Betting news, trends, odds and predictions from various handicappers and websites for Monday 5/7/18
Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs continues Monday with the Cavaliers and Celtics both attempting sweep their opponents and advance to the Eastern Conference Final. Both the Raptors and 76ers entered Round 2 as series favorites but now each must pull off a miracle in order to advance. We break down both matchups to help you handicap the games like a pro.
Boston Celtics at Philadelphia 76ers (-6.5, 204.5)
Celtics lead series 3-0.
The Boston Celtics look to avoid a launch of confetti and finish off the Eastern Conference semifinal series Monday night when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers for Game 4. The Celtics received 24 points from rookie Jayson Tatum while Al Horford scored the final five of the game as they earned a stunning 101-98 overtime victory Saturday and took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Marco Belinelli’s jumper with less than a second left in the fourth quarter caused confetti to fill the air at the Wells Fargo Center, but his foot was inside the 3-point line and it only tied the game before Boston rallied in overtime. “I’ve seen crazier things that happened,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown told reporters after scoring 16 points off the bench. “The win just was the confetti for us. So we’ll take it like that.” Joel Embiid scored 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, but the 76ers shot just 39.2 percent from the field Saturday while turning the ball over in key situations and now are forced to buck NBA history as all 129 teams have failed to win a series after falling behind 3-0. “Teams that are down 3-0 have a record of (0-129),” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown told reporters. “Think about that. Just think about that number. The number is 0. The number to me, 0, happens more out of spirit than talent. Like there’s a breaking point we all have and I believe that if we can maintain our spirit, why couldn’t we be the one and I mean that.”
TV: 6 p.m. ET, TNT
LINE MOVES AND BETTING ACTION: In what was a surprise to many, the 76ers opened as 6-point home favorites for Game 4 and that number has actually been bumped higher to -6.5 as of Sunday night. This line move is despite 68 percent of Covers Consensus wagers coming in on the Celtics. The total hit betting boards at 204.5 and has yet to move. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Celtics - PG K. Irving (Out For Season, Knee), PF D. Theis (Out For Season, Knee), SF G. Hayward (Out For Season, Ankle).
76ers - SG T. Luwawu-Cabarrot (Out Indefinitely, Knee).
ABOUT THE CELTICS (62-30 SU, 58-32-2 ATS, 50-41-1 O/U): Horford scored seven of his 13 points in overtime and had a key steal in the final seconds that snuffed out a chance for Philadelphia to win the contest. “Al is our leader,” Tatum told reporters. “He’s been in the playoffs every year, so he’s been in every situation possible. He’s always making sure we’re in the right situations, and we know we can look toward him to make the right play.” Tatum is averaging 24.3 points in the series and guard Terry Rozier continues to shine while leading the team in scoring during the playoffs (19.0) and providing 22.3 per game the past three.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (56-34 SU, 51-37-2 ATS, 45-44-1 O/U): Rookie Ben Simmons rebounded from a rough Game 2 (one point, five turnovers) to score 16 while recording eight rebounds and eight assists in Saturday’s setback. “I have a lot of growing to do,” Simmons told ESPN.com. “This is the first time I’ve played in the playoffs, and I’m learning a lot. It’s a great opportunity for myself and the team. We’re all learning together. There’s a lot of lessons. I think they’re all very important.” Embiid has registered five straight double-doubles in the playoffs and guard J.J. Redick is averaging 20.3 points in the series with 10 made 3-pointers.
TRENDS:
* Celtics are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 Conference Semifinals games.
* 76ers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Semifinals games.
* Over is 11-3 in Celtics' last 14 overall.
* Under is 8-2-1 in 76ers' last 11 games playing on 1 days rest.
* Celtics are 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
Check out a complete list of hot and cold trends, here.
Toronto Raptors at Cleveland Cavaliers (-6, 213.5)
Cavaliers lead series 3-0.
LeBron James is putting on a display this postseason that will be talked about for ages, and he has a chance to take his run another round further when he leads the Cleveland Cavaliers into a potential Game 4 clincher at home against the Toronto Raptors on Monday. After scoring 43 points on Thursday to help the Cavaliers gain a 2-0 series lead on the road, James knocked down a running buzzer-beater to give his team a 105-103 victory in Game 3 on Saturday.
