Raptors vs. Cavaliers Prediction, Odds and Best Prop Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 1

The No. 5 vs. No. 4 matchup in the Eastern Conference features Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors taking on a potential title contender in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell.

The Cavs failed to win a game against the Raptors in the regular season, but all three meetings between these teams came before Thanksgiving. Cleveland’s roster looks a lot different now, as James Harden is in the fold in place of Darius Garland, and Cleveland moved on from De’Andre Hunter at the deadline as well.

Toronto has struggled against the best teams in the NBA, going 2-16 straight up against the top-three seeds in each conference. However, the Raptors did a solid job against the spread as road underdogs, going 11-11 with an average scoring margin of -2.7 points in those games.

Cleveland is heavily favored to win Game 1 and this series, but the Cavs’ defense slipped down the stretch of the regular season.

Does that open the door for the Raptors in this No. 5 vs. No. 4 matchup?

Let’s take a look at the odds, a player prop to bet and my prediction for Game 1 of this playoff series.

Raptors vs. Cavaliers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Raptors +8.5 (-115)
Cavs -8.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Raptors: +280
Cavs: -355

Total

219.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Raptors vs. Cavaliers How to Watch

Date: Saturday, April 18
Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Rocket Arena
How to Watch (TV): Prime Video
Series: Tied 0-0

Raptors vs. Cavaliers Injury Reports

Raptors Injury Report

Immanuel Quickley -- questionable

Cavs Injury Report

Thomas Bryant -- out
Tristan Enaruna -- out
Riley Minix -- out
Olivier Sarr -- out

Raptors vs. Cavaliers Best NBA Prop Bet

Raptors Best NBA Prop Bet

Immanuel Quickley OVER 18.5 Points, Rebounds and Assists (-117)

Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley dealt with a foot injury at the end of the regular season, limiting him to just three games in the month of April, and he played less than 24 minutes in all of those games.

Despite that, I think after five days off, Quickley is undervalued in this market.

The starting point guard averaged 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game during the regular season, and he was healthy enough to play almost 24 minutes in one of his three games back.

IQ had 18 PRA in that game, making him a value pick if he comes anywhere near his normal workload in Game 1.

Raptors vs. Cavaliers Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why Toronto is worth a look as a road underdog:

Cleveland’s offense took a step forward in the second half of the season with James Harden in the fold, but the Cavs were just 18th in the NBA in defensive rating after the All-Star break.

Their inability to get stops – and lack of elite wing defenders – is a major concern against this Toronto team. Sure, the Raptors are not an elite offensive group, but their three best scorers – Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes – are all bigger wings that the Cavs may not have the personnel to match up with.

Toronto also finished the season with the fifth-best defensive rating in the league, showing that it can stay in games on that end of the floor.

The Cavs were awful as home favorites this season, posting the second-worst against the spread record in the NBA (15-23). That, and the fact that they’ve struggled to get stops for a couple of months, makes it tough to bet on them as such a major favorite on Saturday.

I’ll take the points with the Raptors, who posted an average scoring margin of just -2.7 as road dogs in the 2025-26 regular season.

Pick: Raptors +8.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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