Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Odds, Analysis, NBA Playoff Betting Pick

A rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals will tip off a round earlier when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Toronto Raptors as solid home favorites for Game 1 on Monday.

The Cavaliers ousted the Raptors in six games a postseason ago, and they are coming off a sweep of the Indiana Pacers but went just 1-2-1 against the spread.

Point spread: The Cavaliers opened as 6.5-point favorites; the total is at 208.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report).

NBA betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 105.0-99.6 Raptors. NBA picks on every game.

Why the Raptors Can Cover the Spread

Cleveland failed to cover the spread in both of its home games versus Indiana as nine-point favorites each time, winning by a combined seven points. Even though the Raptors were blown out in all three games played at Quicken Loans Arena in the 2016 Eastern Conference Finals, they are much-improved defensively thanks to the addition of Serge Ibaka and still hold a slight edge in the backcourt in Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

In addition, they won the last two road games against the Milwaukee Bucks straight up as underdogs in the first round to help earn their spot in this series.

Why the Cavaliers Can Cover the Spread

The Cavs destroyed Toronto in all three home games during last year's playoff matchup, winning by an average of more than 29 points. While they certainly struggled at times against the Pacers, they still emerged victorious in every game, rallying back from a 26-point deficit in Game 3 to win 119-114 and cover the spread as 1.5-point road chalk.

Cleveland was far from perfect in sweeping Indiana, but the team averaged almost 113 points and saw LeBron James nearly average a triple-double in the process, with 32.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists in 43.8 minutes per game.

Smart Betting Pick

Rust may be a factor early in this series since the Cavs will not have not played in over a week. The Raptors played them tough during the regular season, suffering two losses by four points apiece and winning the last meeting 98-83 at Cleveland on April 12 as four-point road faves in a meaningless game.

Toronto has covered three in a row overall and will beat the number again in Game 1 on Monday at online betting sites.

NBA Betting Trends

The total has gone under in five of Toronto's past seven games.

Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its past five games on the road.

Cleveland is 1-3-1 ATS in its past five games.

All NBA lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.