The game-winner capped a 38-point effort for the superstar, who is averaging 34.8 points on 54.7 percent shooting to go along with 9.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists during the playoffs. "I've been doing that since I was like six, seven, eight years old," James told reporters of his latest clutch moment. "Maybe even before that. There's a picture floating around of me beside a Little Tikes hoop with a saggy Pamper on and I was doing it back then and all the way up until now, at 33." The top-seeded Raptors are on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs for the second straight season by Cleveland. "Our goal in the timeout was to trap him and make someone else beat us," Toronto coach Dwane Casey told reporters of a play that will haunt him. "He split the trap and went 100 miles an hour down the floor and lost them. We just didn't execute. It was probably my fault that I didn't make it clear that we wanted to trap him and get the ball out of his hands. We had it started in the backcourt, and for whatever reason, we let him out of the trap."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT
LINE MOVES AND BETTING ACTION: The Cavs really have the Raptors' number in the postseason and they opened as 5.5-point home favorites for Game 4. The number has been bumped up to -6 as of Sunday night despite 62 percent of Covers Consensus bettors siding with the underdog Raps. The total hit betting boards at 213 and has been bumped up slightly to 213.5. Check out the complete line history here.
INJURY REPORT:
Raptors - No injuries to report.
Cavaliers - No injuries to report.
ABOUT THE RAPTORS (63-28 SU, 48-42-1 ATS, 46-44-1 O/U): Teams that fall behind 3-0 in the playoffs are 0-129 in NBA history, giving Toronto virtually insurmountable odds to come out on top against a team it cannot seem to solve. The task is made all the more difficult when leading scorer DeMar DeRozan struggles the way he did in Game 3, producing eight points - more than 15 below his average this postseason - on 3-of-12 shooting, leading to a benching during a critical portion of the fourth quarter. "It's extremely hard, extremely hard," DeRozan told reporters of sitting on the sidelines while his teammates made a late push. "I just want to be out there helping my team, way more than anything. It definitely sucks to be watching ... we've got to give credit to those guys. We fought hard and gave ourselves a chance to win."
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (57-35 SU, 35-56-1 ATS, 43-47-2 O/U): James will finish his career with a hefty collection of buzzer-beaters, but the sheer difficulty of Saturday's one-handed bank shot will make this one stand out. "In the moment, that's a tough shot, but I've watched him shoot that shot countless times in shootaround and practice, just messing around, shooting off the wrong leg," guard Kyle Korver told the media. "I'm like, 'When would you shoot a shot like that?' Apparently to win a playoff game. Amazing shot." Even more important for Cleveland's long-term outlook this spring was the second straight solid game for big man Kevin Love, who had 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 16 rebounds.
TRENDS:
* Raptors are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
* Cavaliers are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
* Over is 8-2 in Raptors' last 10 Conference Semifinals games.
* Under is 5-1 in Cavaliers' last 6 home games.
* Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
Eastern Conference First Round - Game 4 - Celtics lead 3-0
Boston at Philadelphia (-6.5/204.5), TNT, 6:05 p.m. ET
The 76ers are favored for the fourth consecutive time in this series and clearly haven’t handled the role well. Despite entering the conference semifinals as the East’s favorite to play for the championship, Philadelphia basically failed to show in Game 1 and has been outclassed in late-game situations in each of the last two encounters. It reaches Game 4 on the brink of elimination.
No NBA team has ever rebounded from a 3-0 deficit to win a series. There have been 129 squads who have tried and failed to reverse the damage.
Philly head coach Brett Brown said a lot of the right things after his team’s Game 3 collapse, including wondering aloud why his Sixers can’t be the ones to make history by capturing four straight. Certainly, they’re the deeper team in this matchup, not saddled with the loss of their two highest-paid players, but the answer to his question is looking back at him in the mirror.
After the clinic we’ve seen Boston’s Brad Stevens run against him and his staff, it’s inconceivable that Brown’s Sixers can overcome a coaching mismatch to win four consecutive times. Sportsbook.ag is offering 6-to-1 odds if you want to back Philly for value’s sake, but Toronto (15-to-1) is the more lucrative option if you’re down with taking a chance at history and don’t mind flushing some money down the toilet.
After all, they’re going to play fourth quarters in every remaining game last we checked. As dominant as LeBron James has been in the series we’ll break down below – so much so that LeBronto, Canada has begun holding elections – Boston has been equally impressive when games matter most.
