Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs on Saturday and we will see Brooklyn Nets travel to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario to take on the Toronto Raptors. The game has a start time of 12:30 pm (Eastern) and will be televised locally on ESPN. Vegas odds have the Raptors listed as 2.5 point favorites, while the total sits at 194.
Stat Packs: The Brooklyn Nets year didn’t start off all that great, but they did play well in the 2ndhalf of the year and parlayed that into the 6th spot in the Eastern Conference. Overall the Nets went 44-38 on the year, were just 16-25 on the road. The Nets average just 98.5 ppg on the year, but they are a solid shooting team, hitting 45.9% of their shots to rank 12th in the league, while also hitting 36.9% from long range, which is 11th. 5 players average in double figures led by Joe Johnson, who scores 15.9 ppg, while Deron Williams (14.3 ppg), Paul Pierce (13.8 ppg) Marcus Thornton (12.3 ppg) and Andray Blatche (11.2 ppg) round out the double digit scorers on the team. Paul Pierce recently became the fourth active player and the 18th in NBA history with 25,000 career points. On the defensive end of the floor the Nets have been solid, as they have allowed just 99.5 ppg on the year, to rank 11th in the league.
Quietly the Toronto Raptors had a good year as they went 48-34 to win the Atlantic division and grab the 3rd seed in the East. The Raptors played well down the stretch, winning 9 of their last 12 games and they were 26-15 at home for the year. Toronto ranks 13th in scoring (101.3 ppg) and in shooting 22nd in shooting (44.5%), but they hit their threes at a 37.2% clip (9th) and their free throws as a 78.2% clip (5th). DeMar DeRozen leads the offense with 22.7 ppg, while Kyle Lowry is second at 17.9 ppg. Jonas Valanciunas is 3rd in scoring at 11.3 ppg, while leading the team in rebounding at 8.8 rpg. Defensively, the Raptors have been tough, as they rank 7th in the league in points allowed (98.0 ppg) and 10th in defensive FG% (45.0%). The teams split four meetings this season, with each squad going 1-1 on its home floor.
Pick: Going with the Raptors to take game 1 here. The Nets had a solid January on, but the Raptors went 42-22 in their last last 64 games and have played really well at home. I feel that over the long haul of the series, it will be the experience of the nets winning out as their starters boast a combined 399 career playoff games, but this is the Raptors first playoff home game in 6 years and they will come out with a strong showing to get this win. Should be a good one but in the end the Raptors will just make enough plays down the stretch to win by at least 5 points.
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NBA Free Picks: Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors Betting
What pro basketball bettors need to know about Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors on Saturday (4/19/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo with Ken Thomson.