Zach Thompson details his best player prop bets for Saturday’s NBA playoff matchup between the Raptors and the Cavaliers.

After plenty of drama in the play-in tournament, the NBA playoffs will officially tip off on Saturday. The action begins at 1 p.m. ET, when the No. 5 seed Toronto Raptors visit the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena.

The Cavaliers are 8.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the game total set at O/U 219.5 points. Cleveland holds -550 odds of winning the series, while the Raptors sit at +400 to pull off the first-round upset.

The Raptors enter the playoffs with a 46-36 overall record, while the Cavs head into the postseason at 52-30. Toronto swept the three-game regular-season series, although the squads haven’t played since the end of November.

Looking at the injury report, Immanuel Quickley (hamstring) is questionable for Toronto, while Thomas Bryant (Calf) is the only inactive for Cleveland.

With all the top stars suiting up, let’s take a look at some of the top player prop bets available on each side ahead of Saturday’s Eastern Conference clash.

Raptors vs. Cavaliers Best Prop Bets

Donovan Mitchell 30+ Points (+136)

While adding James Harden gives Mitchell more help, this is still his team — and he famously steps up in the playoffs. Mitchell has scored at least 30 points in eight straight playoff Game 1’s, dating back to 2020. Last year, he had exactly 30 points in the first game of the opening round against Miami before dropping 33 points against Indiana in the second-round series opener.

Mitchell scored at least 30 points in 34 of his 70 regular-season games, averaging 27.9 points per contest. He had 38 and 31 points in his last two games, while sitting out three of Cleveland’s last four contests as the season wound down.

Mitchell erupted for 31 points in his first game against Toronto, but later got held to 17 points north of the border. While I wouldn’t take him to score 30-plus every game or average 30-plus for the series, he has a strong chance to clear 30 in Game 1.

Brandon Ingram 4+ Assists (-104)

Ingram has tallied four or more assists in 10 of his last 11 games against the Cavs, and he averaged 3.7 dimes per game in his first season with the Raptors. He averaged four-plus assists in all six of his seasons with the Pelicans, showing a willingness to facilitate when his shot’s not there.

Ingram had at least four assists in four of his last regular-season games, dishing out four or more dimes in two of three meetings with the Cavs.

If Quickley is out, Ingram could garner an expanded role at point guard. While Jamal Shead and Scottie Barnes would also get more work in that scenario, Ingram is a prime candidate to elevate his production.

Scottie Barnes Double-Double (+187)

Whether Quickley plays or not, Barnes should be a key producer for the Raptors — and he picked up even more work down the stretch. Playing in 80 of Toronto’s 82 games, he produced 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per contest.

Barnes has recorded five consecutive double-doubles against the Cavaliers dating back to January 2025, including two performances that came just two assists shy of triple-doubles.

This season, Barnes recorded 30 double-doubles, logging one 38% of the time. He’s coming off a triple-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in Toronto’s regular-season finale against the Nets. He also tallied double-digit assists in seven of the team’s last 12 games before the playoffs.

Barnes averaged 16 points, 9.4 assists, and 5.3 rebounds across 12 games without Quickley this season. If the guard isn’t at 100%, Barnes should step up and run the offense effectively against Cleveland.

He can get a double-double with either rebounds or assists, and there’s even a chance he hits for a triple-double at +1460 if he takes over the game.

Bonus Parlay Pick: Max Strus 8+Points (-148)

If you’re building an SGP (Same Game Parlay) for Game 1, adding in Strus to chip in at least eight points boosts the odds up to a spicy +2000 for the four Raptors-Cavaliers bets in this post.

Strus was limited to 12 games this regular season, starting in five of his last six appearances. Despite playing just 18 minutes in the regular-season finale, he recorded 10 points — giving him eight points in six of his last eight games. Strus is a proven playoff contributor and can get hot in a hurry. He ramped up to 31 minutes just a couple of weeks ago, so he should be ready for a full workload in the postseason. Count on Strus to score at least eight points on Saturday.