The Brooklyn Nets overcame some major adversity to reach the 2020 NBA Playoffs. The fact that the Nets have earned the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference is an even bigger story, and they will now match up with the Toronto Raptors.
Brooklyn still has a roster that is filled with former outcasts from other teams, but there is no other help on the way. This is the team that will begin the playoffs and looks to dethrone the defending NBA champion.
The Nets and Raptors begin their series on Monday, and Brooklyn is almost double-digit underdogs in the first game of the series. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Toronto Raptors as nine-point favorites in the series opener.
FanDuel is offering series betting lines for each first-round matchup, and they don’t give the Nets much of a chance to be competitive. The Toronto Raptors are -8000 to dispatch the Brooklyn Nets in round one, and the Nets are listed at +1800.
Betting on the Nets to win the series in a sweep is listed at +10000 at FanDuel Sportsbook. The most likely outcome of the series, according to FanDuel, is that the Raptors pull off a four-game sweep. Those odds for that outcome are being offered at -150.
Heat-Pacers Best Matchup in East
There are four first-round playoff matchups in the Eastern Conference, and FanDuel Sportsbook has three of them as huge mismatches. That isn’t the case when the Indiana Pacers take on the Miami Heat.
The 4/5 matchup is usually the best first-round series, and that should be the case again in 2020. Miami is listed at -325 to win this first-round series, while the Indiana Pacers are at +250. This series has the potential to go to all seven games.
Lakers, Clippers Favored in West
The Western Conference will likely be a two-team race between the LA Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. Both of these teams are loaded with talent, and they appear destined to meet in the Western Conference Finals.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the LA Clippers at +165 and the Los Angeles Lakers at +185 to win the Western Conference.
Can Anyone Beat the Bucks?
The Milwaukee Bucks have been the best team in the NBA all season long, and most experts agree that they are the clear favorites to win the NBA title. Milwaukee will first have to navigate the Eastern Conference, and they are even bigger favorites to win that crown.
FanDuel has the Milwaukee Bucks at +260 to win the NBA Championship, and that is just ahead of both the Los Angeles Lakers (+300) and LA Clippers (+320).
Milwaukee is listed at -165 to win the Eastern Conference, making them massive favorites in the East. The Toronto Raptors (+350) and the Boston Celtics (+550) are seen as the two biggest threats in the East, according to FanDuel.
There will likely be some upsets during the 2020 NBA Playoffs, but the top contenders seem pretty set heading into the postseason.
