Toronto Raptors (14-18) at Cleveland Cavaliers (22-11)
Game Info: Friday, December 23, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. EST (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse)
Betting Odds: Cavaliers (-4.5) / Over/Under (215)
Pick: Raptors (+4.5)
Today we are going to look at a big matchup in the Eastern Conference where the Toronto Raptors travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers. By looking at the records of each team, this may seem like a lopsided matchup, but with the Raptors getting their big guns healthy as the season reaches it's mid-mark, we could be in for a big game at 7:30 p.m. EST in the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Toronto comes into this one after securing one of their biggest wins of the season as they took down the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden to end their 8-game win streak. Starring in that game, Pascal Siakam. He was able to put in an insane 52-9-7 night with only one turnover, becoming only the fifth Raptor in their franchise history to put up 50 points in one game. In my eyes, they are a sneaky good team that can certainly extend a top-seed to a long series in the playoffs if they can find a way to stay healthy and turn their season around here. They must be coming into this game on a high note after a historic performance from Siakam, who is quietly averaging 26.2 PPG, 8.6 REB, and 6.8 AST, shooting almost 50% from the field (48.8%). Can they go on the road and keep the good vibes rolling and manage to cover three games in a row? Stay tuned.
Cleveland rides into this one on a 5-game win streak, and on Wednesday night in their last win, handling the Milwaukee Bucks on their home court en route to a comfortable win. They have looked excellent all year as the addition of Donovan Mitchell is paying huge dividends as he is averaging 29.5 PPG. They also boast a superb 16-2 record at home (13-4-1 ATS), which is the best in the NBA, and where we will see them play tonight. As they have all year, they will rely on their two-headed backcourt duo in Garland and Mitchell to attempt to inch closer to that important one seed in the Eastern Conference with a win over the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
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In my opinion, this game can't be bet on so much by looking at the past trends for each team throughout the season as there has been immense injuries that have effected the records of the two squads coming in. The line opened up at -5 in favor of the Cavs but has since been bought down to the -4 to -4.5 range depending on what Sportsbook you are operating on, indicating that this one should be a close game until the end. Because of this, I like Siakam and VanVleet to keep this one close and maybe steal a win on the road to a team that has had their number in the past years. Give me Toronto and the points.
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