NBA Betting – Nets vs. Raptors

November 21, 2008 by Ray M.

NBA Basketball Betting Action – Raptors Host Nets

The New Jersey Nets, (4-6, 5-5 ATS, 4-6 O/U) were pounded at home in their last contest, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-82 on Tuesday. The Toronto Raptors, (6-5, 6-5 ATS, 7-4 O/U) beat the Miami Heat soundly on Wednesday, winning 101-95 on the road.

Both teams will be looking to pick up a big victory when they square off tonight at the Air Canada Centre.

The Nets failed to cover the spread as a 5.5-point home underdog against the Cavaliers as Devin Harris scored a team-high 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting. Just three other Nets reached double figures in scoring with veteran shooting guard Vince carter getting held to 12 points on 3-for-12 shooting.

Rookie center Brook Lopez added 15 points and 13 rebounds.

Lopez, the 10th overall pick in the draft, has started three consecutive games, averaging 15.0 points and 9.6 rebounds.

“I kind of got comfortable,” Lopez told the Nets’ official Web site “I wasn’t really as energized. I’ve got to constantly be hitting the glass to be effective. That’s one of the reasons these guys drafted me. I want to bring energy and hit the glass and I wasn’t doing that.”

The Nets shot an ice-cold shot 36.7 percent, including 2-for-14 from 3-point range.

Toronto got a big boost from the return of starting point guard Jose Calderon on Wednesday as with Calderon out for two games due to a sore right hamstring, Toronto (6-5) committed 44 turnovers the only two times this season they’ve surpassed 20 turnovers.

“He’s been with this group for a while,” Toronto forward Chris Bosh said. “He knows how to get the ball where it’s supposed to be.”

Forward Andrea Bargnani scored a season-high 25 points, shooting 3-for-4 from 3-point range while veteran center Jermaine O’Neal added 16 points and Bosh, 15.

“When we get guys getting 15-17 shots it just makes us a good basketball team,” Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. “It means we’re moving the basketball, a lot of people are getting touches.”

Here is a look at the key trends for each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and NBA Free Picks.

The Nets are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points.
The Nets are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a double-digit loss at home.
The Raptors are 7-15 ATS in their last 22 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
The Raptors are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games following a S.U. win.
The Over is 4-0 in Nets last 4 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points.
The Over is 4-0 in Raptors last 4 vs. Eastern Conference.
The Home team is 11-4-1 ATS in the last 16 meetings.
The Nets are 2-6 ATS in the last 8 meetings in Toronto.

NBA Odds

New Jersey Nets + 9½ -110
Toronto Raptors -9½ -110

Over 195 -110
Under 195 -110

Analysis: While I certainly don’t see the New Jersey Nets winning this game, I believe they should be able to cover the nearly, 10-point spread here. If nothing else, new Jersey can score the ball most nights and should be able to keep this contest from getting too far out of hand, especially coming off a loss their last time out.

Take the Nets to narrowly cover the spread BetUS NBA basketball sports betting buffs.