For the second night in a row, two teams with playoff aspirations in the Eastern Conference will go head-to-head as the Toronto Raptors host the Brooklyn Nets. The Raptors won 133-97 on Monday night so they will enter Tuesday's contest full of confidence. Brooklyn's injury report consists of Andre Drummond (knee) and Cameron Thomas (hand) who are listed as questionable while Kevin Durant (knee), Kyrie Irving (ineligible), Ben Simmons (reconditioning) and Joe Harris (ankle) are out. The Raptors list OG Anunoby (hand) and Fred VanVleet (knee) as questionable.
The Nets are currently 32-30 overall and the No. 8 seed in the East, while Toronto is 33-27 and the No. 7 seed in the conference. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, with the Raptors returning for their first home game since Feb. 12. The latest Raptors vs. Nets odds from Caesars Sportsbook lists Toronto as the nine-point favorite coming off the dominant win on Monday and the over-under for total points is at 218. Before you make any Nets vs. Raptors picks, be sure to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model enters Week 19 of the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 71-44 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning over $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Nets vs. Raptors, and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Raptors vs. Nets:
- Nets vs. Raptors spread: Raptors -9
- Nets vs. Raptors over-under: 218 points
- Nets vs. Raptors money line: Raptors -420, Nets +320
- BKN: The Nets are 1-8-1 against the spread with no rest
- TOR: The Raptors are 9-3 against the spread with no rest
Why the Nets can cover
Brooklyn is above-average on the offensive end, scoring more than 111 points per 100 possessions. The Nets are shooting well over 46 percent from the field, ranking in the top 10 in the NBA, and Brooklyn is also shooting more than 80 percent at the free-throw line. The Nets are in the top 10 in assists per game, averaging nearly 25 per game, and the Raptors are in the bottom five of the NBA in defensive rebounding.
Defensively, Brooklyn excels in stifling 3-point shooting for opponents, and the Nets are allowing less than 34 percent shooting from long distance. The Nets are also above-average in field-goal percentage allowed, blocked shots and assists allowed. Toronto is in the bottom third of the NBA in free-throw attempts on offense, with the Raptors in the bottom five of the league in field-goal percentage, 2-point percentage and assists per game this season.
Why the Raptors can cover
Despite only being three-point favorites on Monday night in Brooklyn, the Raptors were absolutely dominant in a 36-point win. Toronto shot 51.5 percent from the floor and went 18-for-38 from the 3-point line while forcing Brooklyn to commit 22 turnovers. Rookie forward Scottie Barnes was particularly great with 28 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, five steals and a blocked shot in the win.
Barnes now has two 28-point games in the three contests since returning from the NBA All-Star break, where Barnes competed in the NBA Rising Stars game and the Skills Challenge. The No. 4 overall pick out of Florida State is now averaging 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the floor. He and Pascal Siakam will be a difficult matchup for the Nets who are without their two most athletic wing defenders in Durant and the newly-acquired Simmons.
How to make Raptors vs. Nets picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over on the total, projecting 222 combined points. The model also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Nets vs. Raptors? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
