers. The Cavaliers own the worst ATS record in the league at 12-27-1 – which translates into a 30.8 percent win rate.
The four-time defending Eastern Conference champions are coming off a 28-point loss – their largest defeat of the campaign – and carry with them into Toronto the second-worst defensive rating in the league.
The Reptiles have their own warts going into battle against Cleveland. For all the winning they’ve done early on, it’s been mostly against soft competition thanks to the 25th toughest schedule in the season’s first half.
Toronto’s starting point guard, Kyle Lowry, is questionable with a bruised tailbone and its starting power forward, Serge Ibaka, is serving a one-game suspension after throwing a punch at Miami Heat forward James Johnson on Tuesday.
Oddsmakers are waiting on the status of Lowry before putting this game on the board, but bettors should expect the game to be close to a pick ‘em.
**********************************
NBA
Dunkel
Thursday, January 11
Cleveland @ Toronto
Game 503-504
January 11, 2018 @ 8:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
126.622
Toronto
117.913
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 8 1/2
223
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 2 1/2
218 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-2 1/2); Over
LA Clippers @ Sacramento
Game 505-506
January 11, 2018 @ 10:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
LA Clippers
114.756
Sacramento
116.286
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Sacramento
by 1 1/2
206
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 2
209
Dunkel Pick:
Sacramento
(+2); Under
San Antonio @ LA Lakers
Game 503-504
January 11, 2018 @ 10:35 pm
Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
119.204
LA Lakers
119.333
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Lakers
Even
204
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 2 1/2
209 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
LA Lakers
(+2 1/2); Under
Boston @ Philadelphia
Game 901-902
January 11, 2018 @ 3:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Boston
124.562
Philadelphia
119.013
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 5 1/2
214
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 1 1/2
205 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-1 1/2); Over
Ashton Grewal
The Toronto Raptors are playing the best basketball in the franchise’s 22-year history and are on pace to set a new single-season wins record with 59. They’re second in the Eastern Conference at 28-11 and are a tidy 22-17 against the spread in their first 39 games.
They own the third-best point differential (+7.7) and net rating (+7.4) in the league behind only the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. The Raptors and the Warriors are the only two teams in the league inside the top five in both offensive rating and defensive rating.
All these feel-good numbers get thrown out the window when one person’s name is mentioned: LeBron James. Don’t get in a knife fight with Crocodile Dundee; don’t enter a dance-off opposite Derek Hough and don’t expect to win in the East unless LBJ is on your team.
James and the Cleveland Cavaliers come to the T.dot on Thursday for the early game of the TNT doubleheader knowing they own the Raptors. The Cavs played the Dinos in two of the last three years in the playoffs and made short work of them each time. Cleveland went 8-2 straight up and 7-2-1 against the spread vs. Toronto in those two playoff series, and it wasn't even really that close. DeMar DeRozan summed it up best after his team was swept out of the playoffs last spring.
The memories of that four-game sweep might still be in the heads of the Raptors when they play the Cavs for the first time since, but they can take comfort knowing they play the Cavs much closer outside of the postseason. Cleveland has won six of the last 10 meetings but eight of those games were decided by single digits. Toronto is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 regular season matchups against the Cavs.
The Raptors’ reputation around the league is based off their accomplishments in the regular season, and their rise to power in the Atlantic came at the same time James teamed up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love in Cleveland. Toronto has won 49, 56 and 51 games the last three years but disappointed in the postseason each time. The Raps are 10-23-1 against the spread in their last 24 playoff games and 112-90-1 ATS in their last 203 regular season contests.
The Cavaliers in their second go-round with James have been the polar opposite. Since the King returned to Cleveland, the Cavs are 124-155-7 against the spread in the regular season and 33-25-1 ATS in the playoffs. And while they’ve never been a winning ATS bet, this season has been the hardest on the wallets of their backers. The Cavaliers own the worst ATS record in the league at 12-27-1 – which translates into a 30.8 percent win rate.
The four-time defending Eastern Conference champions are coming off a 28-point loss – their largest defeat of the campaign – and carry with them into Toronto the second-worst defensive rating in the league.
The Reptiles have their own warts going into battle against Cleveland. For all the winning they’ve done early on, it’s been mostly against soft competition thanks to the 25th toughest schedule in the season’s first half.
Toronto’s starting point guard, Kyle Lowry, is questionable with a bruised tailbone and its starting power forward, Serge Ibaka, is serving a one-game suspension after throwing a punch at Miami Heat forward James Johnson on Tuesday.
Oddsmakers are waiting on the status of Lowry before putting this game on the board, but bettors should expect the game to be close to a pick ‘em.
**********************************
NBA
Dunkel
Thursday, January 11
Cleveland @ Toronto
Game 503-504
January 11, 2018 @ 8:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Cleveland
126.622
Toronto
117.913
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Cleveland
by 8 1/2
223
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Cleveland
by 2 1/2
218 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Cleveland
(-2 1/2); Over
LA Clippers @ Sacramento
Game 505-506
January 11, 2018 @ 10:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
LA Clippers
114.756
Sacramento
116.286
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Sacramento
by 1 1/2
206
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
LA Clippers
by 2
209
Dunkel Pick:
Sacramento
(+2); Under
San Antonio @ LA Lakers
Game 503-504
January 11, 2018 @ 10:35 pm
Dunkel Rating:
San Antonio
119.204
LA Lakers
119.333
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
LA Lakers
Even
204
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
San Antonio
by 2 1/2
209 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
LA Lakers
(+2 1/2); Under
Boston @ Philadelphia
Game 901-902
January 11, 2018 @ 3:05 pm
Dunkel Rating:
Boston
124.562
Philadelphia
119.013
Dunkel Team:
Dunkel Line:
Dunkel Total:
Boston
by 5 1/2
214
Vegas Team:
Vegas Line:
Vegas Total:
Boston
by 1 1/2
205 1/2
Dunkel Pick:
Boston
(-1 1/2); Over
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