The Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday evening in the regular-season opener for both teams.

The Cavaliers have the largest predicted drop in wins coming into the season, all due to the departure of one LeBron James. The King took his talents west in his second exodus from his hometown Cavs, leaving Kevin Love in a position to take control of a team that still retains some talented complementary pieces. Rodney Hood, once a rising star in Utah before the arrival of Donovan Mitchell, should play a major offensive role, as will young veterans such as Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance, Jr. and Tristan Thompson. First-round pick Collin Sexton could carve out a sizable niche on a club whose ceiling is likely a No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, and which could well find itself with a win total in the mid-30s.

The Cavaliers have already ruled J.R. Smith (elbow) out for Wednesday's contest, while Nance is questionable with an ankle injury.

The Raptors cruised to a sparking 59-23 regular-season record in the 2017-18 campaign, one that netted the top seed in the Eastern Conference. However, they ultimately found themselves in a position all too familiar to them -- booted out of the playoffs by a LeBron James-led team. The offseason brought seismic change in the form of a blockbuster trade with the Spurs that saw Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green land in Toronto in exchange for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick. Leonard was healthy and productive throughout preseason, offering plenty of reason for optimism that he and Kyle Lowry will form one of the league's most lethal backcourts. The remainder of last season's starting five returns, as do key second-unit assets Fred Van Vleet, Delon Wright and Pascal Siakam.

The Raptors will list both Wright and Norman Powell as questionable for Wednesday's opener with thigh injuries.

The Cavaliers won the regular-season series with the Raptors in 2017-18 by a 2-1 margin before sweeping them in four games during the Eastern Conference semifinals.