NBA: Playoffs-Brooklyn Nets at Toronto Raptors
Brooklyn Nets 94, Toronto Raptors 87 Reuters

The battlecry “F--- Brooklyn!” didn’t quite work for the Toronto Raptors. The Brooklyn Nets visited the North and promptly invaded it with a stirring Game One win to steal the homecourt advantage in this best-of-seven series.

The Nets won to the tune of 94-87 shutting up Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri, who shouted the expletive in a Toronto rally before the opening game. Ujiri was fined $25,000 for the act and already apologized for the incident.

“You know how I feel, I don’t like them, I apologize,” Ujiri said in a press conference. “I apologize it was the wrong choice of words out there.”

“I apologize to the kids out there and the Brooklyn guys, nothing against them, I was just trying to get our fans going.”

Brooklyn is more than glad for the extra motivation however. They were fired up off the gates outscoring the Raptors, 29-21 in the opening quarter of the opening game. They staved off the Toronto’s repeated rallies and held on to the victory.

Deron Williams and Joe Johnson paced the Nets with 24 points apiece. Johnson added 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Paul Pierce contributed 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists for Brooklyn, which held the Raptors to just 39.4 per cent shooting (28/71 FG) and 34.4 per cent (8/23 3FG) from behind the arc.

Kyle Lowry had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists but had 5 turnovers. Jonas Valanciunas had a big double-double of 17 points and 18 rebounds.

Watch Game 1 of the Brooklyn-Toronto series via NBA League Pass.

Betting Against the Spread (ATS)

Betting Lines: Brooklyn Nets (+4.5) vs. Toronto Raptors (O/U: 188.0)
 Gametime: 9:30 am AEDT

Brooklyn Nets Trends
 - The Nets are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games on the road
- The Nets are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games
- The Nets are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games vs. East teams

Toronto Raptors Trends
 - The Raptors are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs
- The Raptors are 1-5-1 ATS in their last 7 games vs. East teams
- The Raptors are 0-3-1 ATS in their last 4 games at home