The Toronto Raptors are looking to head into the NBA All-Star break with a little bit of momentum. Things haven’t been great of late for the Raps, and the team is approaching the halfway point of the season near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
On Saturday night, they will play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers, one of the hottest teams in the NBA right now. It will be a tall order for the Raptors, but let’s take a deeper look at the matchup and what bets you should be adding to your bet slip.
Bet on Cavaliers vs. Raptors
CLE -8.5
TOR +8.5
Cavaliers vs. Raptors odds
| Cavaliers Moneyline Odds | -370 |
| Raptors Moneyline Odds | +290 |
| Over/Under | 230.0 points (over -110, under -110) |
| Spread | Cavaliers -8.5 (-110) |
| Time/Date | Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: TSN Stream: NBA League Pass (How to watch the NBA in Canada?) |
All odds courtesy of 
About the Raptors (18-33 SU, 24-27 ATS, 28-23 O/U)
While it may be difficult to look at the schedule and take anything positive out of it, things are going according to plan for the Raptors. It didn’t take long to figure out that this team needed more than a retooling to get back into competition and contend for a title for the first time since 2019.
The Raptors are 12th in the Eastern Conference, a long way below the all-important eighth spot. There is little hope of making the playoffs, considering that the Raptors are hovering around a .350 winning percentage. With all of that said, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam are gone. Assets have been acquired and the franchise is undoubtedly already looking ahead to the offseason.
The Raptors are okay offensively, scoring 114.5 points per game (tied for 18th in the NBA). There have been some serious bright spots in the lineup as well. Scottie Barnes has continued having a strong season, averaging 20.2 points per game, 5.7 assists, and 8 rebounds. He is without a doubt the best player on the team right now.
Brought back in the Anunoby trade, RJ Barrett has also found new life as a focal point of the offence. He is averaging 19.3 points per game and has had strong performances at times since being picked up. Immanuel Quickley, also acquired in a trade, has proven to be a good young player with some serious potential moving forward.
The goal for the Raptors moving forward isn’t necessarily to win but to grow the confidence of the young core. Barnes, Barrett, and Quickley are nice pieces to build around going forward. The focus will be on landing a good lottery pick and hoping to make enough additions in the offseason to make a return to the playoffs possible in 2024-25.
About the Cavaliers (34-16 SU, 27-23 ATS, 22-27-1 O/U)
The Cavaliers have been on fire of late, winning 9 of their last 10 games. That includes a winning streak of 8 games, making them one of the hottest teams not only in the Eastern Conference but the entire NBA.
The Cavs are proving to be a complete team, blowing teams out left and right. At the same time, it’s worth noting that they’ve taken advantage of a lull in the schedule of late, beating up on teams like the Pistons, Grizzlies, Spurs, Nets, and Wizards. Sure, they’ve also notched wins against the Bucks and Clippers, but for the most part, they’ve had a comfortable run of late.
They do owe some of their recent success to Donovan Mitchell, who has been an absolute force this year, and arguably one of the best players in the entire league. He is currently fourth in the NBA in points per game, averaging 28.5 points per contest. He’s doing it all over the floor, averaging 5.5 rebounds and just over 6 assists per game.
The Cavs are also getting strong performances throughout the lineup. Six players are averaging 12 points per game or more. Darius Garland has proven to be a solid player offensively, second on the team with 18.6 points per game while also adding nearly 6 assists per game.
Though the offence is solid, it is roughly middle of the pack at 114.8 points per game. Where they stand out is on the defensive end of the floor. The Cavs are currently second in the NBA in points allowed per game at 109.3, trailing only the Minnesota Timberwolves. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen have proven to be two of the better defensive players in the NBA and have made the Cavs formidable in the process.
Scottie Barnes points + assists under 27.5
-115
Injury Concerns
- Two names are day-to-day right now, but they have been Raptors for just a couple of days. Both Ochai Agbaji and Kelly Olynyk were acquired from the Jazz for Otto Porter, Kira Lewis Jr., and a 2024 first-round pick. When they will suit up remains to be seen.
- The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are almost entirely healthy. The only mark on the injury report is guard Ty Jerome. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle back on January 23. He will be out indefinitely.
Betting Trends
- Despite being unable to string together wins regularly, the Raptors have been very good when it comes to the over this season. They have hit the over in five of their last seven, though that might have more to do with their inability to defend than it is about scoring at will.
- The Cavs continue to be one of the best teams in the league and their record in terms of hitting the under illustrates that. Their over/under record is 22-27 this season, hitting the under in 6 of their last 8 games. They’ve also hit the under against several high-scoring teams like the Bucks, Hawks, and Clippers.
- The Raptors are streaky against the spread, to say the least. They have tended to cover a few at a time in two- or three-game stretches before failing to cover in equally long streaks. The Raptors are 24-27-1 against the spread this year, though a lot of them came before the trades that have stripped down the roster.
Player Prop Trends
- As one of the top scorers in the NBA, Mitchell has one of the higher points props as well (27.5). He has been dominant in besting that number of late, going over that number in 7 of his last 8 games. In that stretch, he has had games of 45 and 40, illustrating his dominance as a scorer.
- Barrett has been a bright spot since being acquired from the New York Knicks on Dec. 30. His points prop is set at 20.5, a mark he has bettered in the last five games he’s played. He has become a bright spot in an otherwise dismal season for the Raptors, taking on a bigger offensive role all the time.
- Allen has been one of the better defenders in the league this year, but he contributes on both sides of the floor. His player combo (points + assists + rebounds) is set at 28.5. Though he has fallen short in his last 2 games, he found the mark in 6 of 8 before that. Going back to Jan. 22, he has had double-digit rebound numbers 8 times in 10 games.
Wagers to Consider
- The Raptors are simply okay offensively and don’t have any dominant players. The Cavs are the second-best team in points allowed this year and have guys like Mobley and Jarrett, both of whom can severely limit opponents. Take the under on this one (228, -110) as the Cavaliers continue to dominate.
- Scottie Barnes has his points + assists prop set at 27.5. He hasn’t hit that number since February 3 against the Rockets, and while he’s too much a focal part of the offence to be totally shut down, we don’t see him doing those kinds of numbers against the Cavs. Take the under (-115).
- Mitchell has been on fire offensively of late. His points prop is set at 27.5 for this one. He has gone over that mark in six of his last eight games, including a pair of 40+ point games. The Raptors are terrible defensively and Mitchell is just too good to keep in check. Take the over (-120).
