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The Toronto Raptors host the Brooklyn Nets the night after destroying them by 37 points. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Nets-Raptors prediction and pick.
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The Brooklyn Nets and their fanbase are certainly unhappy with the way last night's game turned out. The good news, however, is they get their redemption tonight with Kyrie Irving available to play. The Nets played so badly last night there isn't even anything positive to say about it. Maybe there is one, Gorin Dragic played in his second game with the Nets but only scored six points. Brooklyn is now (32-30) on the season which puts them 8th in the Eastern Conference.
The Toronto Raptors played phenomenal and rookie Scottie Barnes was the star of the show. In 34 minutes, Barnes scored 28 points, grabbed 16 rebounds, and assisted on four baskets to demolish the Nets 133-97. Fred VanVleet did not play as replacement Malachi Flynn scored 18 points in his second start of the season. The former San Diego State Aztec was a major part of their success last night. Toronto improved to (33-27) on the season which is good for 7th in the East.
Here are the Nets-Raptors NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Nets-Raptors Odds
Brooklyn Nets: +8.5 (-112)
Toronto Raptors: -8.5 (-108)
Over: 218.5 (-110)
Under: 218.5 (-110)
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Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread
The Nets clearly play a lot better with Irving in the lineup. They are one of the few teams with a better road record than their home record. The availability of Kyrie Irving has been the major reason for it. Soon, he will be available to play full time but that decision has yet to be made official. It seems like March 7 will be the day where he can start playing in New York. The Nets are (19-13) on the road compared to their (13-17) home record. They come into this game as major underdogs which is the right call, but I believe they will play better tonight compared to last night.
With Irving back, I expect the Nets to show up and keep this game close for most of the game. With the spread where it's at now, it seems like the Nets should have no problem keeping this score within nine points. The Nets came back to beat the Milwaukee Bucks with Irving scoring 38 in the last game he played in. With Irving set to play tonight, I'd expect the Nets to play much better as a team.
Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread
So we all know how good this team can be when they are playing at their best. This is actually one of the more consistent teams in the NBA so they should be able to win this game once again. I'm just not sure it's going to be by 36 again. When Irving is in the lineup for the Nets, everything changes. He provides a style that no one else in the NBA can replicate and it seems the entire team feeds off of him and his dynamic play. He's averaging 25 points per game and 5.3 assists to go along with it. Over his last 10 games, he's averaging 31 points so the Raptors must do everything they can to disrupt his flow. The entire game plan changes when he's available so we should see the Raptors play a different style of defense tonight.
OG Anunoby and Fred VanVleet's status are still up in the air for tonight. They are both listed as questionable but if the Raptors are smart, they hold them out once again as they just won by 37 without them.
Final Nets-Raptors Prediction & Pick
I like the Nets to cover this spread here. I know they were just blown out, but this team plays far better with Irving in the lineup. This game should be different. I don't want to keep sounding redundant so take the Nets to cover this spread here.
Final Nets-Raptors Prediction & Pick: Nets +8.5 (-112)