The Celtics have won the second half all three times, which includes prevailing in OT in Saturday’s Game 3, which featured confetti falling from the rafters at Wells Fargo Center after Marco Belinelli’s game-tying bucket at the buzzer was incorrectly judged to be a 3-pointer by game operations staff. The Italian sniper’s foot was clearly on the line upon review, so when the celebratory scraps of paper finally stopped falling from the sky onto the court, Boston went back to work on lapping Philly with its late-game execution.
After a 117-101 Game 1 loss, the 76ers squandered a 22-point lead in Game 2 to put themselves in a must-win situation coming back home. After struggling early, they used a 25-8 run to get in position to cover a 7.5-point first-half spread that looked inflated but nonetheless drew a lot of action as a result given the venue change and Philadelphia’s need to come out and secure the result.
As with most things in the series, Boston made plays when it mattered most, scoring five of the final six points of the half to get to the break down by a single possession. It then traded blows with the 76ers throughout a tightly contested second half that culminated with Jaylen Brown making a pair of buckets inside the final 24 seconds before Belinelli’s last-second shot forced the overtime.
Likely NBA Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons, who has been a disappointment in this series, failed to be in position to catch an errant J.J. Redick pass late in regulation and then made the foolish error of not pulling the ball back out with a lead inside 24 seconds after an offensive rebound in the OT session. Stevens made the most of things by calling a timeout just before Marcus Morris was going to settle for a long pull-up jumper, setting up an out-of-bounds play that produced Al Horford’s eventual game-winning layup with 5.5 seconds left.
Simmons made a bad entry pass into Joel Embiid that Horford stole away with the score just 99-98, piling on to the late-game carnage that has essentially cost the 76ers this series. Following a pair of free-throws, Belinelli’s final attempt misfired, putting Philly in its current hole.
VegasInsider.com NBA expert Marc Lawrence uses trends as a key part of his handicapping and one angle he dug up could have you fading Philadelphia in Game 4 on Monday.
"Teams that take it on the chin three times in a row do not fare well when laying points in Round Two. While it’s often times a rare occasion, it’s confirmed by the fact that teams laying points off three consecutive losses are 3-14 ATS in these games since 1993,” said Lawrence. “Worse, if the tripped-out chalk dropped their last game straight up as a favorite these teams generally fall off the map - and out of the playoffs - going 3-7 SU and 0-10 ATS."
Brown has made excuses for Embiid due to a mask he feels has limited his center’s production and lamented Simmons not making better decisions when it’s mattered most, which indeed is part of having a rookie point guard. Of course, counterpart Terry Rozier has been an x-factor in this series despite being forced into a starring role after being Kyrie Irving’s backup all season, but that’s a whole other story.
To his credit, Brown has refused to pin the mistakes entirely on youth, which is a good thing since the Celtics have a number of young kids they’re counting on. 20-year-old Jayson Tatum has displayed the most poise and surpassed Larry Bird with five consecutive games scoring at least 20 points, a Celtics’ playoff record for a rookie.
Even though Game 3 went to overtime, the 'under' (206 ½) still managed to connect. The total for Game 4 opened 204 ½ and VI NBA Chris David is leaning to the ‘under’ based on the defensive form of the Celtics and their offensive tendencies on the road in the playoffs.
“Rather than wait around and hope Philadelphia’s offense finally connect from distance, the smarter investment is on Boston’s defense. The unit has held the Sixers to 41 percent shooting over three games and Ben Simmons has been humbled, which isn’t surprising because he struggled against the Celtics in the regular season too,” David explained.
“Including Saturday’s result, the Celtics have seen the ‘under’ go 12-5 in road playoff games under Brad Stevens. That effort is stressed knowing Boston’s offense hasn’t performed well outside of TD Garden. In those 17 games, the club is averaging 98.6 PPG. Knowing the Celtics own the best road defense (100.5 PPG) in the league, I expect another grinder on Monday and the low side seems more than doable again.”
A Boston sweep pays out 75-to-1 if you got in on an emphatic upset before the series started, although I don’t imagine there are many of those tickets floating around. If the 76ers manage to get on the board, Game 5 would be played Wednesday night at TD Garden.
Eastern Conference First Round - Game 4 - Cavs lead 3-0
Toronto at Cleveland (-5.5/213), TNT, 8:35 p.m. ET
If you were wondering, as most were, how Toronto could allow LeBron to get up the floor for a game-winning look without seeing a double-team on the final play of Saturday night’s 105-103 Game 3 win, the answer is that he blew right past the trap that was supposed to come.
