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Toronto Raptors vs. Brooklyn Nets – 8/17/20 NBA Pick, Odds, and Prediction

Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors 8/17/20: NBA Basketball free preview, analysis, prediction, odds and pick against the spread.
2020-08-17 16:00:00 EDT

The Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors meet Monday in game one of NBA playoff action at the AdventHealth Arena.

The Brooklyn Nets enter the playoffs winning nine of their last 13 games. The Brooklyn Nets are averaging 111.8 points on 44.8 percent shooting and allowing 112.3 points on 44.6 percent shooting. Caris LeVert is averaging 18.7 points and 4.4 assists while Joe Harris is averaging 14.5 points and 4.3 rebounds. Tyler Johnson is the third double-digit scorer and Jarrett Allen is grabbing 9.6 rebounds. The Brooklyn Nets are shooting 34.3 percent from beyond the arc and 74.5 percent from the free thitem line. The Brooklyn Nets are allowing 35 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 47.9 rebounds per game.

The Toronto Raptors enter the playoffs the hottest team in the league with wins in 11 of their last 12 games. The Toronto Raptors are averaging 112.8 points on 45.8 percent shooting and allowing 106.5 points on 42.8 percent shooting. Pascal Siakam is averaging 22.9 points and 7.3 rebounds while Kyle Lowry is averaging 19.4 points and 7.5 assists. Fred VanVleet is the third double-digit scorer and Norman Powell is grabbing 3.6 rebounds. The Toronto Raptors are shooting 37.4 percent from beyond the arc and 79.6 percent from the free thitem line. The Toronto Raptors are allowing 33.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 45.4 rebounds per game.

The Nets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games as an underdog and 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall. The Raptors are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Monday games and 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall. The over is 8-3 in Nets last 11 games as an underdog. The under is 7-2 in Raptors last 9 overall. The over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Toronto.

The Brooklyn Nets did nothing in the bubble but win games and cover numbers in the underdog role, and yet they still get no respect from oddsmakers. Sure, it was a small sample size and things are different in the playoffs when intensity picks up a bit. Still, the Nets beat the Bucks, Clippers and were one shot away from beating the Trail Blazers Thursday night, a game that was a playoff game for Portland. The Nets may be short on talent, but they’re a team that believes in itself and is playing hard and sometimes that’s all you need to hang around these big numbers.

The Toronto Raptors should win and should make quick work of this series overall, but we’ve been on the Nets a lot in this bubble and I don’t see a reason to back off just yet. 

Randy Chambers's Free Pick: Brooklyn Nets +10

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Randy Chambers

Randy has covered sports betting since 2014 and writes about everything from NFL to WNBA. Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter.

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