Raptors vs Nets NBA Handicapping
The Brooklyn Nets are playing like they plan to run the table in 2013.
Toronto Raptors (14-23) at New Jersey Nets (22-15)
Tuesday, Jan. 15
Barclay’s Center, Brooklyn
7:30 p.m. EST
Spread – Nets -7
O/U – 191 from SportsBettingOnline.ag
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The newly-charged Nets enter tonight’s game at home against the Raptors with a 6-game winning streak that started with a surprisingly comfortable victory over the Thunder in Oklahoma City and includes wins over the Wizards, Kings, 76ers, Suns and Pacers.
Perhaps the streak, which came without warning after the Nets had struggled under P.J. Carlesimo, was just the basketball gods evening things out for the new coach.
Carlesimo hadn’t had come close to sniffing a head coaching spot after he was shown the door by the Thunder back in 2008-09 when OKC got off to a 1-12 start.
That firing came after he had seen modest success in a career that started in Portland and included stop in Golden State (it was in GS that Latrell Sprewell tried to wring Carlesimo’s neck).
Avery Johnson’s inability to get through to head-strong PG Deron Williams is one of reasons that Carlesimo has received another shot as a head coach, and so far he’s been able to keep Williams on the reservation. Williams had 22 points and nine assists on Sunday night as the Nets cooled off a Pacers team that had entered the game on a four-game winning streak. [ad-6571516]
But life is dark and cold in the NBA if your team doesn’t have any kind of inside presence, and Carlesimo’s biggest ace in the hole could be Brook Lopez. Lopez spent all winter as trade bait in a possible package for Dwight Howard and missed the first two weeks of December with a foot injury. But since his second game back he’s scored in double figures in every game. Lopez scored 25 in the Nets’ signature win of the season, at Oklahoma City.
The Raptors appear to be low-hanging fruit for Lopez and the Nets. Andrea Bargnani has a bad elbow, Linas Kleiza is nursing a knee injury and Jonas Valanciunas has a finger problem. None are expected to play toinight. With its assortment of bigs depleted, Raptors guards had to help out rebounding Sunday night against the Bucks, and Milwaukee took advantage, erasing a 20-point first-quarter deficit and winning easily at Toronto.
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Too many arrows are pointing in Brooklyn’s direction to make it worthwhile taking the points.
The Nets absolutely feast on bad teams – they are 14-0 this season in game against teams which entered with losing records. During its winning streak the Nets have been able to put together at least one dominant quarter in each game, and if they do it again tonight it’s doubtful the Raptors could recover from that. Toronto is just 4-15 on the road this season.
Lay the points.
