Raptors vs. Cavaliers Game 7 Best Bets Featuring Scottie Barnes, More

The Raptors went on to 22- and four-point victories on their home floor in Games 3 and 4, and while they suffered yet another defeat in Cleveland in Game 5, that came in a tight 125-120 offensive showcase that saw Brandon Ingram exit after just 11 minutes with the heel injury that would cost him Game 6 and seriously threatens his availability for Sunday’s elimination battle.

Toronto then toughed out a 112-110 overtime win in Game 6 back home despite squandering a fourth-quarter lead, with RJ Barrett’s miracle three-point bouncing in with 1.2 seconds remaining.

Toronto has gotten some key contributions from complementary sources such as Ja’Kobe Walter, Jamal Shead and Collin Murray-Boyles in Ingram’s extensive time off the floor during the last two games, and including the postseason, Toronto has an impressive +0.5-point average scoring margin on the road, per Team Rankings.

Given the way the series has been trending, using FD’s Alt. Spread feature to shorten the 7.5 points Toronto is getting to 5.5 makes a big difference in the odds we get on our parlay, and it’s a fitting first leg.

In keeping with the theme of the Raptors remaining competitive, we turn to our second leg and focus on their most important player, Scottie Barnes. The 2021 fourth overall pick has had an outstanding series, averaging a typically well-rounded 24.2 points, 9.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals across 39.3 minutes per contest while shooting 50.0% overall.

Barnes success against the Cavaliers isn’t surprising in a matchup sense, considering he also delivered 36.6 points + rebounds + assists across 36.0 minutes per contest versus Cleveland in three regular season games while shooting an even crisper 53.1%, per RotoWire. The Cavs have also struggled to consistently defend power forwards since the regular season and now hold a No. 26 ranking in offensive efficiency rating allowed to the position (28.4), per Hoops Stats.

Additionally, per RotoWire’s On/Off Court Tool, Barnes is averaging 40.5 points + rebounds + assists per 36 minutes while sporting a 28.1% usage rate since the start of the regular season when both Immanuel Quickley (OUT-hamstring) and Ingram are off the floor. Ingram was sporting a walking boot during Sunday morning shootaround, suggesting he’s unlikely to play.

Therefore, bringing Barnes’ conventional points + rebounds + assists total down by three to 32.5 is certainly a viable second leg, especially considering he’s 7-2 to the number versus the Cavs since the start of the season.

Finally, we’ll wrap up our parlay with the Cavaliers’ most consistent rebounder in Evan Mobley. The talented forward has been a force on the glass throughout the series, averaging 8.8 rebounds per contest, hitting or exceeding the eight-rebound mark in four of the first six games while totaling six and seven in the other two contests.

Mobley is bringing in 55.2% of his 16.0 rebounding opportunities per contest so far in the series per NBA.com, which is right in line with his 56.0% success rate on 16.1 chances per game during the regular season. He also was very active on the boards during the three regular-season meetings against the Raptors, when Mobley averaged 7.3 rebounds per contest and went 2-1 to the eight-rebound threshold.

The Raptors have given up 58.0 total rebounds per game in the last three contests in the series, which is a notable increase from their usual numbers. Mobley is a versatile force down low that also boosts his contributions on the glass through a fair amount of offensive rebounding, and he’s coming off a regular season where he tied his career best in that category with 2.4 offensive boards per contest.

With some aggressive defense on either end expected in this high-stakes clash, we’ll bet on Mobley getting to at least eight rebounds for the seventh time in 10 games against the Raps since the beginning of the campaign.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com