On Monday Night, game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals featuring the Raptors vs. Cavs tips off from Cleveland. This best-of-seven NBA Playoffs 2017 matchup will feature a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals from a year ago. While most of the stars on the rosters remain the same, the Cavs are now reigning champions after last postseason and looking to go for another sweep. Will Toronto be able to snatch away some games from their opponents in Cleveland? Here's a look at the Game 1 preview including odds, game time, TV Channel and how to watch the NBA game live online.
Matchup preview & odds:
Having swept their first-round opponents, the Indiana Pacers, 4-0, the Cavs now take on another challenger. The two teams have actually met as recently as March 12th in the regular season in Cleveland, where the Raptors came away with a 98-83 victory. However, it's important to note that Cleveland rested its star players, as the game was just before the playoffs began.
DeMar DeRozan was also out of action for that game, as Normal Powell scored a team-high 25 points and Kyle Lowry finished with 13. The Cavs' most notable performance was from starter Deron Williams who finished with 10 points including three three-point shots, to go with four assists and three rebounds.
The teams met on three other occasions and Cleveland took all three of those games.
However, each game was decided by just four points or less, indicating that this could be a series where the Raptors take a game or two before bowing out. Toronto enters this series having defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 4-2 in their first-round matchup.
For tonight's Game 1, Cleveland is favored to win by 6.5 points over the visiting Toronto Raptors.
The Cavaliers are also -300 favorites on the moneyline, with the Raptors at +250. Keep in mind that Toronto owns a 13-8-2 against the spread record as an underdog this season, while Cleveland is 30-40-2 ATS as the favorite. The over/under for this game is set at 209 points.
Game 1 time and TV channel?
The Toronto Raptors vs.
Cleveland Cavaliers Game 1 starts up at 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday night. TNT will handle the live televised coverage for U.S. viewers, with TNTDrama website or compatible mobile apps offering a live stream feed.
Viewers can also opt to watch this NBA game live streaming on SlingTV. A one-week free trial offer is available for anyone new who signs up and allows for viewing TNT on the middle tier of channel packages called Sling Blue. More details are viewable at Sling.com.