Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction & Match Preview - April 10th, 2021 | NBA Season 2020-21
Former playoff rivals the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Toronto Raptors face off in a bottom-table matchup in the 2020-21 NBA season. Both the teams eye the play-in tournament this season and are one win away from each other.
The Raptors sit at the 11th spot with a 20-32 record with 2 wins behind the 10th spot while the Cavaliers are at the 12th spot with 3 wins behind.
Match Details
Fixture: Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers | NBA Season 2020-21.
Date & Time: Saturday; April 10th, 2021; 7:30 PM ET (Sunday, April 11th; 5:00 AM IST).
Venue: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers snapped their five-game losing streak at the expense of the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. They are now entering this game on huge consecutive wins, having beaten the Spurs by 24 and the Thunder by 27.
Cedi Osman has been great for the team this year and is seeing high minutes. Meanwhile, Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Jr. are sidelined for this game.
Their young guards Sexton and Garland have been on fire of late. In the last 12 games, Sexton has been averaging 25.4 points, 4 assists and 1.2 steals per game on 58.2% true shooting while Garland is averaging 19.5 points, 5.9 assists and 1.2 steals on 54.3% true shooting.
Key Player - Collin Sexton
Collin Sexton is elevating his game to an All-Star level. He is averaging 24 points per game this season and proving himself to be one of the finer young point guards in the league.
Given enough reps and training, Sexton could either be a highly sought after free agent in a few years or a franchise leader for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Collin Sexton | Shooting Guard - Darius Garland | Small Forward - Isaac Okoro | Power Forward - Kevin Love | Center - Dean Wade.
Toronto Raptors Preview
The highlight of the Toronto Raptors' season so far has been beating a Stephen Curry-less Golden State Warriors by 53 points. It was the biggest margin of victory in Raptors' history and it marked their 9th 15+ point win of the season.
Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam have been averaging stellar numbers this season. However, due to the lack of a cohesive system in the team, they are unable to win games.
Unfortunately, the already struggling Toronto Raptors now face the 5th-toughest schedule for the remainder of the season. Even if Kyle Lowry and co. carry this team to and past the play-in round, they have little to no chance of beating the top-tier teams in the East.
This has led to several analysts pondering whether they should intentionally tank the rest of the season and focus on the upcoming draft.
Key Player - Pascal Siakam
With Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry absent from the lineup against the Cavaliers, Pascal Siakam will be bearing a bigger burden. He leads the team in points and rebounds while grabbing the second-highest steals. He contributed 36 points in the blowout against the Warriors and hasn't scored below 22 since.
Toronto Raptors Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Malachi Flynn | Shooting Guard - Gary Trent Jr. | Small Forward - OG Anunoby | Power Forward - Pascal Siakam | Center - Chris Boucher
Raptors vs Cavaliers Match Prediction
The two teams are fairly evenly matched and the game could go in either direction. However, the Toronto Raptors have listed 6 players either ruled out or questionable for the game, including Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet, which tips the scales in the Cleveland Cavaliers' favor.
Where to watch the Raptors vs Cavaliers game?
The Toronto Raptors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game will be locally televised on Bally Sports Ohio and the SN Network. The match can also be live-streamed with an NBA League Pass.
Also Read: Player in Focus: Kyrie Irving and his journey so far with the Brooklyn Nets | NBA Season 2020-21