Who's Playing
Matchup: Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Records: Raptors (25-35), Cavaliers (21-39)
Where to Watch
Date: Monday, April 26
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: TSN 4
Location: Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL
Game Preview
Following a loss to the New York Knicks, the Raptors return to Tampa for a two-game homestand.
Up first, a matchup with the Cavaliers.
It's the third and final meeting between the two teams this season. The previous two games weren't particularly close, with the Cavaliers winning the first by 11 points and the Raptors winning the second by 20 points.
Gary Trent Jr. was the star of Toronto's victory over Cleveland with a career-best 44 points on 17-for-19 shooting from the field and 7-for-9 from 3-point range.
Watch ALL of Gary Trent Jr's BUCKETS as he drops a CAREER-HIGH 44 PTS while shooting 90% (17-19) from the field in the @Raptors win! #WeTheNorth pic.twitter.com/wMWkQn83Si
— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) April 11, 2021
After this is where it gets interesting for the Raptors.
At 25-35, the Raptors are currently two games behind the Washington Wizards for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament with 12 games remaining in their season.
Monday's matchup with Cleveland is Toronto's only remaining game against a team that is currently outside of the playoff mix. The Raptors will host the Brooklyn Nets (41-20) on Tuesday, followed by a four-game Western Conference road trip in which they'll face the Denver Nuggets (39-21), Utah Jazz (44-16), Los Angeles Lakers (35-25) and LA Clippers (43-19).
The Raptors will then close the season against the Wizards (27-33), Memphis Grizzlies (31-28), Clippers, Chicago Bulls (25-35), Dallas Mavericks (33-26) and Indiana Pacers (29-31).
With the league's third-hardest remaining schedule, per Tankathon , a loss to Cleveland on Monday would likely be a huge blow to Toronto's Play-In chances.
Stats to know
- The No. 5 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Darius Garland has stepped up his game lately, averaging 20.8 points and 6.5 assists on 47.5 percent shooting from the field over his last 20 games.
- Jarrett Allen scored a career-high 27 points (10-12 FG) in Cleveland's loss to Washington on Sunday.
- Larry Nance Jr. ranks fourth in the league with 1.7 steals per game, as well as sixth with 3.4 deflections per game .
- Fred VanVleet leads the league with an average of 3.9 deflections per game .
- Pascal Siakam tied his season-high with five made 3-pointers in Toronto's loss to New York on Saturday.
- In the two games he's come off the bench with the Raptors, Trent has averaged 4.5 points on 23.5 percent shooting from the field.
Injury Report
Raptors
- Chris Boucher (left knee) — Out
- Jalen Harris (right hip) — Questionable
- Paul Watson (left knee) — Out
- Rodney Hood (right knee) — Probable
- Gary Trent Jr. (left leg) — Out
Cavaliers
- Matthew Dellavedova (neck) — Out
- Isaiah Hartenstein (concussion) — Out
- Larry Nance Jr. (thumb) — Out
- Taurean Prince (ankle) — Out
- Collin Sexton (concussion) — Out
- Lamar Stevens (concussion) — Out
- Dylan Windler (knee) — Out
Raptors vs. Cavaliers: Betting odds, spread, over/under
Spread: Raptors -9.5 (-110), Cavaliers +9.5 (-110)
Raptors Money line: -500
Cavaliers Money line: +400
Over/under: 218.5 (-110)
Odds courtesy of William Hill Sports Book .
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