Nets vs. Raptors Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
The Nets are favoured to win the title but not in this game on the NBA odds.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
An argument could be made that no team this century is more star-studded than the Nets with former MVPs and scoring champions Kevin Durant and James Harden, plus multiple-time All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Blake Griffin. In fact, the Nets became the first team in NBA history to acquire three players during a season who had been All-Stars at least five times in their careers: Harden, Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge.
However, the future Hall of Famer Aldridge shockingly retired last week because of an irregular heartbeat that popped up the last time he played. The seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA selection and Top 50 all-time scorer didn’t want to risk his health any further. It’s a loss, but the Nets are so loaded if they stay healthy that it’s not a major loss – they problem is, they can’t stay healthy. Harden, Durant and a handful of reserves are out injured/in COVID protocols. In fact, Harden had a setback this week and may not return until the playoffs. Hard to say on Durant, but he won’t play here.
Wednesday is the second of three scheduled meetings with Toronto – the Nets will return to Tampa next Tuesday. On Feb. 5 in Brooklyn, the Raptors were 123-117 winners. That game was memorable for weird reasons as Durant was forced to leave in the third quarter due to COVID protocols. It was Durant’s first game against the Raptors since rupturing his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA Finals while with the Warriors. Pascal Siakam led Toronto with 33 points, while Kyle Lowry had 30. Durant had eight points in 19 minutes, while Harden had 17 points and Lowry 15.
Toronto has won eight of the past 10 regular-season meetings vs. Brooklyn, but the teams have split them against the spread.
Brooklyn Nets
Playing very short-handed Tuesday, the Nets were 134-129 upset winners in New Orleans behind 32 points and eight assists from Kyrie Irving – he dominated the fourth quarter. Normally, I’d expect the Nets to sit him in the second of a back-to-back but doubt they can do that with so many players actually out injured/in protocols. Ditto Blake Griffin, who had 16 points Tuesday. Jeff Green started for Durant and had 15 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Brooklyn doesn’t have any Canadians on its roster as players but of course Hall of Famer and British Columbia native Steve Nash as head coach. Brooklyn is 12-5 ATS in its past 17 road games.
Toronto Raptors
Per usual, it’s anyone’s guess which key players on the Raptors take the court or not – but as of now only Rodney Hood, Jalen Harris and Paul Watson are listed as out. Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby were all out Sunday, yet the Dinos won their third in a row, beating a similarly tanking Oklahoma City Thunder team 112-106 in Tampa. Chris Boucher had 31 points and 12 rebounds and Gary Trent Jr. 23 points.
Yuta Watanabe had 10 points off the bench and then was rewarded with a standard contract; he had been on a two-way contract. The 26-year-old, undrafted in 2018 out of George Washington, has taken advantage of his recent playing time with three straight games of at least 10 points. Over the weekend, the Raptors were fined $25,000 (US) by the NBA for violating the league’s rules on resting players. The simple way around that is to list players with some sort of injury. The Raptors are on a 10-game “home” winning streak vs. the Nets. Toronto is 0-5 ATS in its past five vs. teams with a winning record.
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TOR