Raptors vs Cavaliers Shapes Up as Tough Scramble

Raptors Becoming Extinct

What on earth is going wrong for the Toronto Raptors? They are 17-24 after scoring just one win from their last 10 games, including a current seven-game losing streak.

This is a Raptors team, despite some injury problems, that was expected to contest in the Eastern Conference, but they are quickly falling off the face of the earth.

We will excuse them for losing to Utah 115-112 last time on court, but we can’t forgive losses to Detroit, Chicago and Charlotte. It’s simply not good enough for the 2018-2019 NBA Champions.

There seems to be no cohesion on the court, despite having a floor general in Kyle Lowry. It has been disappointing to watch, but there is still time to turn it around.

Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet are quality shooters on their day, so it’s not all doom and gloom. If they can put the recent losing streak behind them, there are some winnable games on the horizon.

That starts on Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, who can be tough to beat at home.

Cavaliers Calling On Home Court Advantage

The Cleveland Cavaliers are only 10-11 at home, but that’s a lot better than the 15-26 overall record.

They come off a home loss to San Antonio, but the Cavaliers were able to beat Boston at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse prior. The 117-110 victory was much-needed for Cleveland, which had lost four on the bounce.

Cleveland has more promise than Toronto but is currently going through some learning periods. Collin Sexton has emerged as a premier shooter for the Cavaliers, averaging 23.9 points per game and coming off back-to-back 29-point efforts.

The young star has thrived with the team dynamic at Cleveland, mostly because there are not many shooters on the floor. He is shooting at 47.7% and that’s a decent clip for a point guard in the NBA.

There are signs of life in Cleveland and playing at home on Sunday could give it the edge.

Who Steps Up For Toronto?

Toronto is blessed with many quality players on the team, but one of them needs to stand up and deliver.

Playing better team basketball would help as well, but it shouldn’t be left up to Norman Powell to take over the offense like he has done recently.

Powell has benefitted from his teammates poor play by dropping totals of 30, 36, 33, 32 and 43. It has been an offensive explosion for Powell, who was considered Toronto’s third-string scorer behind Pascal Siakam and Fred VanVleet.

He has emerged as a quality scorer, so which of his teammates will now rise to the occasion? We’re looking at Pascal Siakam, who leads the team in points but he could be better.

With Powell hitting shots all around the court, it should allow Siakam to find more holes in the paint. If he starts making shots, expect Toronto to gain confidence and start stringing wins together.

Game Pick

We expect plenty of money to come for Toronto at online betting markets. It’s the more public betting team, but it’s not where the value is.

Bettors are having a tough time trusting the Raptors this season and although Cleveland is far more trustworthy, it has more upside.

We believe the recent level of play from Collin Sexton is enough to push Cleveland over the line on Sunday. Players tend to rally around young stars making their mark, such as Collin Sexton and Trae Young in Atlanta.

For that reason, and home-court advantage, we will happily take the value NBA odds for Cleveland.

Pick: Cavaliers 112, Raptors 109