After Tyronn Lue smartly opted not to advance the ball following a timeout after rookie OG Anunoby tied the game on a 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds left, James was supposed to deal with immediate pressure from the Raptors, but simply beat it and got downhill, ultimately getting to his spot for a complicated runner that he banked in at a difficult angle. Calling it a fluke would be disrespectful since he absolutely meant to go glass despite the degree of difficulty, ultimately producing a result that for all intents and purposes, knocked out the East’s top seed.
Toronto did win the fourth quarter 38-26 to build some confidence entering Game 4, but have lost nine consecutive games at the hands of the Cavs. Including the regular-season, Cleveland is 44-1 when holding a lead entering the fourth, which goes hand-in-hand with the dynamic that James is the game’s ultimate closer at the moment, executing whatever he wants whenever he wants against the overmatched Eastern Conference. Although the 76ers and Raptors had better odds of getting out of the East when this round began, Cleveland is back in the driver’s seat as the expected champ.
James is averaging 34.8 points, his highest in the playoffs since 2009, adding 9.5 rebounds and a career-best 8.8 assists. Kevin Love has bounced back from a rough, injury-riddled season against Indiana by coming out aggressively in each of the past two games, averaging 26 points and 13.5 rebounds after scoring only seven in Game 1 of the series.
Veteran point guard George Hill has also provided a boost after getting healthy following a back issue and playoff-tested contributors like Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver have each answered the bell. At home for Game 4, the Cavs would love nothing more than to put this series away in order to avoid a trip back to Canada. Given the work load James has undertaken all season, rest would be ideal before the Eastern Conference finals.
The Raptors got excellent play out of point guard Kyle Lowry and Anunoby in Game 3, but All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan was benched in the fourth quarter since Toronto made its run without him and finished just 3-for-12 from the field. He must bounce back for his team to have any chance to extend the series. The same goes for Fred VanVleet, who head coach Dwane Casey inserted in Serge Ibaka’s place in an effort to better match up. Ibaka played well enough of the bench after loafing up in Toronto that it remains to be seen whether he’ll replace Jonas Valanciunas in the lineup to offer a much sleeker look that would be better able to match up with Cleveland’s first five.
As things stand now, Lue has gotten the better of Casey in terms of coaching adjustments and strategic tactics. Although Casey has a shot at NBA Coach of the Year honors after leading the Raptors to their most successful regular season in franchise history, his inability to give his team a better chance at success in this series could lead to his dismissal, especially if they’re swept.
A second-round playoff trend that Lawrence offered to VI was in play for Game 3 this past Saturday and connected, so we'll touch on it again for Game 4. The angle applies to taking Toronto as the No. 1 seed.
“One golden rule in this round applies to top seeds, namely: do not lay points against No.1 seeds. That’s because inferior teams are just 20-33-1 ATS when laying points into No. 1 seeds since 1996,” Lawrence noted. “Worse, if the inferior teams are laying less the 5 points they are just 9-25 ATS, including 3-20 ATS when they own a win percentage of .575 or more.”
Check out all of Lawrence’s 2nd Round Playoff Trends right here.
The total is listed at 213, which would be identical to where the Game 2 number closed. The first two games each produced victories for over bettors, who would’ve again prevailed in Game 3 had James’ final shot misfired and the action went into overtime.
If Cleveland is able to break out the brooms, exact series price bettors who showed no faith in Toronto against LeBron would be rewarded with a 30-to-1 payout. The series price for the Cavs at Sportsbook.ag was listed at +185. If the Raptors can begin to stage a rally with an upset, Game 5 would be played at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night.
By Tony Mejia
Preview: Celtics at 76ers
Gracenote
May 6, 2018
The Boston Celtics look to avoid a launch of confetti and finish off the Eastern Conference semifinal series Monday night when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers for Game 4. The Celtics received 24 points from rookie Jayson Tatum while Al Horford scored the final five of the game as they earned a stunning 101-98 overtime victory Saturday and took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Marco Belinelli’s jumper with less than a second left in the fourth quarter caused confetti to fill the air at the Wells Fargo Center, but his foot was inside the 3-point line and it only tied the game before Boston rallied in overtime. “I’ve seen crazier things that happened,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown told reporters after scoring 16 points off the bench. “The win just was the confetti for us. So we’ll take it like that.” Joel Embiid scored 22 points and grabbed 19 rebounds, but the 76ers shot just 39.2 percent from the field Saturday while turning the ball over in key situations and now are forced to buck NBA history as all 129 teams have failed to win a series after falling behind 3-0. “Teams that are down 3-0 have a record of (0-129),” Philadelphia coach Brett Brown told reporters. “Think about that. Just think about that number. The number is 0. The number to me, 0, happens more out of spirit than talent. Like there’s a breaking point we all have and I believe that if we can maintain our spirit, why couldn’t we be the one and I mean that.”
