NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference First Round
Game 1
Tip-off: Saturday, 12:30 p.m. ET
Line: Toronto -2.5, Total: 193.5

The first game of the NBA playoffs tips off north of the border at Air Canada Centre on Saturday afternoon when the Raptors host the Nets in Game 1.

Toronto came out of nowhere this season and won the Atlantic Division over a heavily favored Brooklyn team. The Raptors finished strong down the stretch with a 9-3 SU mark (4-7-1 ATS) in their final 12 games to secure the No. 3 seed, and played well at home all season with a 26-15 SU record (21-19-1 ATS). The No. 6 seed Nets rebounded from a rough start to find themselves a spot in the playoffs where they can avoid Miami and Indiana in the first round. This franchise hasn't won a postseason series since 2007, but did get some playoff experience in last season's tough seven-game series loss to Chicago in the first round. But Brooklyn played poorly on the road this season at 16-25 SU (18-23 ATS) and is just 15-22 SU (16-19-2 ATS) in Toronto since 1996. This season, the teams split four games (SU and ATS), including 1-1 (SU and ATS) in each city. The Nets won 102-100 in their first trip north of the border on Nov. 26, but were crushed 96-80 in a return trip on Jan. 11. Both teams have positive betting trends for this game, as Brooklyn is the beneficiary of a five-star FoxSheets trend of good offensive road teams (98-102 PPG) going 32-5 ATS (87%) over the past five seasons where the line is +3 to -3 and facing a poor defense (98-102 PPG allowed), after allowing 100+ points in two straight games. But the Raptors have a 4-star trend of going 15-2 ATS (88%) when coming off a road loss this season. The only injury concern for either team is Toronto PF Amir Johnson, who injured his ankle in the season finale and is questionable to suit up in Game 1.

The Nets had a roller-coaster season, but were happy to end up with the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. While their offense was bad (98.5 PPG, 21st in league) and their rebounding atrocious (minus-4.8 RPG margin, 2nd-worst in NBA), they were a quality defensive team that held opponents to 99.5 PPG (11th in league). PF Kevin Garnett (6.5 PPG, 6.6 RPG) has coasted by all season, missing games for rest and minor injuries. Now the big man is healthy and ready to be a leader for a team that rallied around the loss of its starting center Brook Lopez (20.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.8 BPG). In four games against the Raptors this season, SF Paul Pierce (13.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG) was excellent, averaging 19.8 PPG (56% FG, 59% threes) and 4.5 RPG in 30.8 MPG against the team. He was constantly able to free himself up for three-pointers and his experience is going to help the Nets greatly in this series. Brooklyn, however, will only go as far as PG Deron Williams (14.3 PPG, 6.1 APG) takes them. Williams has dealt with injuries throughout the entirety of his Nets career, but he is still their best player and has a tough matchup at the point guard position with Kyle Lowry. Williams averaged 13.5 PPG and 8.0 APG in two games against the Raptors this season, and will need to be even better if the Nets are going to advance in this series. SG Joe Johnson (15.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG) has been slowed by a calf injury, and will also be counted on to provide a good chunk of offense. In the four meetings with Toronto this season, he averaged a solid 14.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 4.0 APG.

The Raptors had an outstanding regular season on both ends of the court, scoring 101.3 PPG (13th in NBA) and allowing 98.0 PPG (7th in league). They should also have a significant advantage on the boards where they outrebounded teams by +1.5 RPG (12th in NBA). Now they turn their attention to a big run in the Eastern Conference playoffs, and will lean mostly on SG DeMar DeRozan (22.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.0 APG) to carry the bulk of the scoring load. In three games against the Nets this season, DeRozan averaged 22.3 PPG on an efficient 50% FG and 56% threes. He has a major mismatch with a slower Joe Johnson likely to be checking him from the opening tip. PG Kyle Lowry (17.9 PPG, 7.4 APG, 4.7 RPG) had a breakout season for the Raptor, and will need to use his speed and quickness to get the best of a matchup with a slower Deron Williams. In four meetings with the Nets this season, Lowry averaged 22.0 PPG (50% FG, 48% threes), 6.0 APG, 4.8 RPG and 2.3 SPG. One player who must really take his game to the next level is C Jonas Valanciunas (11.3 PPG, 8.8 RPG). The big man averaged 10.3 PPG and 8.8 RPG in just 24.5 MPG in this series, and must find a way to impact the game even when the Nets opt to go with a small-ball lineup.