The Toronto Raptors look for the 2-0 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series lead over the Brooklyn Nets Wednesday at HP Field House in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Tip for Game 2 is set for 1:30 p.m. ET. We analyze the Nets-Raptors betting odds and lines, with NBA picks and best bets.
Nets vs. Raptors: Key injuries
Nets
- SG Jamal Crawford (hamstring) out
Raptors
- SF Oshae Brissett (knee) out
- SG Patrick McCaw (knee) out
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Nets vs. Raptors: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 6:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Raptors 118, Nets 104
Moneyline (ML)
The Raptors’ moneyline price for the outright win has dropped from -455 in Game 1 to -770 for Game 2 following the 134-110 win Monday. The Nets are now +545 underdogs after being +333 in Monday’s Game 1.
Toronto went 22-for-44 from 3-point range in Game 1, so maybe there’s room for some regression there, especially for G Fred VanVleet who went 8-for-10 from beyond the arc, but it won’t be enough to erase the 24-point gap. There are no reinforcements on the way for a Nets team continuing to play without the expensive free-agent trio of Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan and Kevin Durant.
The Raps’ Game 1 win came with just 16 points from PG Kyle Lowry and 18 from Pascal Siakam. Any dropoff from VanVleet can easily be redistributed.
Still, PASS on the moneyline bet. We saw the Orlando Magic pull the upset over the Milwaukee Bucks Tuesday. While those results aren’t worth chasing, they serve as a reminder to not back the huge favorites when there isn’t enough of a reward offered to make it worthwhile.
New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Raptors (-770) to win returns a profit of just $1.30. A winning bet on the Nets (+525) would fetch a profit of $52.50.
Also see (from Nets Wire):
Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
As noted above, the Raptors won by 24 points in Game 1. Back the RAPTORS -11.5 (-110) to win by 12 or more points once again after they led throughout Monday’s game.
There is the fear of some regression for Toronto’s shooting efficiency, but it can be made up for with more of a focus on Siakam and C Marc Gasol in the paint. It would also be surprising to see the Raps give up another 110 points to the Nets (+11.5, -110).
Over/Under (O/U)
Game 1 was the highest-scoring game the Raptors have played since well before the NBA restart (Feb. 10 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, in fact).
Look for them to get back to their defensive style and take the UNDER 225.5 (-110). Wednesday’s projection is already three points higher than it was for Monday’s series opener.
Esten’s NBA betting record: 15-9
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