Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Toronto Raptors October 19 Betting Preview

The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors will begin the season on Wednesday night against one another inside of Scotiabank Arena. This offseason had some big additions to one side of this game, and both teams should be competing for a top spot in the Eastern Conference throughout the season.

Cavaliers Betting Preview

With the offseason trade for shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, the Cleveland Cavaliers have an elite-level scoring option for the first time since either LeBron James or Kyrie Irving. 

Mitchell was ninth in the NBA in scoring last season with 25.9 points per game and has shown to be a solid piece in a team that makes the postseason. This starting five of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen should be able to play a solid brand of basketball, as all five guys are young and ready to dominate on the court (assuming LeVert gets the start).  

This Cleveland team lost in the play-in tournament a year ago, but were dealing with injuries late in the year. 

They had a defensive focus as they allowed 105.7 points per game, which was fifth in the NBA, and should be able to score as well as defend as well as they did a year ago with their roster constructed the way it is.

Raptors Betting Preview

Is it just me, or do the Toronto Raptors have a San Antonio Spurs vibe around them? Not to say they are going to become a dynasty or anything like that, but they are just overlooked as a solid team because they do not have any flashy players.

Pascal Siakam has to lead the team as he has been a top player in the NBA with 22.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 5.3 assists a year ago. Their defense was also a focal point as they ended up seventh in the NBA with 107.1 points per game last season and have a sophomore year Scottie Barnes in the frontcourt to defend well. 

They did not make much noise in the offseason, so it feels like we know exactly what this team is without seeing them touch the court at all this season. 

Betting Odds

According to betJACK, the Toronto Raptors are (-132) on the moneyline and -2.5 as a home favorite on the spread, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are +2.5 on the road to start the season and a (+112) underdog on the moneyline. 

betJACK Bet: Cavs Moneyline

I do not know if it is just me being an optimist, but I really like this Cleveland Cavaliers team to be a force as they have an extremely talented roster and the Toronto Raptors are not a great scoring team that can keep up with Donovan Mitchell’s offensive performance. 

This Cavs team looked solid in the preseason as they play a team-focused game, which is rare when you have a star on the roster. Toronto was 2-6 against the spread in their last eight games to end the season last year, and with the same roster, it is difficult to see that changing, so go with the Cleveland Cavaliers on the moneyline to win a road game and get to 1-0 this season.