The Brooklyn Nets will have their chance to upend the Atlantic’s best team when they challenge the division rival Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Centre. The game gets underway at 7:30 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 8 and will air on YES and SNT.
The Raptors are expecting a better outcome after their 113-107 loss to the Rockets on Sunday. Kyle Lowry played well for the Raptors, finishing with 17 points, nine assists, and four rebounds. The Nets, meanwhile, are coming off a 132-118 loss at the hands of the Timberwolves on Saturday. Brooklyn still lost despite the best efforts of Thomas Robinson, who recorded his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 17 rebounds.
Lowry has been playing at a high level as of late for the Raptors, averaging 30.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 3.0 steals, and 3.0 three-pointers over the last five games.
The high-powered Raptors offense (fourth in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 108.1) will square off against the poor Nets defense (28th in the league with a defensive efficiency of 107.7), a matchup that should favor the Raptors.
The Raptors have won both contests against the Nets this season, including a 112-100 victory in their last matchup. Lowry scored a game-high 31 points.
The Raptors are attempting to build on their records of 41-20 Straight Up (SU) and 32-28-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have the same record SU and ATS against division opponents, going 5-6. Toronto is excellent from the perimeter, shooting a superb .367 from three-point range. Transitioning to the Toronto defense, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Raptors. The 98.3 points that Toronto’s defense allows per game makes them the fifth-ranked defense in the league. Toronto gives up the fewest turnovers in the league with only an average of 12.3 per game.
On the other side, Brooklyn has a SU record of 18-45 and an ATS record of 32-30-1. In their divisional games on the road, they have not dropped a game and have covered every spread, managing an unblemished SU and ATS record of 5-0. Offensively, the Nets have really picked up the pace in the last 10 games. They have exceeded their season average of 97.8 points per game by averaging 108.0 during that stretch. Brooklyn’s defense tends to perform well when they play division rivals. They’ve allowed an average of 95.9 points per game against teams from the Atlantic, lower than their season average of 104.3.
Toronto beat Brooklyn in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record to 6-4 over the Nets in the last 10 games. The Nets hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
Toronto puts up an average of 102.7 points per game (ranked 10th). Brooklyn ranks 22nd in points allowed per game with 104.3.
Brooklyn ranks 21st in points allowed per road game (105.7 PPG), while Toronto ranks 13th in points per home game with 104.4.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Raptors are 32-3 on the season. When the Nets score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 4-32.
At 9-17, the Toronto Raptors have a losing record when their opponents score at least 100 points. The Brooklyn Nets are 14-13 when they put up triple digits.
Ranked fourth, the Raptors have an offensive rating of 108.1. The Nets, on the other hand, rank 28th with a defensive rating of 107.7.
Toronto averages fewer possessions per game than Brooklyn, with 95.0 compared to 96.9. However, the Raptors score an average of 1.081 points per possession, more than the 1.009 that the Nets score.
The Toronto Raptors average an effective field goal percentage of 50.4% this season. The Brooklyn Nets have a subpar record of 9-32 when opponents have an EFF% of 50.4% or greater.
Toronto makes an average of 18.5 assists per game (ranked 29th). Brooklyn ranks higher in assists with 22.0 (ranked 15th).
The Toronto Raptors average 5.1 blocks per game for a rank of 13th. The Brooklyn Nets rank lower (26th), earning 4.0 blocks each game.
The Toronto Raptors rank 20th in offensive rebounding, while the Brooklyn Nets rank 22nd in defensive rebounding.
Brooklyn makes an average of 7.5 steals per game. Toronto has a solid 22-8 record when it allows at least 7 steals.
