Cavaliers host Champion Raptors

The Cleveland Cavaliers look to bounce back from Tuesday’s loss as they host the reigning NBA Champion Toronto Raptors for the only time this season.

It is going to be a difficult matchup Thursday for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Toronto Raptors come to town looking to extend their winning streak to nine straight games. Cleveland has lost eight of their previous nine games, the most recent being Tuesday’s loss to New Orleans.

The Cavs have faced Toronto twice this season, both losses coming on the road. The average score of the two games being 125-105 in favor of the Raptors. Granted both games were on the road, but Toronto is clearly a superior team to Cleveland in just about every way.

The Raptors are currently averaging 122.4 points per game during their winning streak. Toronto has not been held below 107 points at any point over the last eight games. Defensively, the Raptors have surrendered 111 points per game, but being able to average 11 more points than that per game has led to their recent run of success.

Cleveland has failed to exceed 107 points in four of their past nine games, averaging 106.3 points per game. The Cavs have given up 117.8 points per game over this span which has been a huge reason why they’ve lost eight of nine. Toronto may give up 111 per game over their last eight games, but Cleveland has not shown that they are able to score consistently enough for that to matter all that much.

Darius Garland will be returning to the Cavaliers lineup Thursday after receiving Tuesday off for rest. Garland should help Cleveland keep things closer, but that does not mean that they necessarily have a chance to win. Toronto has the second-best record in the Eastern Conference while Cleveland has the third-worst.