Raptors vs Cavaliers: 3 Player Props and Best Bet for Saturday, April 18

The NBA’s opening playoff round kicks off Saturday. One of the premier series will feature the Toronto Raptors (46-36) heading south to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30) in the four versus five matchup.

Toronto enters this series having won four of its final six games. The Raptors’ losses were to playoff teams, dropping games against the New York Knicks and Boston earlier this month.

The Cavaliers were even hotter than their Canadian opponents before the regular season ended. Cleveland earned victories in 11 of their last 14 games, posting two four-game winning streaks in the past month.

Can the Cavs continue their winning ways against the Raptors in this series’ opening game? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for Saturday’s Game 1 matchup.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell OVER 27.5 Points

For the fourth time in as many tries, Donovan Mitchell has led the Cavaliers to the postseason. This year, the 6-foot-2 guard will look to advance beyond the semifinals. The 29-year-old had perhaps his best regular season yet as he posted 27.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.

Before resting at the end of the regular season, Mitchell was dominant. He dropped 38 and 31 points, respectively, in home games against Indiana and Atlanta. That marked the fifth time in seven games Mitchell covered his 27.5-point prop line for Saturday’s Game 1. Bettors should take him to cover this wager on Saturday.

Toronto Raptors’ Scottie Barnes OVER 6.5 Assists

Scottie Barnes may not be the Raptors’ top player, but he’s definitely among the franchise’s most valuable. During the regular season, Barnes averaged 18.1 points, a team-best 7.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists. He led Toronto with 1.4 steals per game and 1.5 blocks per outing.

In eight of his past 12 outings, Barnes finished with at least eight assists. That bodes well for bettors looking to cash in on this matchup. Take the 6-foot-8 forward to continue facilitating the offense as he covers this assist prop line for Game 1.

Cleveland Cavaliers’ James Harden UNDER 29.5 Pts + Asts

James Harden was a reserve for the Oklahoma City Thunder when the guard last played in the NBA Finals. Now, the 36-year-old star is looking to make another run to the final series with the Cavaliers.

Cleveland traded for the 11-time NBA All-Star to give Mitchell an upgraded scoring threat for the postseason. Since joining the Cavs, Harden is averaging 23.6 points and 8.0 assists with the Eastern Conference franchise. Still, he’s surpassed his combination points and assists line only once in his last six games. Expect Harden will fail to cover this prop wager on Saturday.

Best Bet: Toronto (+8.5)

Nearly 60 percent of home NBA teams win the initial game during the postseason’s opening round. That’s slightly less than conference semifinals, where better than 63 percent of home teams post wins in Game 1.

While that bodes well for Cleveland, can the Cavaliers post a double-digit margin of victory over Toronto on Saturday? The Raptors swept the season series against the Cavs, suggesting Saturday’s game will be close. Take Toronto to stick around in this matchup, falling by less than 8.5 points in Game 1.