An NBA Game Day Preview between the Toronto Raptors Vs Brooklyn Nets – StatementGames alternative Fantasy Basketball, play for FREE and WIN CASH Rewards.
When: 7:30 PM EST, February 5, 2021
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
TV: ESPN
Point Spread: Nets -4.5
OVER/UNDER Game Total: 242.5
Toronto Raptors
Record: 9-12
Road Record: 3-7
ATS: 8-13
Brooklyn Nets
Record: 14-9
Home Record: 10-4
ATS: 10-13
Toronto Raptors Vs Brooklyn Nets Game Day Preview
Before the Toronto Raptors saw their title defense falter in the NBA bubble last September, they dismantled the Brooklyn Nets, and their best player in the series was Fred VanVleet.
The Raptors are off to a slow start, but VanVleet is coming off a record-setting performance heading Brooklyn. Tonight’s game will be the first meeting of the season between the teams.
Toronto Raptors
VanVleet, who is averaging a career-best 20.4 points per game, scored a team-record 54 points in Tuesday’s 123-108 win against the Magic. VanVleet’s fast start comes after he excelled in Toronto’s sweep of Brooklyn in the conference quarterfinals last season by averaging 21.3 points on 52.8 percent shooting (58.5 percent 3-point shooting) in a series Toronto averaged 126.3 points.
“Just a special night, obviously, a lot of different levels,” VanVleet said after Tuesday’s game. “So just trying to enjoy it for now, but it’s not a championship or anything like that. It was a good game for me, and I’ll enjoy all the love for a couple hours and get ready for the next one.”
VanVleet shot 17 of 23 from the field, 11 of 14 from 3-point range in 37 minutes. He broke the team mark of 52 set by DeMar DeRozan. It also was the most points by any undrafted player in NBA history, surpassing Moses Malone’s 53 points.
“Tonight, is really special, because it came from a kid who was undrafted, worked his way to an NBA player and an NBA starter, and possibly this year an All-Star and possibly an All-Defensive Player,” Toronto guard Kyle Lowry said. “That’s what makes it really special.”
Toronto enters the game in Brookln on an upswing. The Raptors lost eight of their first 10 games, with half of those defeats coming by five points or fewer, but they are 7-4 since.
Brooklyn Nets
The roster Brooklyn showcased in the playoffs is a vastly different one than the team that will take the court tonight. Caris LeVert led the Nets in points in that series but was traded as part of the deal that brought James Harden from Houston on Jan. 14.
Missing from last summer’s postseason were Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who had to rehab from injuries. So far the two have fit in well with Harden, and the Nets have gone 8-3 since the acquisition.
The last victory was a 124-120 thriller over the Los Angeles Clippers. The WIN gave Brooklyn its fifth victory in six games and a sixth straight home win since a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Jan. 10. On Tuesday, the trio combined for 90 points on 64.7 percent shooting (33-for-51) and scored 21 of Brooklyn’s final 23 points.
Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 39 points, Durant added 28 while Harden finished with 23, 14 assists and 11 rebounds for his fourth triple-double with Brooklyn.
“As we continue to progress, the beautiful thing is that we’re interchangeable,” Irving said. “So, some nights, one of us can have a big night, the other guy can have multiple assists, multiple rebounds and we just want to complement each other well as a group.”
The Nets already were a productive offense before the trade. But since Harden’s debut, they are averaging 127 points on 51.8 percent shooting. They shot 57 percent Tuesday.
Raptors Vs Nets Facts
- Raptors are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games as a road underdog.
- Nets are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite.
- Raptors are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Brooklyn.
Toronto Raptors Vs Brooklyn Nets Alternative Fantasy Basketball-Statement Games Picks
We had a little help in making the below picks from insights obtained from NBA articles published on The Sports Daily.
Raptors 118 Nets 117
- 10 PT Pick: Fred VanVleet OVER 25.5 PTS
- 9 PT Pick: Kyle Lowry OVER 20.5 PTS
- 8 PT Pick: Brooklyn Nets Will NOT WIN By OVER 5.5 PTS
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