NBA picks: Magic vs. Raptors, Nets vs. Celtics

It's is so great to have the NBA back. After four months of hiatus, the product on the lone court in Orlando has been better than expected. Turnovers and sloppy play has been a theme, but we’ve also had close play, electric finishes, and most importantly - no positive cases resulting in overturned rosters.

While the NFL struggles with plans and MLB brings new positive cases nearly every day, the NBA has created a successful product that has allowed fans and players alike to enjoy some hoops action. Let’s take a look at two primetime games for Wednesday.

Orlando Magic vs. Toronto Raptors

The defending champions and #2 seed in the East appear to have not missed a beat in the restart. They started things off with an impressive win against the Los Angeles Lakers in which point guard Kyle Lowry scored 33 points and registered a career high 14 rebounds, then defeated a Miami Heat team that has otherwise looked impressive in wins against the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics.

The Raptors excel for a number of reasons, not the least of which being they have several different players that can score points on any given night. Against Miami, Fred Van Fleet poured in 36 points on seven three-pointers. Lowry had 33 against the Lakers, OG Anunoby added 23 against the Lakers, and Pascal Siakam might be the most underpaid current player in the whole league as the team’s leading points-getter at 23.5 points per game.

On defense, the Raptors are a swarming group with lots of length. Toronto has proven in recent years to be a franchise that understands advanced metrics, and they are using that understanding to win games on both ends of the court.

Their opponents on Wednesday night are the Orlando Magic, who are arguably the one team in the bubble enjoying some semblance of home court advantage. Whether they will enjoy the same level of success as their counterparts in MLS remains to be seen.

After starting their restart experience with two impressive, high-scoring wins against Brooklyn and Sacramento, the Magic ran into a white-hot T.J. Warren and the Pacers last night and suffered their first defeat in four months.

The Magic are also without star young forward Jonathan Isaac, who unfortunately suffered a torn ACL against the Kings. Isaac is a do-everything wing player that will definitely be missed on this roster, but the team still has great size that should give Toronto fits in the paint. While history doesn’t side with the Magic in this matchup (0-5 ATS last 5 vs Toronto), aside from the first quarter against the Pacers they’ve been playing good ball and should cover the spread.

NBA free pick: Magic +6.5

Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics

The Brooklyn Nets are playing a back-to-back after winning the largest point spread upset since 1993. The Nets upset the #1 team in the league, the Milwaukee Bucks, as 19 point underdogs, with relative unknown Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot leading the way with 26 points. The Nets came out hot with 73 first half points, and with a very young roster the back-to-back scheduling shouldn’t affect Brooklyn quite as much as it might an older squad. The Nets are scoring with ease during the restart, topping 118 points in all three games.

Their opponents, the Boston Celtics, are coming off a disappointing Tuesday night loss as favorites to a Jimmy Butler-less Miami Heat. Marcus Smart had a rough game going 0-5 and fouling out, and his absence for much of the game contributed to defensive problems that don’t look easily fixable, even with normal minutes. The Celtics have been giving up too many points in the restart and should not be favored against a team that has shown to be adept at scoring themselves. 

NBA free pick: Nets +9