The NBA betting board has eight games on tap this Sunday, beginning with an Eastern Conference showdown between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors.
After a rough opening night, the Raptors have been playing hard and will get a boost with the expected return of last year's leading scorer Pascal Siakam.
Nonetheless, the Nets enter this contest as 3.5-point road favorites as they look to win their fifth game in a row. Here are our best free Nets vs. Raptors picks and predictions for Sunday, November 17, with tipoff at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Nets vs Raptors odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
This line opened with the Nets installed as 3-point favorites and the Over/Under at 208.5. Early money has come in on Brooklyn and the Over, moving the line to -3.5 and the total to 209.5. When these teams previously met up in April, the Nets were 4.5-point road favorites and covered with a 116-103 win. Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Nets vs Raptors predictions
- Prediction: Nets -3.5 (-110)
- Prediction: Over 209.5 (-110)
- Best bet: Nets 1Q team total Over 26.5 (-110)
Predictions made on 11/07/2021 at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Nets vs Raptors game info
• Location: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
• Date: Sunday, November 7, 2021
• Tip-off: 3:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet, YES
Nets vs Raptors betting preview
Injuries
Nets: Nic Claxton PF/C (Out), Kyrie Irving G (Out).
Raptors: Pascal Siakam F (Probable), Yuta Watanabe G (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Nets are 18-8 ATS in their last 26 games as favorites. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Raptors.
Nets vs Raptors picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Raptors are coming off a one-point loss at home to the Cavaliers, which snapped a four-game winning streak. Toronto led by six points entering the fourth quarter but scored just 21 points in the final frame to fall short.
The Raps have been using their length and energy to compete on the defensive end of the floor, where they rank seventh in the league with a defensive rating of 103.8. Unfortunately, they've struggled to get their shots to drop and rank just 26th in the league with an effective field goal percentage of 49.
Their offense should get a much-needed boost with Siakam expected to make his season debut this afternoon after recovering from shoulder surgery. However, that likely won't be felt today as he needs to work back into game shape and shake off some rust.
The Nets have won four in a row despite the extended absence of Kyrie Irving from the team. It looks like Brooklyn will have to move forward with just two of its three-man superteam in place — but having "just" Kevin Durant and James Harden is a problem almost any other team would love to have. The Nets are still the NBA Championship favorites at +260 and have shown improved defensive play, actually ranking two spots ahead of the Raps with a defensive rating of 103.
Although they aren't filling up buckets at the ridiculous pace they were last season, the Nets have still been much more efficient from the field than Toronto, ranking fifth in the league with a 53.8 EFG%.
The Raps are a scrappy bunch but the Nets are the far more talented team offensively and have shown the ability to hold their own on defense. With the Nets going 18-8 ATS in their last 26 games as a favorite and the Raps going just 1-5 ATS in six games at home this season, we're leaning towards the road team.
Prediction: Nets -3.5 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
Remember when the Nets went a ridiculous 17-1 O/U in an 18-game stretch — despite consistently getting totals north of 230?? You should, because that was at the beginning of this calendar year. Sure, the Raptors play at the league's second-slowest pace and the Nets offense isn't quite the same without Irving, but this is still a very low number when you consider how talented the Nets are on the offensive end of the floor.
Sure, the recent emphasis on not sending offensive players to the line for initiating contact has reduced scoring outputs for players like Harden, but the Nets are still averaging 19.2 free throw attempts per game which isn't that much lower than the 22.2 they averaged last year.
Keep in mind that the Raptors have seen at least 217 total points scored in four of their last seven contests and none of those opponents have featured offensive powerhouses like Durant and Harden.
The Nets are coming off a poor shooting night against Detroit (punctuated by a total of just 29 points scored in the second and fourth quarters) but prior to that had put up 117 points in back-to-back contests.
It's still early in the season, so expect plenty of outlying numbers to smooth out over time and, frankly, the Nets are much better offensively than their 105 ppg suggests, and not quite as good defensively as those numbers imply.
Prediction: Over 209.5 (-110)
Best bet
The Raps have impressed on defense but it's never easy to guard against elite shot creators like Durant and Harden. Although Toronto has held opponents to just 25.1 ppg during the first quarter this year, they've surrendered at least 28 points in the opening frame in each of their last three games — including 34 points to the Knicks on Monday.
The biggest area where the Nets have missed Irving is when Durant or Harden (or both) take a much-needed breather on the sidelines. However, that lack of scoring depth is rarely exposed in the first quarter, where the Nets rank sixth in the league with 29 ppg, with that number increasing to 30.3 ppg over their last three contests.
Take the Over 26.5 points on Brooklyn's first-quarter team total.
Pick: Nets first-quarter team total Over 26.5 (-110)
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