Nets vs. Raptors Preview: NBA odds, Picks and Predictions
Nets vs. Raptors Odds
| Nets Odds | -1.5 |
| Raptors Odds | +1.5 |
| Over/Under | 225 |
| Date | Fri, Dec. 16 |
| Time | 7:30 p.m. |
| TV | YES |
On Friday night, the Brooklyn Nets will travel to Canada to battle the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Entering play Brooklyn has won four consecutive games to move into the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings. Toronto has lost each of their last three contests and has fallen to the final play-in position with a 13-15 record. Still, oddsmakers are expecting a closely-contested affair between these two teams, pricing the Nets as 1.5-point road favorites on the spread.
Brooklyn Nets
Since November 27th, the Nets are 8-1 overall and own the 4th-best Net Rating of any team in the NBA during that span. In those nine games, Brooklyn ranks only 27th in three-point attempts per game and 23rd in free-throw attempts per game, but their 51.1% shooting as a team has propelled them to the 7th-ranked offensive efficiency in those nine contests. Kevin Durant has been particularly excellent during Brooklyn’s hot-stretch, with seven games of at least 29 points.
Defensively, the Nets have also gained traction of late, ranking 6th in the league in defensive efficiency across the last three weeks. During that time period, Brooklyn has allowed the 4th-fewest attempts from beyond-the-arc, which appears to be a concerted effort to limit the damage done by the lack of solid perimeter defenders on the roster. The Nets have also done an excellent job limiting effective ball-movement by the opposition, allowing only 21.7 assists per game in their last nine contests – the 2nd-best mark in the league.
Toronto Raptors
Dating back to November 30th, the Raptors have only two wins in eight games. Overall this group ranks 23rd in Net Rating during their recent cold stretch. However, this could be a spot in which Toronto can get back on track, due to the fact that they do not rely heavily on shooting from the perimeter to score points. The Raptors are also extremely adept at getting to the charity stripe, ranking 2nd in the NBA in free throw attempts per game across their last eight games and 5th in free throw attempts per game for the season. This could be an area that they look to exploit against a Brooklyn defense that struggles to defend without fouling.
The larger concern for Toronto in this matchup is on the defensive end of the floor, where they are allowing 115.5 points per 100 possessions across the last two-and-a-half weeks. In that stretch, they are allowing their opponents to shoot 36.6% from deep, which ranks 18th among all teams. Similar to Brooklyn, Toronto has also struggled to defend without fouling – which has led to a number of easy points for the opposition.
Nets vs. Raptors – Picks & Predictions
Though a quick glance at each team’s recent results would suggest that Brooklyn should be a heavier favorite in this spot, there are reasons to believe that Toronto can be competitive on Friday night in this matchup. The Nets have found success in recent weeks by chasing opponents off of the three-point line, and challenging them to make shots closer to the basket. However, the Raptors are not a team that places undue emphasis on the long-ball. Further, Toronto is extremely skilled at getting to the free throw line, which could be the difference in tonight’s action, facing a Brooklyn defense that has had a difficult time keeping their opponents off of the charity stripe. Do not be surprised if Toronto delivers an upset in this spot.
PICK: Raptors ML (+105, WynnBet)
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