Cavaliers vs Raptors Prediction, Picks & Odds for NBA Playoffs Game 3

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Can the Toronto Raptors slow down the Cleveland Cavaliers?

That’s the million-dollar question as this Round 1 series swings north of the border, which is more like $1.4 million CAD when you do the currency exchange.

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Cleveland has a 2-0 chokehold on Toronto, which is trying desperately to solve the Cavaliers’ constant carousel of scoring threats.

Donovan Mitchell is the biggest thorn in the Raptors’ paw… errr claw.

He’s combined for 62 points in the first two games of the series, but my Cavaliers vs. Raptors predictions for Game 3 see Mitchell as more of a playmaker.

My NBA picks like “Spida” to set up his teammates and top his assist prop on Thursday, April 23.

Cavaliers vs Raptors prediction

Cavaliers vs Raptors best bet: Donovan Mitchell Over 4.5 assists (+125)

Donovan Mitchell was the tip of the spear for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening two games, attempting 43 shots for a total of 62 points.

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The scary thing is that, unlike in past postseasons, Cleveland doesn’t need Mitchell to shoulder that much of the load.

With James Harden joining him in the backcourt, the pressure is off Mitchell to get good looks every time down the floor. He can allow the offense to move through him rather than to him.

And with the Toronto Raptors opting to run a small-ball lineup at Cleveland’s heavy screen schemes in the second half of Game 2, Mitchell is now seeing more pressure above the arc.

Mitchell, who averages just shy of six dimes per game, uses his gravity as a scorer to manufacture space for others. The Raps will have to pick their poison, hedging hard to take away Mitchell’s outside threat, but, in the process, making him more of a distributor.

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Although Mitchell had just nine potential assists in Game 1, that metric spiked to 13.0 in Game 2, manifesting in five actual assists (three in the 2H).

This Game 3 prop opened with the Over 4.5 assists heavily juiced at many sportsbooks, but early action has been backing the Under. Most shops are now dealing this result between -105 and…

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Publish date : 2026-04-23 02:21:00

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