Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, 4/18/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Toronto Raptors vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026

Location: Rocket Arena in Cleveland, OH

TV: Prime Video

Odds/Point Spread: Toronto (+8.0)

The Toronto Raptors (46-36) are headed to Rocket Arena on Saturday where they will play the Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30) in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference 1st round series. Cleveland opens this contest as 8.0-point favorites. The over/under is set at 219.

The Raptors faced the Nets and took home the win by a score of 136-101 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Raptors walked away with 20 while the Nets racked up 27 fouls. They also converted 9 out of their 34 shots from beyond the perimeter. Brooklyn finished shooting 75.9% from the charity stripe by making 22 of 29 tries. In addition, Brooklyn snagged 38 rebounds (13 offensive, 25 defensive) and added 8 blocks. Brooklyn distributed 21 assists and had 9 steals for this game. In the matter of the defense, Toronto allowed 40.7% from the floor on 35 of 86 shooting. They also recorded 36 dimes in this contest while creating 16 turnovers and earning 9 steals. When discussing grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 43 with 3 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Raptors buried 22 of their 29 shots for a percentage of 75.9%. Toronto finished the contest having earned a 63.8% field goal percentage (51 out of 80) and made 12 out of their 27 shots from beyond the perimeter.

RJ Barrett is one guy who came through in this game. He accumulated 26 points on 9 out of 15 shooting. He saw the court for 29 minutes played and totaled 3 boards. Barrett finished 60.0% from the floor and distributed 2 dimes.

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Toronto comes into this one with a record of 46-36 on the season. They lose possession by turning the ball over 13.7 times per game and as a unit they commit 20.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Toronto is snagging 42.1 boards per game and has accounted for 2,417 assists for the season, which ranks 3rd in the NBA in terms of passing. The Raptors are connecting on 35.4% on 3-point shots (932 of 2,633) and 76.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 114.6 points per contest (21st in the league) while connecting on 48.2% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Raptors are forcing their opponents into 16.1 turnovers per contest and they draw 19.8 personal fouls. They are giving up 34.9% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 9th in basketball in PPG allowed (111.8). The Raptors defensively are giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 46.7% (3,289 of 7,047) and they surrender 42.9 boards per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 2nd in the league in giving up assists with 2,006 surrendered on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Cavaliers went home victorious with a score of 130-117 when they faced the Wizards. The Cavaliers corralled 36 defensive boards and 17 offensive boards totaling 53 in the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 20 times, while recording 8 steals for the matchup. The Wizards were called for 21 fouls in this contest which took the Cavaliers to the charity stripe for a total of 21 attempts. They were able to make 16 of them for a rate of 76.2%. Regarding shooting from distance, Cleveland buried 18 out of 43 attempts (41.9%). When all was said and done, the Cavaliers ended up shooting 48 out of 89 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 53.9%. The Cavaliers allowed the Wizards to make 42 of their 90 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 46.7% for the matchup. They finished 43.9% from distance by shooting 18 of 41 and walked away from this one shooting 15 out of 19 from the free throw line (78.9%). When discussing how they rebounded, Cleveland permitted Washington to snag 30 in all (7 on the offensive glass).

Nae'Qwan Tomlin ended up being a factor for the Cavaliers in the matchup. Tomlin recorded 26 points in his 36 mins on the court and had 5 dimes for this contest. He converted 9 of 16 in this contest giving him a rate of 56.3%, and had 8 rebounds.

Cleveland has a record of 52-30 so far this season. The Cavaliers commit 19.6 fouls per game while shooting 77.6% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 28.3 times per game (8th in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 14.0 times per contest. Cleveland has 9,801 points for the year (119.5 per contest) and they average 44.4 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Cavaliers are shooting 48.2% from the floor, which is ranked 8th in the league.

The Cleveland defense surrenders 37.2% from downtown (1,163 of 3,127) and their opponents are knocking down 79.4% of their free throw shots. They have relinquished 26.9 assists and 43.2 boards per game, which ranks them 16th and 12th in basketball. The Cavaliers on defense are ranked 15th in the league in points allowed per contest with 115.4. They are forcing their opponents into 15.0 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.4% from the floor (8th in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Toronto (+8.0)

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