Brooklyn is expected to roll out its Big 3 for Friday night's game against Toronto – and that's bad news for a Raptors defense that has been underperforming.
The Nets are 4.5-point favorites for their first meeting of the season with the Atlantic Division-rival Raptors, and are expected to have Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden in the starting lineup. The trio was sensational last time out in a 124-120 statement victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. Toronto, meanwhile, is scuffling below .500.
These are our favorite NBA free picks and predictions for Raptors vs Nets on February 5.
Toronto Raptors at Brooklyn Nets Betting Preview
Injuries
Raptors: F OG Anunoby (Out)
Nets: C Nicolas Claxton (Out)
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Betting Trend to Know
Over is 16-1 in Brooklyn’s last 17 games. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Nets.
NBA Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonBrooklyn hit the FanDuel betting board as 5-point chalk Thursday night, dipped to -4.5 a couple of times today and is now up to -5.5, as of 4:30 p.m. ET. The Nets are attracting 87 percent of spread bets and 89 percent of spread money. The total is down to 239.5 from a 242.5 opener, with 61 percent of bets and 55 percent of cash on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the Spread (ATS) Pick
Steve Nash was one of the best shooters in the NBA during his playing career – and he has carried that success into his head coaching debut. The Nets are dangerous from just about everywhere, shooting better than 50 percent from the floor, 40 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the foul line. In short, they can score – a lot.
Toronto has shown an ability to put up big offensive performances, too, but can't hope to keep pace here. It'll be without its best defensive option in OG Anunoby, and will likely struggle to contain Brooklyn's All-Star troika. The Nets will decimate the Raptors in man-to-man and have the shooting to punish the visitors if they opt to roll with zone defense instead.
It would have been nice to see how the Raptors would have fared with Anunoby. But we won't – so Brooklyn should cover this one with ease.
PREDICTION: Brooklyn -4.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
We won't belabor the point, but the Nets are a juggernaut on offense – and that's only half the reason why we see their game totals routinely in the mid-230s to low-240s. Similar to how the Nets have taken on Nash's offensive personality, they're also similar to Nash in how they defend – as in, poorly. They're allowing 117.8 points per game, second-most in the East.
Toronto's defense is still above average (it ranks fourth in the conference in points allowed) but this game will send that mark higher. Fortunately for the Raptors, they'll be able to take advantage of the Nets' relative defensive indifference and put some points on the board themselves, which puts the Over in play even though this game total is so high.
PREDICTION: Over 241.5 (-110)
Player Prop Pick
Players look for a little extra motivation wherever they can find it – and in Friday's matchup, it's Durant, who has added incentive to perform well. Durant suffered the Achilles injury that knocked him out for the entire 2019-20 season in the 2019 NBA Finals against the Raptors, a development that aided Toronto in securing the first NBA championship in franchise history.
This will be Durant's first meeting with Toronto since that fateful day – and while it will be consistently difficult to handicap how each of Brooklyn's three mega-stars will fare statistically from one game to the next, bettors shouldn't overthink this one. Durant is going to look to score at will – and shouldn't have any trouble doing so.
PREDICTION: Kevin Durant Over 27.5 points (-108)
Raptors vs Nets Betting Card
- Brooklyn -4.5 (-110)
- Over 241.5 (-110)
- Kevin Durant Over 27.5 points (-108)
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