Ricky Dimon
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A nine-game NBA slate on Friday is headlined by a double-header on ESPN. Up first is this showdown between the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors, which will be followed by the Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Clippers. Brooklyn is among the favorites to win it all, while Toronto is a playoff contender that may be rounding into form following a slow start to the season. So this showdown definitely deserves same game parlay treatment. Let’s take a look at the best such option for Nets-Raptors, and be sure to check out our full preview of the game for picks on the side and total.
Nets -9.5 alternate spread (+176)
Over 242 (-110)
Joe Harris Over 2.5 three-pointers made (-148)
Pascal Siakam to score 25+ points (+205)
Parlay odds: +2445
Part of the value in same game parlays, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is much of the plan here. The Nets are going to have to score a lot (don’t they always?!?!) to win by double-digits, because they don’t play any defense. And if they do score a lot, it stands to reason that the over will hit. All of that correlates nicely with another productive day at the three-point offense for sharpshooter Joe Harris. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated help drive up the overall value of the parlay. That’s the case with a Pascal Siakam 25+ points performance, which Brooklyn should have no trouble overcoming in what is projected to be a high-scoring affair.
Nets -9.5 alternate spread (+176)
Toronto guard Fred VanVleet set a new franchise record with a career-high 54 points during a 123-108 win over Orlando on Tuesday, but now the Raptors face a much tougher test. As if going up against the Nets is not difficult enough in itself, the Raptors will be shorthanded because OG Anunoby and Patrick McCaw remain sidelined by injuries. Brooklyn has lost only once this season when the new Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden is intact, and that setback came almost immediately after Harden was acquired from Houston. Now the Nets are looking like a well-oiled machine—at least on the offensive end, of course. They lead the league in shooting at 50.1 percent from the field, they are second behind the Clippers in three-point shooting at 40.1 percent, and they are fifth in assists at 27 per contest. Brooklyn should win this one…and should win it big.
Over 242 (-110)
When a team is averaging 122.3 points per game (best in the NBA) and allowing 117.8 points per game (28th), the numbers don’t lie. No, they tell the reality of the situation—and the reality is that the Nets’ mindset is to score so much that it doesn’t matter if they play defense or not. Regardless of how many points the opposition scores, they can score more. That’s their thinking, at least. Anunoby is arguably the Raptors’ best perimeter defender, so his absence hurts in a major way. That will open up space for Irving and Harden to dominate on the perimeter. Combined with VanVleet’s incredible confidence at the moment, this game has the recipe to become an absolute shootout.
Joe Harris Over 2.5 three-pointers made (-148)
If you thought Harris would get phased out of the offense with Durant, Irving, and Harden all demanding the basketball, think again. The former Virginia standout has drained at least three triples in five of the last six games, including three in a row. His current hot streak features an eight-trey effort against Washington last weekend. A matchup with Toronto is conducive to more success from the land of plenty. The Raptors are No. 2 in the NBA in fewest points in the paint allowed per game, but they have a much harder time defending the perimeter. They are giving up the eighth-most three-pointers in the league at 13.5 per game. Without Anunoby, the floodgates will open even wider.
Pascal Siakam to score 25+ points (+205)
Siakam is averaging 19.2 ppg, which is well under this teased-up quota. But when you consider that he is play against the Nets, you can go ahead and raise the expected output by more than a few points. In other words, it really won’t take anything more than a normal effort for Siakam to reach the 25 mark. Plus, the New Mexico State product has come on strong of late following a slow start to the 2020-21 campaign. He has scored at least 30 points in two of the past three outings.
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