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**TheGame** · 05-25-2016, 07:31 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/25

Wednesday's NBA Conference Finals betting preview and odds: Raptors at Cavaliers

Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers (-10.5, 199)

Series tied 2-2

The Cleveland Cavaliers are suddenly locked in a fierce battle in the Eastern Conference finals after once being in position to roll over the Toronto Raptors. Two victories by Toronto changed the complexion of the now-tied series, and it is a best-of-three competition when the series returns to Cleveland for Wednesday's Game 5.

The Raptors lost the first two games in Cleveland by an average of 25 points but they ignored the opinions of people saying they would be swept to post two impressive victories. "We've been playing with our backs against the wall," Toronto shooting guard DeMar DeRozan said at a press conference after scoring 32 points in Monday's 105-99 victory. "We never cared what anybody else thought. It was a challenge for us every single day. We've been counted out and we like that challenge." Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue didn't play ineffective power forward Kevin Love in the fourth quarter for the second consecutive contest but pinpointed his team's mistakes as the biggest factor in the Game 4 loss. "We came up short," Lue said in his postgame press conference. "We had a few defensive breakdowns that you can't have down the stretch of a game, especially in the playoffs, and they executed every time we made a mistake."

TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

LINE HISTORY: The Cavaliers opened as 10-point home favorites against the Raptors for Game 5. The line was bumped up a half point early Tuesday morning to -10.5, which is where it sits at the time of publication of this preview. The total opened at 198 and was bumped up to 199 at the same time as the spread was moved.

ABOUT THE RAPTORS (66-34, 52-48 ATS, 49-50-1 O/U): Getting a combined 67 points on 28-of-43 shooting from point guard Kyle Lowry (35) and DeRozan was huge for Toronto as the two All-Stars have both experienced some struggles in the postseason. "One thing about us, we can take the bad with the good any day," DeRozan said. "It's life, man. You can't get too down when things are not going your way, but you understand the work that you put in all summer, all throughout the season, for moments like this. You've got to be ready." The Raptors expect center Jonas Valanciunas (ankle) to be ready for the first time in the series to team up with defensive dynamo Bismack Biyombo, who has averaged 20 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots over the past two games.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (67-27, 44-47-3 ATS, 47-47 O/U): Love, who tweaked his knee in the second half, averaged just 6.5 points on 5-of-23 shooting in the two games in Toronto and has no explanation for his poor play. "I had a lot of great shots, I just didn't knock them down," Love told reporters. "It's as simple as that. I had a lot of confidence in shooting the ball, a lot of really wide open 3's, especially to start that first quarter. A number of them went in and out so I just need to continue to stay aggressive." Point guard Kyrie Irving bounced back with 26 points and suffering through a 3-of-19 shooting performance in Game 3 when he scored a series-low 13 points.

TRENDS:

* Raptors are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 road games.
* Cavaliers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games.
* Under is 6-1 in Raptors last 7 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
* Over is 8-2 in Cavaliers last 10 Wednesday games.
* Home team is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 meetings.

CONSENSUS: Somewhat shockingly, at the time of publication of this preview, the Raptors are picking up 59 percent of the action. It seems as though #WeTheNorth is getting noticed a bit further south. As usual in the NBA Playoffs, Over is grabbing the majority of the total wagers at 61 percent.

**TheGame** · 05-25-2016, 07:32 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/25

East Finals Game 5 Essentials
By Tony Mejia

Eastern Conference - Game 5 - Series tied 2-2

Toronto at Cleveland (-10.5/199), 8:35 p.m. ET - ESPN

This will be the first Game 5 of Cleveland’s 2016 postseason.

They’re 0-1 coming off a loss, so the Cavs haven’t necessarily dealt with the adversity they have faced well, but they’re expecting a return home will help them stabilize themselves as they look to move one win from a return to the NBA Finals.

Despite the 2-2 tie, Sportsbooks havr set the series prices at -1150 for favored Cleveland while enticing Toronto backers with a return of +700. The Cavs are favored by 10.5 in Game 5, while the total has been set at 199.

For Toronto, this will be the third Game 5 of its playoff run, but will also be a new experience since the first two came at Air Canada Centre. Their group won’t have much to reference from personal experience going forward since the organization is making their first appearance in a conference finals and only head coach Dwane Casey and backup point guard Cory Joseph have championship experience, but that hasn’t been a detriment over the past week.

The Raptors are figuring things out as they go, and have proven to be quite resilient in guaranteeing themselves at least a Game 6 in an East finals series where they fell by 50 combined points in the first two contests. Toronto is just 2-6 on the road thus far in the playoffs and was 24-17 in the regular season. The Raptors lost their only regular-season game at Quicken Loans Arena 122-100, so they’ve been outscored by an average of 24 points in three losses in Cleveland.

Of course, none of that really matters at this point. The Raptors find themselves in a situation no one expected they would be in, an upset away from a series lead over heavily favored Cleveland and just two away from a spot in the Finals as Eastern Conference champs. Although they’ve done nothing on the road, the All-Star backcourt of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan did figure things out at the Air Canada Centre against this group. Lowry scored 35 points on 14-for-20 shooting in Game 4 and averaged 27.5 points per game after scoring a total of 18 points on 8-for-28 shooting in his two outings in Cleveland, shooting 1-for-15 3-point range. If he’s his usual fearless self, Toronto will have a puncher’s chance. If he doubts himself, or needs to decompress, odds are good that the Raptors won’t have a chance.

DeRozan has actually been good in every game in the series. He averaged 20 points per game in Cleveland over the first two games, shooting nearly 50 percent from the field, then stepped his game up in Canada, shooting 26-for-47 (55 pct) while scoring 32 points in the Raptors wins. Despite limiting his game by staying primarily inside the 3-point line, he’s been able to get to the free-throw line while also setting himself up for easy looks.

Because he’s been such a catalyst and this game means so much, it wouldn’t be surprising to see LeBron James find himself defending DeRozan more than he has all series. Offensively, James hasn’t forced the issue at all, shooting 77.5 percent (38-for-49) while averaging 25 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the series, but after playing a postseason-high 46 minutes in Game 4, he’s ready to do whatever it takes to make sure the Cavs are playing in the NBA Finals next week.

“I’m comfortable playing him whatever he feels good (playing), I’m comfortable with,” head coach Tyronn Lue said Tuesday. “We talked about it before the game and the night before about how his body felt and wanting to play more minutes because we knew it was a big game for us, but it didn’t work out.”

Lineup combinations will be a major point of emphasis in this Game 5, since Kevin Love sat during the fourth quarter for the second straight game and was available despite ankle and possibly tweaking his knee after stepping on an official’s foot. He’s shot 5-for-23 over the last two games, including 3-for-11 from 3-point range, so Lue has gone with Channing Frye in key situations, preferring his height and more accurate shooting touch as opposed to going small and playing Love.

Bismack Biyombo has been the x-factor for the Raptors and has altered the course of the series with his rim protection. Tristan Thompson, considered Cleveland’s primary threat at the basket, has been outplayed by the 6-foot-10 center, who has come up with an average of 20 rebounds and 3.5 blocks over the last two games after grabbing just nine total boards over the course of the first two losses. His activity will be essential on the road.

Besides Love finding his range, the Cavs are hoping that being back home will guarantee Kyrie Irving being a positive factor in the series. He had 26 points and six assists in Game 4, but was just 3-for-19 in Saturday’s 99-84 loss, which came out of nowhere considering he’s averaged 26.5 points while shooting 59 percent from the field in leading the Cavs to a 2-0 lead.

As we anticipated coming in, James/DeRozan and Irving/Lowry is ultimately going to decide this series, but the first time, Toronto is going to take the court in Cleveland confident that they can hang with the Cavs. That could make all the difference.

**TheGame** · 05-25-2016, 07:32 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/25

Preview: Raptors (56-26) at Cavaliers (57-25)

Date: May 25, 2016 8:30 PM EDT

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP) Upon their return from Canada, the Cavaliers had nothing to declare at U.S. Customs.

Their lead in the Eastern Conference finals had already been confiscated.

Cleveland was stripped of its dominance and a 2-0 advantage during a long weekend in Toronto, where the growing-confident-by-the-shot Raptors, propelled by a crowd and city that believes they can make the NBA Finals, won two straight games.

'They flipped the script on us,' Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said.

After being throttled by a combined 50 points in Games 1 and 2, the Raptors turned a series that began with blowouts into a best-of-3, winner-take-all slugfest. There wasn't supposed to be a Game 5, and now there will be a Game 6 as well.

Unable to contain Toronto All-Star guards Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan from scoring or keep Raptors super sub Bismack Biyombo off the boards, the Cavs have put themselves in a predicament.

Gone is their entire margin for error, some of their swagger and any aura of invincibility that surrounded them after reeling off 10 straight wins to open the postseason.

And as the teams prepared for Game 5 on Wednesday night, the pressure has swung back on superstar LeBron James and the Cavs, who spent Tuesday in film sessions breaking down went wrong during their visit to Toronto.

There was plenty to process from Monday's 105-99 loss.

Cleveland came out flat, falling behind by 16 in the first half and relying too much on its 3-point shooting, which has suddenly gone as cold as a Saskatchewan winter.

The Cavs fought their way back using a smaller lineup that didn't include the suddenly struggling Kevin Love, but they didn't have enough down the stretch as costly defensive lapses - and terrific shot-making by Lowry and DeRozan - helped the Raptors even the series.

No offense to rapper Drake and Toronto's rowdy fans, but Lue was happy to escape 'We The North.'

'Now it's our chance to come back, get some home cooked meals and have a chance to play in front of our home crowd,' he said.

James, who logged 46 minutes in Game 4, did not speak to the media on Tuesday, choosing to stay far from the view of reporters and cameras.

Lue has carefully administered the four-time MVPs minutes during the second half of the regular season and playoffs, hoping to keep James as fresh as possible. James pushed himself harder in Game 4, and Lue said that was the plan.

'We talked about it before the game and the night before how his body felt and wanting to play more minutes because we knew it was a big game for us, but it didn't work out,' Lue said.

James maximized his minutes in Game 4, scoring 29 on 11-of-16 shooting with nine rebounds and six assists. But he was somewhat passive in the fourth quarter, attempting just one shot in the final 5:28.

Again, Lue said that was by design as the Cavs took what the Raptors' defense gave them.

'LeBron knows when he has to take over a basketball game, but also knows he has to trust his teammates,' Lue said.

James' faith in Love is being tested.

Cleveland's big man has lost his shooting touch at the worst time possible. After going 1-for-9 in Game 3, Love was only 4-of-14 in Game 4, and Lue left him on the bench in the fourth, playing Channing Frye instead.

Love's confidence appears shaken, but Lue insists there's nothing wrong that can't be fixed by the ball falling through the net.

'He's just missed shots. That's part of the game,' Lue said. 'He's been playing great all playoffs and at some point you're going to miss some shots, but that's not our main concern, we gotta be better defensively and we're going to make shots.'

The Raptors have been daring the Cavs to launch from behind the arc. Without center Jonas Valanciunas, who could return in Game 5 from a sprained right ankle, Toronto gave up 106 inside points in the first two games before adjusting in Games 3 and 4 by packing the paint and forcing Cleveland to rely on its outside attack.

It was a risky move by coach Dwane Casey and his staff, but the strategy paid off and helped the Raptors reverse the series.

Casey has watched his young team survive a pair of knockout punches by the Cavs only to get up and deliver two of their own. They'll need at least another big one to stop James from getting to his sixth straight Finals.

After being counted out by many, the Raptors have a chance.

'It's a feel,' Casey said. 'It's a rhythm. It's confidence. But I will say this: It's going to be a different animal back in Cleveland.'

**TheGame** · 05-25-2016, 07:32 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/25

Streaks, Tips, Notes

Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers May 25, 8:30 EST

In the sports world, people tend to be a little too quick in declaring a playoff series dead in the water. A team that wins the opening 2 games of a series are almost immediately declared a mortal lock, which causes their odds to drop dramatically. If history has shown us anything, though, it’s that teams who look dead and buried often find a way to rise up again and make things interesting.

After the first 2 games of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers certainly looked too good for the Toronto Raptors, but over the course of a couple of days in Canada, that perception shifted dramatically. There was always the belief that Toronto might win a consolation game on home court, but few people saw them taking both games to tie the series at 2-2. That is exactly what they did, though, and they can now apply some real pressure to the Cavs when they head back to Cleveland for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Why bet on the Toronto Raptors

The Raptors were always only ever going to go as far as Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan would carry them, which meant it looked like the end of the road in this series. Both men were shut down in the opening two games of the series, with Lowry leaving the bench to decompress in the 2nd quarter of Game 2. A lot of finger pointing ensued, but both men rose to the occasion back on home court, with DeRozan scoring 32 in Game 3, and Lowry scoring 35 in Game 4. The big question now is whether or not they can take that show on the road to beat a Cavaliers team that is perfect at home in the postseason.

Why bet on the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers have been left with a couple of questions to answer after failing to show up in Toronto. Is Kevin Love going to be healthy enough to be effective after picking up an injury in Game 4, and is Tyronn Lue really the coach that can lead the Cavs to the Promised Land? Love says that he will be ready for Game 5, but there are an awful lot of people who suddenly doubt that Lue is the man for the job. That seems a little unfair after the Cavaliers took their first postseason loss after winning 10-straight, but the doubts are there just the same, Cleveland have been a formidable bunch at home in these playoffs, and with 2 of the final 3 games of this series on home court, they still have to be the favorites to move on.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The first 2 games played in Cleveland in this series were one-sided affairs, but I don’t think we are going to see a blowout in this one. The live odds are sure to have the Cavs as the favorite, and while I think they will win, I also think it’ll be a tough battle.

Toronto Raptors 98 Cleveland Cavaliers 101

**TheGame** · 05-25-2016, 07:32 AM

Re: NBA Betting Info. 5/25

NBA

Toronto-Cleveland (2-2)
Home team has dominated series, winning all four games by average of 18 points. Over is 6-3-1 in last ten series games. Raptors lost last four games in Cleveland (0-3 vs spread in last three)- hosts won last seven series games. Four of last six Toronto games went over the total. Lowry/DeRozan went a combined 28-43 in Game 4, scoring 67 points; can they produce close to that in Cleveland? Cavaliers won/covered last four home games; this is a best-of-3 series now.

Playoff tally: Favorites vs spread: 26-18, Over: 13-31
Second round: Favorites: 13-8, over: 12-9
Conference final: Favorites: 3-5, over: 3-4-1

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NBA Betting Info. 5/25

NBA Betting Info. 5/25

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