The defending champion Toronto Raptors no longer have Kawhi Leonard on the roster, but that didn’t stop Nick Nurse’s squad from logging the second best record in the Eastern Conference as well as the NBA throughout the regular season. The team went 53-19 SU and a moneymaking 40-30-1 ATS for NBA bettors. On top of that, it went 7-1 SU and 6-2 ATS in the bubble! Though oddsmakers initially had them installed enormous -5000 favorites to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Brooklyn Nets have taken a good chunk of action since the series winner odds hit the board at online sportsbooks. A bit of a surprise considering the Dinos won three of the four regular season meetings and split the games against the closing NBA odds. The Nets going 5-3 SU and 6-2 ATS in the bubble just might have something to do with that!
This series will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. Tip-off is scheduled for Monday, August 17, 2020 and go to Saturday, August 29 should a seventh game be required to crown the victor. All games will be aired live on TNT, ESPN and NBATV. You can bet on NBA Odds at BookMaker.eu the remainder of the playoffs.
Series Winner Odds
Brooklyn Nets +1375
Toronto Raptors -3500
Series Schedule
Game 1: Mon, Aug 17 Brooklyn at Toronto, 4 ET, ESPN
Game 2: Wed, Aug 19 Brooklyn at Toronto, 1:30 ET, NBATV
Game 3: Fri, Aug 21 Toronto at Brooklyn, 1:30 ET, NBATV
Game 4: Sun, Aug 23 Toronto at Brooklyn, 6:30 ET, TNT
Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25 Brooklyn at Toronto, TBD, TBD
Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27 Toronto at Brooklyn, TBD, ESPN
Game 7*: Sat, Aug 29 Brooklyn at Toronto, TBD, TNT
Futures Odds Analysis
Unlike the Orlando Magic who saw their series odds against the Milwaukee Bucks get longer, the Nets saw their odds to advance in this series surprisingly get much shorter since first hitting the betting board. Toronto initially opened as -5000 favorites, but can now be had at -2500 with the comeback on Brooklyn checking in at +1100. Even so, Brooklyn currently finds itself installed 110-1 underdogs to win the East and gargantuan 280-1 dogs to win the NBA title. Only the Bucks have shorter odds than Toronto to win the East +355, and the Clippers, Lakers and Bucks payout less should the Dinos find a way to repeat. A $100 wager would currently bring back $850 should it come to fruition.
Head-To-Head Results
Toronto came out on top in three of the Atlantic Division rivals four played regular season matchups. They also covered the closing pointspread in all three triumphs. That said, Brooklyn was very competitive in two of its losses dropping a 110-102 decision as 7-point dogs in the team’s first meeting back on December 14, and then fell by a 119-118 decision as 6.5-point underdogs in its second and final visit to Scotiabank Arena in early February. The O/U split in the four meetings with an average of 218.5 points scored per game.
Nets Player to Watch
Caris LeVert really came into his own this season. Without a doubt the team’s best player in Orlando the last few weeks, LeVert was the Nets driving force that allowed the team to secure the No. 7 seed in the East. He did his absolute best to keep pace with Damian Lillard in Brooklyn’s final seeding game to almost lead the team to another outright win as double-digit underdogs. Though he tried his damndest, his 37 points and nine assists just weren’t enough as the team fell by a point 134-133. He averaged 25 points and 6.7 assists per game and will be the main player Toronto’s defense looks to shut down over the course of this series.
Raptors Player to Watch
You can pick from any number of players to target for prop betting purposes with Toronto still in possession of some of the game’s young elite talent. Fred VanVleet continues to excel at the NBA level after doing so at Wichita State, while Kyle Lowry continues to be a scoring dynamo that averages just under 20 points per game. But Pascal Siakam is the team’s PTPer with the big man averaging a team-high 22.9 points to go along with 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He’s a defensive dominator that Brooklyn’s defense will be forced to account for whenever on the floor.
Injury Report
Both Serge Ibaka and OJ Anunoby are listed as questionable for Game 1 of the quarterfinals with each nursing knee injuries. Should both miss, Toronto would be void of their 26 combined points and over 13 rebounds per game. The former missed the Raptors last two games and the latter the win over the Sixers, so keep an eye on the injury reports to account for their availability. An injured groin forced Jamal Crawford to miss a majority of the Nets’ restart games, and he’s likely done for this series as well. Chris Chiozza and Donta Hall could return from groin and ankle injuries respectively, but neither makes a huge impact either way.
NBA Playoffs Odds Pick
While I don’t think Brooklyn has enough in the tank to beat the Raptors in a seven game series, it does have the talent and moxie to prevent this matchup from turning into a laugher regardless of the fact that oddsmakers have Toronto heavily favored to move on. Some of Brooklyn's bubble games were the best since the restart! With the talent at Jacque Vaughn’s disposal, Nets fans are starting to get giddy about the potential for this team next season when the cavalry returns healthy. If you can find a prop out there for Toronto winning it in six, I’d take a stab. Look for Brooklyn to keeps things interesting before ultimately going down in defeat.
Prediction: Raptors in 6
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