Toronto Raptors vs New Jersey Nets | Predictions, Preview , Odds & Free Pick | Sportsbookbuzz.com

NBA Free Pick – Friday March 4, 2011

vs.

Toronto Raptors vs. New Jersey Nets
Friday, March 4, 2011 at 3:00 pm EST on NBA TV

Money Line: Toronto +130 / Nets -150
Pointspread: New Jersey Nets -3
Over/Under: 203

The NBA goes on the road to England this weekend for a two game series between the Toronto Raptors and the New Jersey Nets. The first game is set for this Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.(ET) from the O2 Arena in London and it will be broadcast nationally on NBA TV.

Click Here for more Free Expert NBA Basketball Picks

Toronto comes into this series with just three wins in its last 10 games. It is coming off a 96-90 victory over New Orleans this past Tuesday as a 5 ½-point home underdog after losing to Dallas 114-96 as an 8 ½-point home underdog last Sunday. The Raptors are currently 17-44 straight-up and 26-33-2 against the spread. Playoffs have long since been an afterthought as they are in 13th-place in the Eastern Conference.

Andrea Bargnani leads Toronto in scoring with 21.8 points a game. He is joined by DeMar DeRozan, who is averaging 16.1 points, and Leandro Barbosa, who is averaging 12.4 points to form the bulk of the offensive production for the team. Amir Johnson is the Raptors leading rebounder with 6.8 a game and is scoring 10.3 points.

Toronto is averaging 98.8 points a game but giving up an average 104.8 which is the fourth-worst point differential in the league. It is shooting a respectable 46.7 percent from the floor but is ranked dead-last in the NBA from three-point range; hitting just 30.8 percent of its shots.

The Raptors may be bad but New Jersey is actually worse. The trade with Utah last week for All-Star guard Deron Williams provides some hope for the future, but right now the Nets are mired in a six-game losing streak and have only won twice in their last 11 games. The latest setback was a 104-103 OT loss to Phoenix this past Monday as a 2 ½-point home underdog. Prior to that, they were hammered by Houston 123-108 as an eight-point road underdog. New Jersey is 17-43 SU overall (28-32 ATS) and a half a game ahead of Toronto in the East.

Williams has averaged 14 points in his three games with the Nets which is well below his 20.9 point season average but he dishing out an amazing 15.7 assists per game. Brook Lopez remains the top scorer with 19.5 points while Kris Humphries is the leading rebounder with 9.4 a game.

New Jersey actually has a worse point differential than the Raptors, giving up an average of 99.2 points a game while only scoring 92.9. It is shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three-point range. The Nets have struggled under the boards this season with an average of just 41 rebounds a game, but are holding their opponents to 41 as well.

Toronto is 0-5 ATS in its last five games on the road and 2-3 ATS in its last five games overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last seven games.

New Jersey is 2-3 ATS in its last five road games and 2-4 ATS in its last six games overall. The total has gone ‘over’ in its last three games.

Head-to-head, the Raptors have won the last six games SU and are 4-2 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in the last three meetings.

It is hard to measure the effect of flying overseas to play a game, especially between two teams that are so evenly matched. The fact that both will want to put on a show for the London crowd makes the ‘over’ a solid pick, but stick with New Jersey to snap its losing streak with the win.

Check out the latest NBA Basketball Odds here.

The odds makers have the New Jersey Nets as a -3 point favorite with an over/under of 203.

Need more help making your picks winners? Check out our top handicappers.

Bet on the Raptors/Nets game: “Where the NBA Lines Originate” and get a generous 50% sign up bonus (up to $500) at Bookmaker.com.

Toronto Raptors Betting Trends: