Nets vs Raptors Online Betting Odds
The Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets continue their opening round playoff series on Tuesday for Game 2. Brooklyn claimed Game 1 in the series on Saturday, 94-87. Now Toronto is desperate for a win to even this series up before making the trip out to Brooklyn.[ad-4468020]
First-round Game 2
BRK leads series 1-0
Brooklyn Nets (1-0) at Toronto Raptors (0-1)
Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Air Canada Centre
City: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
O/U Odds: 187.5
Spread: Toronto -4.5
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The Raptors didn’t exactly have the playoff-opener they had imagined in Game 1, with the team’s young core struggling to produce much at the offensive end of the court. The Raptors shot just 39.4 percent from the floor on Saturday, upping the Nets’ record to 13-0 this season when holding its opponent under 40 percent shooting.
One player who bucked that trend was center Jonas Valanciunas, who had a terrific playoff debut. He scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting while hauling in 18 boards, making him just the third player in the last 25 years to hit those marks (Shaquille O’Neal and Ben Wallace are the others).
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As for the team’s scoring star, DeMar DeRozan went just 3-for-13 from the field for 14 points, though he did get to the line eight times and knock down each of those shots. Point guard Kyle Lowry also had a strong outing, flirting with a triple-double in racking up 22 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
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The Nets now look to take a stranglehold of this seven-game series on Tuesday. The team’s veteran presence really shined through down the stretch in Game 1. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson each had 24 points for the Nets, while Paul Pierce chipped in 15, with nine of those points coming in crucial moments down the stretch.
The Nets actually took a step backward in their shooting from distance in Game 1, hitting three of four three-point attempts to open the game, but then missing 19 in a row. The team’s bench players also missed all 12 of their attempts from beyond the arc. The team’s best was full of minuses, with the exception of Mason Plumlee, who was a plus-13 in the game.
The Raptors could have used some more help from DeMar DeRozan in Game 1, and now that he’s gotten his first playoff game out of the way, he should be better this time around, leading to a more efficient scoring effort from the Raptors.
Additionally, the Nets should knock down some more of their long-range shots after struggling mightily in that department in Game 1, hitting on just four of 24 shots from downtown. The Raptors picked up their pace of play down the stretch, and another high-scoring effort appears to be in the cards for Tuesday.
The over is 6-1 in the Raptors’ last seven home games, and 4-1 in the Nets’ last five conference quarterfinal games.
The play: Over 187.5
