The Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers first-round playoff game is set to tip off at 1:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 18, with the Cavaliers entering as 9.5-point favorites on the spread, via PrizePicks.
The Cavs went 52-30 during the regular season, comfortably earning home-court advantage in the first round, finishing six games ahead of the Raptors and Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland is in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, having advanced past the first round in each of the last two postseasons.
The Raptors return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 season, when they lost to the 76ers in six games.
Below, we’ll break down our Raptors vs. Cavaliers prediction and picks for Saturday’s NBA game, including the spread, over/under, and key player picks for PrizePicks.
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Raptors vs. Cavaliers Prediction, Spread, Over/Under – Saturday, April 18
The Raptors and Cavaliers meet in Game 1 of a best-of-seven first-round series, with the first two games in Cleveland. The winner of this series faces the winner of the No. 1 Pistons vs. No. 8 Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Raptors won all three head-to-head matchups in the regular season for the first time since the 2019-20 season. Over the three matchups, Toronto held the Cavs to 28.1% shooting from beyond the arc, significantly below Cleveland’s season average of 36.0%. Meanwhile, Toronto shot 51.2% from the field over the three games.
This best-of-seven series will likely come down to whether Toronto’s ninth-best scoring defense (111.8 PPG allowed) can slow Cleveland’s fourth-best scoring offense (119.5 PPG). The Raptors did the job in the last three battles, as the Cavs scored only 99, 113, and 102 points.
Raptors vs. Cavaliers Spread, Over/Under – Saturday, April 18
The Cavaliers enter Saturday’s game as 9.5-point favorites against the Raptors, returning a 1.25x payout if they win outright, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Here are the full payouts for Raptors vs. Cavaliers on PrizePicks
- Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers -9.5 (2.04x)
- Over/Under: 219.5 (1.75x on the Over)
- Game Winner Payout: Raptors - 3.57x | Cavaliers - 1.25x
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Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Raptors vs. Cavaliers Timeline
Here is the full Raptors vs. Cavaliers timeline, including the playoff series game-by-game and recent matchup history.
All-Time: Cavaliers, 72-56
Regular Season: Cavaliers, 60-54 (Toronto 3-0 this season)
Postseason: Cavaliers, 12-2 (won all three postseason series)
Raptors vs. Cavaliers Prediction on Spread for NBA Playoffs First Round
Here are the key stats and trends behind our Raptors vs. Cavaliers prediction on the spread for Saturday, April 18.
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- The Raptors were in the middle of the pack against the spread this season, with a 42-40 ATS record.
- The same can be said for Toronto as an underdog, going 17-17 ATS. The Raptors were only getting 7+ points in five games this season, going 3-2 ATS in that split.
- On offense, Toronto's 46.2% field goal percentage finished seventh, and it ranked 21st in scoring at 114.6 PPG and 15th in offensive rating at 115.0, per NBA Advanced Stats.
- The Cavaliers finished the regular season 33-49 against the spread, tied with Washington for the worst mark. But they covered in three of the last four games.
- Cleveland was also poor as a favorite, covering in 24 of 66 games (36.4%) and even worse as a favorite of 7+ points, going 8-24 (25%).
- The Cavs offense is one of the best in the NBA, averaging the fourth-most points scored (119.5 PPG), paired with the sixth-best rating (118.3) and fifth-highest effective field goal percentage (56.1%).
Raptors vs. Cavaliers Picks, Stats for PrizePicks – 4/18/26
Here are the top Raptors vs. Cavaliers picks to target in the NBA Playoffs on PrizePicks for Saturday, April 18. Today’s NBA picks for PrizePicks include Brandon Ingram and Donovan Mitchell.
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Raptors F Brandon Ingram vs. Cavaliers Projection: 21 Points
- Raptors F Brandon Ingram has hit his points projection in three of his last four games and in 39 of 74 games this season.
- If the Duke product doesn’t reach his points projection, it’s usually due to a lack of free throw attempts. The last five times he missed, he had 3 or fewer FT attempts.
- On November 24 against the Cavaliers, Ingram went for 37 points on 15-of-30 shooting. The 15 makes and 30 attempts were his most in any game this season.
- In 16 career games vs. the Cavs, Ingram is averaging 21.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.
- In the three games vs. Cleveland this season, Ingram averaged 22.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
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Cavaliers G Donovan Mitchell Projection vs. Raptors: 27.5 Points
- Cavaliers G Donovan Mitchell has reached his points projection in three consecutive games, in four of the last five games, and in 38 of 70 games this season.
- When Mitchell hits, it’s usually not close, as he scored 30+ points in 20 of the last 22 games in which he went over his projection.
- Mitchell has scored 30+ in 34 games, the fourth-most of any player in the NBA.
- The Louisville product is seventh in the NBA, averaging 27.9 PPG.
- Over 19 career games vs. the Raptors, Mitchell is averaging 21.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 4.1 APG. In two 2025-26 matchups, Mitchell averaged 24.0 points, 3.5 boards, and 7.0 assists per outing.
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NBA Playoffs Live Picks: Raptors vs. Cavaliers on PrizePicks for Game 1
Here are some in-game angles to target for your Raptors vs. Cavaliers live picks in today’s game.
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- In 63 career postseason games, Donovan Mitchell is averaging 28.3 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. He’s had seven games of 40+ and three over 50.
- The Raptors last won a playoff series in 2020, when they swept the Nets in the first round in the bubble in Orlando. The year before? They won the NBA title.
- Down at the half? Don’t worry. The Cavaliers are the highest-scoring second-half team in the NBA, averaging 61.2 PPG. Toronto averages 57.1 points in the second half (13th).
- The big difference comes in the fourth quarter, where the Cavs are the best in the NBA with 30 points per fourth quarter, but the Raptors are 27th at 26.4 points per fourth quarter.
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The Cavaliers have home-court advantage and are favored by 9.5 points, but they have yet to beat the Raptors this season. Can Toronto continue its dominance and upset Cleveland in Game 1? The Raptors-Cavaliers first-round contest is at 1:00 p.m. ET on Prime Video.
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