The first round of the NBA Playoffs continues on Friday night and we will see Toronto Raptors travel to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York to take on the Brooklyn Nets in game 3 of their best-of-seven series. The game has a start time of 7:00 pm (Eastern) and will be televised on ESPN 2. Vegas odds have the Nets listed as 5 point favorites, while the total sits at 191.
Stat Packs: The Atlantic East division was a very weak on this year, but the Toronto Raptors were the class of that bunch, posting a 48-34 record to win the division. The Raptors then loss game 1 of this series, but bounced back with a win in game two to knot the series at 1 game apiece. Toronto was a decent 22-19 on the road this year and they split the two road games with the Nets, but still they are 1-3-1 ATS their last 5 meetings at Brooklyn. 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). In the playoffs it has been DeMar DeRozan that has led the team in scoring at 22 ppg, while Kyle Lowry (18.0 ppg) and Jonas Valanciunas (16.0 ppg) round out the top 3 scorers for the team. Defensively the Raptors have been tough this year, as they rank 7th in the league in points allowed (98.0 ppg) and 10th in defensive FG% (45.0%).
The Brooklyn Nets were the sexy pick by many to take this series from the Raptors and after game 1 it looked even better for them, but then the young Raptors stepped up to even the series at 1-1 . Now the scene shifts to Brooklyn, where the Nets have gone 28013 on the year. The Nets averaged just 98.5 ppg on the year overall, but they have scored 100.6 ppg at home for the year. In the Playoffs, Joe Johnson has led the team in scoring with 21 ppg, while Deron Williams (19.5 ppg), Paul Pierce (11 ppg) and Shaun Livingston (11.0 ppg) round out the double digit scorers on the team. On the defensive end of the floor the Nets have been solid this, as they have allowed just 99.4 ppg overall and 97.3 ppg on their home floor.
Pick: I will take the Under in this game. When a series is tied games 3, 5 & 7 are big games and those games tend to go be a bit lower scoring. Toronto has played solid defense on the road this year, where they have allowed just 97.3 ppg and they have allowed just 94.7 ppg in their last 3 games overall. The Nets offense put up 10.6 ppg at home this year, but right now they are not scoring a whole lot, averaging just 93.8 ppg in their last 5 games overall. The Raptors are a decent offensive team, but have scored just 93 ppg in their last 3 games and the Nets have allowed just 97.3 ppg on their home floor this year. Let's also note that the Under is 10-2 in the Nets last 12 home games following a road trip of 7 or more days. Mid to lower 180's at best here.
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NBA Free Picks: Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets Betting
What pro basketball bettors need to know about Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets on Friday (4/25/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo, with Ken Thomson.