TV: 6 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE CELTICS: Horford scored seven of his 13 points in overtime and had a key steal in the final seconds that snuffed out a chance for Philadelphia to win the contest. “Al is our leader,” Tatum told reporters. “He’s been in the playoffs every year, so he’s been in every situation possible. He’s always making sure we’re in the right situations, and we know we can look toward him to make the right play.” Tatum is averaging 24.3 points in the series and guard Terry Rozier continues to shine while leading the team in scoring during the playoffs (19.0) and providing 22.3 per game the past three.
ABOUT THE 76ERS: Rookie Ben Simmons rebounded from a rough Game 2 (one point, five turnovers) to score 16 while recording eight rebounds and eight assists in Saturday’s setback. “I have a lot of growing to do,” Simmons told ESPN.com. “This is the first time I’ve played in the playoffs, and I’m learning a lot. It’s a great opportunity for myself and the team. We’re all learning together. There’s a lot of lessons. I think they’re all very important.” Embiid has registered five straight double-doubles in the playoffs and guard J.J. Redick is averaging 20.3 points in the series with 10 made 3-pointers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Philadelphia F Robert Covington had just one point in Saturday’s loss on 0-for-8 from the field after scoring 22 in Game 2.
2. Rozier, who averaged 11.3 points in the regular season, is 18-for-34 from behind the arc over the last four games.
3. Philadelphia F Dario Saric is 5-of-23 from 3-point range in the last five games after draining 11-of-23 in the first three playoff contests.
PREDICTION: 76ers 108, Celtics 102
__________________
ATS Trends
Boston
Celtics are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 Conference Semifinals games.
Celtics are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 vs. NBA Atlantic.
Celtics are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Celtics are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS win.
Celtics are 18-6 ATS in their last 24 vs. Eastern Conference.
Celtics are 22-8 ATS in their last 30 games overall.
Celtics are 22-8 ATS in their last 30 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
Celtics are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight up win.
Celtics are 50-22-1 ATS in their last 73 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
Celtics are 42-19-2 ATS in their last 63 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Celtics are 37-17 ATS in their last 54 road games.
Celtics are 34-16-1 ATS in their last 51 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Celtics are 33-16-2 ATS in their last 51 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Celtics are 37-18-2 ATS in their last 57 games playing on 1 days rest.
Philadelphia
76ers are 18-6 ATS in their last 24 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600.
76ers are 19-7 ATS in their last 26 home games.
76ers are 21-9 ATS in their last 30 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
76ers are 26-12-1 ATS in their last 39 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
76ers are 15-7 ATS in their last 22 games overall.
76ers are 27-13 ATS in their last 40 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
76ers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 vs. NBA Atlantic.
76ers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest.
76ers are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 Conference Semifinals games.
OU Trends
Boston
Over is 8-2 in Celtics last 10 games following a straight up win.
Over is 8-2 in Celtics last 10 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
Over is 11-3 in Celtics last 14 overall.
Over is 11-3 in Celtics last 14 Monday games.
Over is 11-3 in Celtics last 14 vs. Eastern Conference.
Over is 7-2 in Celtics last 9 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
Over is 5-2 in Celtics last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Over is 5-2 in Celtics last 7 vs. NBA Atlantic.
Over is 5-2 in Celtics last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
Over is 7-3 in Celtics last 10 games playing on 1 days rest.
Philadelphia
Under is 8-2-1 in 76ers last 11 games playing on 1 days rest.
Under is 4-1-1 in 76ers last 6 Monday games.
Over is 4-1 in 76ers last 5 games following a ATS loss.
Head to Head
Celtics are 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
Celtics are 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings in Philadelphia.
Underdog is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
Preview: Raptors at Cavaliers
Gracenote
May 6, 2018
LeBron James is putting on a display this postseason that will be talked about for ages, and he has a chance to take his run another round further when he leads the Cleveland Cavaliers into a potential Game 4 clincher at home against the Toronto Raptors on Monday. After scoring 43 points on Thursday to help the Cavaliers gain a 2-0 series lead on the road, James knocked down a running buzzer-beater to give his team a 105-103 victory in Game 3 on Saturday.
