The Toronto Raptors start their path back to the finals, starting with the Brooklyn Nets in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
Toronto looks all the part of a defending champion, smothering opponents on defense and putting them on their heels with the top transition attack in the game during the seeding schedule.
Brooklyn not only held on to its postseason ticket but managed to improve its seeding, jumping to No. 7 in the East and providing NBA betting gold with a 6-2 ATS mark in those games.
Here are our NBA free picks and predictions for Nets vs. Raptors on August 17.
Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors betting preview
NBA Odds to Win Series
Toronto: -8,000
Brooklyn: +1,800
Injuries
Toronto: Patrick McCaw SG (out)
Brooklyn: Kevin Durant SF (out), Kyrie Irving PG (out), Spencer Dinwiddie PG (out), DeAndre Jordan C (out), Jamal Crawford SG (out), Taurean Prince SF (out), Wilson Chandler SF (out)
Find our latest NBA injury reports for every game.
Betting Trend to Know
Toronto is 4-15 SU and 5-14 ATS in Game 1 of a playoff series all-time. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Raptors.
Against the spread pick
The zombie Nets have turned heads amongst NBA gamblers with their ATS success (6-2 ATS) but also got the mainstream media on notice after winning three of their final four games and taking Portland to the brink in the seeding schedule finale.
Is that enough to convince us to fade the Raptors in Game 1 of this playoff series?
That’s been a sticky spot for Toronto in the past. Before last year’s incredible run to the title, the franchise was just 2-13 SU and 3-12 ATS in Game 1 of a playoff series. Last year’s postseason produced a 2-2 SU and ATS mark in those situations, including losing the quarterfinal opener to Orlando as a 9.5-point favorite.
The Nets have hit better than 40 percent of their attempts from beyond the arc over the past four games, averaging 16 made triples in that span. The Raptors plug up the paint and force teams to the outside, which has them giving up almost 14 3-pointers per game in the bubble.
In the two seeding games in which Toronto failed to cover the spread – against Philadelphia and Boston – it gave up 17 and 16 total 3-pointers. In the other five bubble games, opponents hit 14 or less from the perimeter in four of those contests.
With a spread this big, a few extra triples make all the difference.
PREDICTION: Brooklyn +10.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Brooklyn wasn’t terrible on defense in the bubble, but it’s tough to get an accurate gauge since many of the Nets’ opponents were resting players or planning ahead to the playoffs. However, they did give up big buckets when teams were trying with a full roster: 128 points to Orlando, 149 to Boston, 120 to L.A., and 134 to Portland.
There’s no shortage of firepower on this Raptors roster, with a deep scoring attack boasting six players in double figures and a bench chipping in with almost 41 points per game. Toronto is no stranger to life beyond the arc either, hitting almost 14 3-pointers an outing during the seeding schedule.
With a smaller roster and a weakness in the interior defense, Brooklyn could throw out plenty of zone on a bigger Toronto team, plugging up the paint and asking the Raptors to get into a 3-point contest with them.
PREDICTION: Over 223.5 (-110)
Player prop pick
One of the rising stars inside the Disney bubble is Nets guard Caris LeVert. He’s coming off a 37-point performance versus Portland, going tit-for-tat with Damian Lillard, and averaged 25 points on 48 percent shooting during the seeding schedule.
At 6-foot-6, LeVert could exploit his size against the smaller Raptors guards like Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet and could even take burly tweener Norman Powell to the blocks. He’ll be the focus of the Toronto defense, which means drawing double teams and leaving that skip pass to the perimeter open.
LeVert dished out nine assists in that explosion versus the Trail Blazers and has totaled 29 assists in his last three games in action.
PREDICTION: Caris LeVert Over 6.5 assists (-183)
Nets vs Raptors Betting Card
- Brooklyn +10.5 (-110)
- Over 223.5 (-110)
- Caris LeVert Over 6.5 assists (-183)
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