The Nets struggled to contain the Pelicans’ bigs on opening night, which makes us think Pascal Siakam is going to be a bad game for their defensively limited zone. Find out why we’re backing the Raptors star with our NBA picks.
Good. It didn’t take too long. Just one game into the new NBA season and Brooklyn Nets fans are already calling for head coach Steve Nash to be fired after an embarrassing loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
And if the Nets aren’t careful, they could find themselves short of the gym on Friday when they host the tenacious Toronto Raptors at Barclay Center. Fueled by their top-tier defense, the Raptors started their season with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
NBA odds are worried about Brooklyn, placing them as home favorites just 2.5 points away. But is this an overreaction to a single game? I’m breaking down the numbers and giving you my best bet in the NBA picks and predictions for this Raptors’ Atlantic Division game against the Nets on Friday, October 21.
Raptors vs Nets Best Odds
Raptors vs Nets picks and predictions
The Raptors showed exactly who they are in their season-opening win over the Cavaliers: a high-engine, high-IQ team that plays an elite, turnover-inducing style of defense, but is streaky in offensive.
Despite giving up a heap of size to Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, the Raptors managed to get past the Cavaliers, while forcing 16 turnovers. But with the Raps’ inconsistent shooting down eight heading into the fourth quarter, Toronto was able to up the level of effort and take the win.
Meanwhile, things couldn’t have been much worse for the Nets against the Pelicans, especially after such a tumultuous offseason as theirs.
The Nets were directly intimidated by the Pels in their first game. New Orleans got just about all the shots they wanted, going 50-for-102 from the floor and dominating the Nets on the glass, outscoring them 61-39. It was ugly.
Their issues containing attackers were pretty obvious. Zion Williamson had 25 points and nine rebounds, while Brandon Ingram had 28 and 7. Heck, even bench players Trey Murphy III and Larry Nance Jr. each grabbed nine boards while scoring 16 and eight points, respectively.
For me, that means a guy like Pascal Siakam will be a problem. Siakam is fresh off an All-NBA season and picked up where he left off, having 23 points, 11 boards and four steals against the Cavs.
Siakam’s points + rebounds total is on the board at 31.5, which makes sense considering he averaged 22.8 points and 8.5 rebounds last season. But he easily eclipsed that number against Cleveland and is now entering a game where he should be a real game-ending problem for the Nets. I’ll take over tonight.
my best bet: Pascal Siakam Over 31.5 points + rebounds (-115 at PointsBet)
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Raptors vs Nets spread analysis
Now I can hear you say, “If you think the Raps can kick the Nets out of the gym, why didn’t you take them on the spread?”
The problem for me with the spread is that it’s just too low for a game that seems to have a lot of variance in results. I legitimately wouldn’t be shocked if this game was a blowout for either team or a game that comes down to last possessions.
The other problem is that this Nets team is still very talented. Do they still have Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving? Oh, and a ton of other shooters? Yes? Well, there it is.
They’re still a team that can get hot at any time and Toronto just doesn’t have the firepower to follow Brooklyn to a shootout. Can the Raps outrun the Nets to win? Sure, but I wouldn’t bet on that.
On top of that, I would find it highly unusual for a team as talented as the Nets to put up back-to-back misses on their home turf.
So for those reasons, I’m going to stay away from the spread and just sit back and enjoy watching KD and Scottie Barnes go back and forth with each other in what should be a fun match.
Raptors vs. Nets Over/Under Analysis
Funny. The total for that Atlantic Division game hit the board at 226.5. This is exactly the number of regulation points that these teams accumulated during the four meetings of last season. Now the early money has bumped the number up to 227 and my gut instinct is leaning that way too.
While the Raptors and Nets played four games last season, Durant only played the first two. In those games (which the Nets won, mind you), the average combined point total was a few points higher at 229.5.
As noted, this Nets team is very capable of putting up big numbers with KD and Irving on the court. While the Raptors put up 108 points while shooting under-par 42% from the field in their win over the Cavs and they’ll likely face a lot less resistance against this Nets defense.
The combination of Nets talent and Raps hustle should be enough to let this one sneak up on that number.
Raptors vs Nets betting trend you need to know
Over bets are 4-0 in the last four meetings between these two teams at Barclays Center. Find more NBA betting trends for the Raptors vs. Nets.
Raptors vs Nets game information
Location: | Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York |
Date: | Friday, October 21, 2022 |
Trick : | 7:30 p.m. ET |
TV: | Sportsnet, YES |
Key Raptors injuries vs. Nets
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