The game-winner capped a 38-point effort for the superstar, who is averaging 34.8 points on 54.7 percent shooting to go along with 9.5 rebounds and 8.8 assists during the playoffs. "I've been doing that since I was like six, seven, eight years old," James told reporters of his latest clutch moment. "Maybe even before that. There's a picture floating around of me beside a Little Tikes hoop with a saggy Pamper on and I was doing it back then and all the way up until now, at 33." The top-seeded Raptors are on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs for the second straight season by Cleveland. "Our goal in the timeout was to trap him and make someone else beat us," Toronto coach Dwane Casey told reporters of a play that will haunt him. "He split the trap and went 100 miles an hour down the floor and lost them. We just didn't execute. It was probably my fault that I didn't make it clear that we wanted to trap him and get the ball out of his hands. We had it started in the backcourt, and for whatever reason, we let him out of the trap."
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, TNT
ABOUT THE RAPTORS: Teams that fall behind 3-0 in the playoffs are 0-129 in NBA history, giving Toronto virtually insurmountable odds to come out on top against a team it cannot seem to solve. The task is made all the more difficult when leading scorer DeMar DeRozan struggles the way he did in Game 3, producing eight points - more than 15 below his average this postseason - on 3-of-12 shooting, leading to a benching during a critical portion of the fourth quarter. "It's extremely hard, extremely hard," DeRozan told reporters of sitting on the sidelines while his teammates made a late push. "I just want to be out there helping my team, way more than anything. It definitely sucks to be watching ... we've got to give credit to those guys. We fought hard and gave ourselves a chance to win."
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS: James will finish his career with a hefty collection of buzzer-beaters, but the sheer difficulty of Saturday's one-handed bank shot will make this one stand out. "In the moment, that's a tough shot, but I've watched him shoot that shot countless times in shootaround and practice, just messing around, shooting off the wrong leg," guard Kyle Korver told the media. "I'm like, 'When would you shoot a shot like that?' Apparently to win a playoff game. Amazing shot." Even more important for Cleveland's long-term outlook this spring was the second straight solid game for big man Kevin Love, who had 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 16 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Korver, SF Jeff Green and SG J.R. Smith are a combined 22-for-40 from 3-point range in the series.
2. Raptors PG Kyle Lowry is averaging 22 points on 62.9 percent shooting in the series.
3. If the Raptors win they will host Game 5 on Wednesday.
PREDICTION: Cavaliers 114, Raptors 104
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ATS Trends
Toronto
Raptors are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games vs. a team with a home winning % of greater than .600.
Raptors are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Raptors are 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 games playing on 1 days rest.
Raptors are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
Cleveland
Cavaliers are 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
Cavaliers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Cavaliers are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 vs. NBA Atlantic.
Cavaliers are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Cavaliers are 16-39-1 ATS in their last 56 home games.
Cavaliers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
Cavaliers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss.
Cavaliers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight up win.
Cavaliers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall.
Cavaliers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 vs. Eastern Conference.
Cavaliers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
Cavaliers are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
OU Trends
Toronto
Over is 5-1 in Raptors last 6 games following a ATS win.
Under is 4-1 in Raptors last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
Over is 8-2 in Raptors last 10 Conference Semifinals games.
Over is 3-1-1 in Raptors last 5 Monday games.
Under is 5-2 in Raptors last 7 road games.
Under is 5-2 in Raptors last 7 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
Under is 5-2 in Raptors last 7 games following a straight up loss.
Over is 10-4 in Raptors last 14 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Cleveland
Under is 4-0 in Cavaliers last 4 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
Under is 5-1 in Cavaliers last 6 home games.
Under is 5-1 in Cavaliers last 6 when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
Over is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
Over is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 overall.
Over is 4-1 in Cavaliers last 5 vs. Eastern Conference.
Over is 5-2 in Cavaliers last 7 Conference Semifinals games.
Over is 5-2 in Cavaliers last 7 vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Under is 7-3 in Cavaliers last 10 Monday games.
Over is 9-4 in Cavaliers last 13 vs. NBA Atlantic.
Head to Head
Over is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings.
Raptors are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
Raptors are 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Cleveland.
Underdog is 5-1-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings.