The first round of the NBA Playoffs continues on Friday night and we will see the Toronto Raptors travel to the Barclays Center to take on the Brooklyn Nets in game 6 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 4.5 point favorites, while the total sits at 192.
Stat Packs: The Toronto Raptors came in as the 3rd seed in the East and it has been a struggle for them vs the 6th seeded Brooklyn Nets, but they do head back to Brooklyn with a 3-2 series lead after Wednesday night's 115-113 win. The Raptors have gone 23-20 SU on the road this year and they are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 games played in Brooklyn. During the regular season, Toronto ranked 13th in scoring (101.3 ppg) and in shooting 22nd in shooting (44.5%), and so far vs the Nets they have scored just 97.4 ppg on 44.6% shooting. In the playoffs it has been DeMar DeRozan that has led the team in scoring at 24.2 ppg, while Kyle Lowry (21.8 ppg) and Jonas Valanciunas (12.8 ppg) round out the top 3 scorers for the team. Jonas has also leads the team in rebounding at 10.8 rpg. The Raptors ranked 7th in the league in points allowed this year (98 ppg) and have been solid vs the Nets so far, allowing them just 96.6 ppg.
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 have stepped up to take 3 of the last 4 games to take a 3-2 series lead. The scene shifts back to Brooklyn, where the Nets have gone 29-14 on the year. The Nets averaged just 98.5 ppg during the regular, and it has been slightly worse in the playoffs, where they have put up just 96.6 ppg so far. In the Playoffs, Joe Johnson has led the team in scoring with 21.6 ppg, while Deron Williams (16.5 ppg), Paul Pierce (14.4 ppg) and Mirza Teletovic (10.0 ppg) round out the double digit scorers on the team. On the defensive end of the floor the Nets have been solid this year, as they allowed 99.4 ppg during the regular season, and have been decent in the playoffs as well, allowing just 97.4 ppg to the Raptors thus far.
Pick: Going to look at the Under in this one. The Nets have their backs to the wall and they will need to keep the pace slow here and rely on their defense to get the job done. The Nets have allowed just 97.1 ppg at home this year, while the Raptors have allowed just 97 ppg on the road. Last game had a 115-113 final, so you can bet that both teams will emphasize defense in this one. This should be a game with no more than 185 points being scored.
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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 (5/02/14) - a free pick from Pregame.com's Marco D'Angelo with added Insight from Ken Thomson.