Game 5 Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Game 5 Raptors vs Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals

Submitted by Sack on Wed, 05/25/2016 - 08:06

The Raptors showed their claws and took down the Cleveland Cavaliers twice in a row, tying the series and setting up a crucial game five where the winner will inch closer to the glory of heading to the NBA Finals. Will the Cavaliers rally back to life or will the Raptors continue to bare their teeth and win? Keep reading for the full game preview.

Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Time: Wednesday, May 25, 2016 8:30 PM ET
Place: Quicken Loans Arena
Betting Odds: Cleveland -10.5
Total: 198.5

Bet on the Raptors

After two big back-to-back wins, the Raptors are well poised to move ahead. However, since the series now heads back to Cleveland, Toronto will have to work hard to defeat the Cavaliers on their home court.

And, while Lowry and DeRozan have been played solidly as of late, they tend to not be as effective when playing away from home. That said, if they can keep the numbers they put up over the last two games, they have a great shot at winning tonight.

As mentioned in a previous article, in the absence of Jonas Valanciunas, big man Bismack Biyombi has shone. The Congolese center has dominated on both sides of the court, grabbing just under 45% of rebounds over the last two matches. He also is a mighty hard man to get by, posing a big obstacle for opponents to score against and averaging just around 3 blocks per game.

Bet on the Cavaliers

Cleveland is probably relieved the series is heading back to Quicken Loans Arena. After losing the last two games, the team will certainly get a morale boost in playing for their home crowd. Games 1 and 2 were whole different games where the Cavs dominated and imposed their will.

Cleveland’s three front-men, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and LeBron James will certainly be itching to play and prove they can get the job done. Both James and Irving had a great game four despite not being able to scratch off a win.

Love however has struggled to get going. The center hasn’t performed well enough to make a difference over the last two games and has only put up a paltry 13 points overall.

On defense, the Cavaliers need to tighten up their ship. If they can manage to shut down DeRozan and Lowry, surely James and Irving have enough offensive power to put up points.