


























Sean Barnard breaks down his top player prop picks for Sunday’s NBA playoff matchup between the Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers.
In the second half of a Game 7 doubleheader in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors will face off with the Cleveland Cavaliers. These teams have defended home court to this point, with the home team coming out victorious in all six games thus far. Tonight’s game will take place in Cleveland, and the Cavaliers will be looking to extend this trend.
Looking at the odds for Game 7, the Cavaliers enter as 8.5-point favorites and hold -310 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Raptors are +250 underdogs on the Moneyline, and the game’s total is set at O/U 210.5 points.
You can check out a full preview and prediction for the matchup on DraftKings Network. But for now, let’s dive into the top player prop bets for Game 7.
Jarrett Allen has been an important part of this Cavaliers core over the past few seasons. But he also has seen his role shrink a notable bit in this series, and this is a trend I expect to continue tonight. Allen posted averages of 15.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Since the postseason started, these averages have dropped to 9.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Allen has posted rebounding totals of seven, three, four, 15, three and seven, going under this line in five of the six games.
Toronto lacks a true big man, but it is loaded with high-level athletes who all attack the glass at a high rate. This level of physicality has been bothersome to Allen. Per the NBA’s tracking data, he is generating just 9.3 rebounding opportunities per game. Outside of the outlier 15 rebound performance in Game 4, he has not made his impact felt in this series. Expect the Raptors’ physicality to continue to prove bothersome and for Allen to fail to get his hands on rebounds at a high rate tonight. The Raptors know the fate of their season will be heavily correlated to their impact on the boards, and count on Allen continuing to fail to match their effort and intensity.
In his second career postseason action, and first since his rookie year, Scottie Barnes has proven ready for the increased intensity. The two-time All-Star suited up for 80 regular-season games and posted averages of 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists. Since the playoffs have kicked off, Barnes has seen his averages leap to 24.2 points, 9.0 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. Barnes is coming off a 25-point, 14-assist and seven-rebound performance in the must-win Game 6, and he has tallied over 37.5 combined points, rebounds and assists in three of the past four games.
With the season on the line, Toronto will lean on what got it here at a high rate, so expect Barnes to see the ball in his hands plenty. Especially with Brandon Ingram remaining doubtful and Immanuel Quickley sidelined, Barnes is the most trusted decision-maker with the ball. Some of Toronto’s most effective scoring chances have come from Barnes pulling down a rebound on the defensive end and pushing the pace to capitalize as either a scorer or setting up his teammates for easy looks.
Cleveland has been bothered by Barnes’ combination of size and athleticism. He has found success backing down opponents in the post and finding cutters moving off-ball. The Raptors likely being without two of their top scoring options also puts more scoring responsibility on the 24-year-old. His motor is impressive, so count on all-out effort in the win-or-go-home situation. Back Barnes to tally over 37.5 combined points, rebounds and assists for the fourth time in the past five games, and for the franchise centerpiece to do everything possible to keep its season alive by filling the box score in the process.
The Cavaliers made the all-in push to bring in James Harden at this year’s trade deadline. But it should not be confused that this Cavaliers team still revolves around Donovan Mitchell. Especially considering the postseason flaws that have popped up in the past for Harden, Mitchell will be asked to lead the charge tonight.
Across the regular season, Mitchell averaged 27.9 points per game and tallied over 25.5 points in 44 of his 70 games played. Since the playoffs kicked off, his scoring output has slipped to 23.3 points per game. The seven-time All-Star has posted scoring outputs of 32, 30, 15, 20, 19 and 24. Efficiency has been an issue as Mitchell has shot just 43.7% from the field overall.
The Raptors’ defense deserves credit for forcing some of these misses and limiting the Cavaliers star’s scoring output. But Mitchell has played in this type of game before and met the moment plenty of times. He has played in two Game 7s in his career and taken 22 and 27 field-goal attempts in these two matchups. This includes a 39-point output against the Magic in 2024. Mitchell has attempted 24 or more shots in two of the last three games and will not be shy to let it fly tonight. There is more pressure on Mitchell and the Cavaliers than has largely been discussed leading into these playoffs. Expect the Cleveland star to meet the weight of the moment and record over 25.5 points tonight, even if it is not the most efficient path to reaching this.
此内容由惯性聚合(RSS阅读器)自动聚合整理,仅供阅读参考。 原文来自 — 版权归原作者所有。