The first 2026 NBA playoff game will feature a battle between two Eastern Conference foes, the Toronto Raptors against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Game 1 takes place on Saturday afternoon, and James Harden will begin another postseason run with a new team. The fourth-seeded Cavaliers (52-30) have won four of five games entering the NBA playoffs 2026. The No. 5 Raptors (46-36) have won three of their last five games entering the postseason. The Raptors won all three regular-season meetings.

Tipoff is at 1 p.m. ET at Rocket Arena in Cleveland. The latest Raptors vs. Cavaliers odds have Cleveland as 8.5-point favorites, while the over/under for total points scored is 219.5. Before making any Cavaliers vs. Raptors picks, check out the Raptors vs. Cavaliers predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past eight-plus seasons. The model entered the 2026 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 23-9 roll (72%) on top-rated NBA spread picks this season. Anyone following its NBA betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.    

Now, the model has simulated Raptors vs. Cavaliers 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NBA picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NBA odds and NBA betting lines for Cavaliers vs. Raptors:

Top Raptors vs. Cavaliers predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Cavs vs. Raptors, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (219.5) in over-under betting. Two of the Raptors’ last three games have gone over the total. Three of the Cavs last four games have gone over the total. The total has gone Over in eight of the Raptors’ last 11 games played on a Saturday.

Five players are expected to score in double figures for the Raptors, including Brandon Ingram with 21.9 points. Just four players are projected to score double figures for the Cavaliers, with Donovan Mitchell leading the way with 28.1 points. With that, 224 combined points are scored, per 10,000 simulations run, as the Over hits 54.4% of the time. See the Raptors vs. Cavaliers spread pick at SportsLine.

How to make Raptors vs. Cavaliers picks

After simulating each possession 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NBA picks. 

So who wins Cavs vs. Raptors, and which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Raptors vs. Cavaliers line to back, all from the model that has returned well over $10,000 on top-rated NBA picks, and find out.