It’s a showdown between two Eastern Conference squads when the Toronto Raptors head to New York to face the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.
The Raptors are on the longest winning streak in the NBA, currently at 15 straight wins, and they’ll look to make it 16 against the Nets, who are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference.
The Nets narrowly escaped Indiana with a win on Monday night against the Pacers. On Wednesday night, they’ll host the Raptors and try to pull off an upset.
Considering the last time these two faced off, it was a close game, the spread has been set at Toronto -2.5. Let’s see if we can iron out who wins this one.
Ready To End The Streak
The Nets are on track to have a similar performance as last year, with a 24-28 record and attempting to move in on the Pacers, who are currently in sixth in the East. Some of their success this year has been without Kyrie Irving, but all of it has been done without Kevin Durant.
With its top two stars dealing with injuries throughout the season, Brooklyn has done a good job keeping the pace.
On Wednesday night, the Nets will be hosting one of the toughest teams in the league, who are currently on a 15-game win streak. The Nets traveled to Toronto last weekend and almost pulled off a surprising road win, losing by just one.
There is some good news for the Nets in this one, though, as the Raptors will be playing back-to-back games. The Raptors are coming off a 137-126 win against the Timberwolves, so it will be tough playing back-to-back games.
There are really only two key injuries on the Nets roster, as Durant and Irving will both miss this game, but they were out for the previous game against the Raptors anyways. The key to pulling off this upset against the Raptors will be stopping Pascal Siakam, Toronto’s leading scorer. If the Nets are able to slow him down like they did in their previous meeting, they’ll be in good shape.
The Nets overall against the spread are under .500, but they’ve done well in their recent games, going 6-1 in their last seven games and 4-1 ATS in their last five at home. Couple those stats with their most recent game against Toronto, and the Nets seem like a good choice.
Siakam, Raptors Can’t Be Stopped
At this point, it seems like Toronto is daring teams to beat it. After winning 15 games in a row, the Raptors head to Brooklyn in an effort to make it 16. The Raptors don’t seem entirely focused on their streak, though, as their minds seem to already be on the playoffs while playing some of the best basketball we’ve seen and doing so without a superstar.
Some could make the argument that Siakam is the superstar, and I wouldn’t disagree with them. The only argument I would make is that the Raptors play the best team ball in the NBA.
What makes the Raptors so deadly is their unselfish play and lack of egos, even after losing one of the best players in the league during the offseason in Kawhi Leonard, the Raptors still look like a team that can win the championship.
Unfortunately, the Raptors will have to play back-to-back games, leaving very little rest time between their home game against the Timberwolves and their away game against the Nets. That isn’t to say the Raptors don’t have enough talent to win the game, but they’re definitely going to be tired.
As far as the Raptors go against the spread, they boast a 31-23 record, which is solid, but they’ve been slightly off. In their last 10 games, the Raptors are 6-4 but are 4-2 ATS in their last six games against the Nets.
Pick and Prediction
The Raptors have an amazing streak going, and I don’t think it will stop as they roll to Brooklyn. With Siakam at the helm and OG Anunoby starting to produce more on offense, the Raptors are in prime position to make it 16 straight wins.
The Nets did a great job slowing down Siakam the last time these two faced off. Although I think the Nets have the potential to pull off upsets occasionally, I don’t see them being able to upset the Raptors or cover the spread. I’ll take the traveling team in this one, going with the red-hot Raptors -2.5.
