The Toronto Raptors will play the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday in an Eastern Conference matchup. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Raptors-Nets prediction and pick.

The Raptors and Nets will play on Tuesday night as the Nets will look to continue their strong start to the season. Brooklyn sits as the No. 1 seed in the East and there are rumors Kyrie Irving may be considering a return. Kevin Durant and James Harden have held down the fort in the mean time, with Durant off to an MVP type start to the season. The Raptors may have found something of late as they have now won four of their last five games. The Nets come into Tuesday's action as solid favorites over the Raptors despite having some players in health and safety protocols heading into Tuesday's matchup.

Here is how FanDuel set the Raptors-Nets odds for this Tuesday NBA matchup.

NBA Odds: Raptors-Nets Odds

Toronto Raptors +5 (-106)

Brooklyn Nets -5 (-114)

Over 215.5 (-108)

Under 215.5 (-112)

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Why The Raptors Could Cover The Spread

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Toronto has been better on the road than at home so far this season, and they will be looking to play spoiler on Tuesday night in Brooklyn. Fred VanVleet has done his best to take the reins after the departure of Kyle Lowry to the Miami Heat. VanVleet leads the Raptors in points and assists per game so far this season. The Raptors sit as the No. 10 seed in the East coming into play Tuesday, but are in a log jam with several teams. They are just one game behind the Charlotte Hornets, who are sitting as the No. 6 seed.

Every game is huge in terms of moving up the ladder, so the Raptors will be looking to get back to .500 in this one. A win will be a tall order vs. a Nets team that still has Durant and Harden, but everything is in play given how shorthanded the Nets are. Toronto is 7-5 on the road this season and 12-15 vs. the spread overall.

Why The Nets Could Cover The Spread

Brooklyn is extremely shorthanded coming into this matchup. Lamarcus Aldridge, Paul Millsap, DeAndre' Bembry, Javon Carter and James Johnson are all in health and safety protocols. Joe Harris and Kyrie Irving remain out. On top of all of that, Kevin Durant is listed as questionable with right ankle soreness. Durant's final status is obviously going to be huge as even when the Nets are at full strength his presence is immensely important. Given all of the uncertainty regarding the Nets rotation on Tuesday, they are risky bet to cover or win. This game cannot be evaluated as normal, it might be better to stay off of it all together.

The Nets are 8-5 at home this season and 11-15-1 against the spread overall.

Final Raptors-Nets Prediction & Pick

If you must play this game, take the Raptors. The Nets are just too shorthanded to back, and on top of that Durant seems to be at risk of not playing due to the sore ankle. If you are going to roll with the Nets, make sure Durant is active, obviously. The Nets are too shorthanded to play without Durant and be trusted in this one. Take the Raptors, or just stay off this game altogether.

Final Raptors-Nets prediction & pick: Raptors +5 (-106)