Toronto Raptors will take on the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA preseason game on Friday, October 18, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This will be the last preseason game for both teams.
The Raptors will begin their regular season campaign against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, October 25, while the Nets will take on the Atlanta Hawks in their first game on the same date.
The Raptors finished 12th in the Eastern Conference last season with 25 wins, while the Nets were 11th and won 32 out of 82 games.
Both the Eastern Conference teams will be looking to get an edge over the other before beginning their respective campaigns this season. Read ahead to find the previews, head-to-head stats, and odds for the NBA preseason – Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets.
Toronto Raptors: Analysis and Team Preview
The Raptors won their first NBA title during the 2018–19 season. Since then, they have qualified for the first round of the playoffs twice in five seasons. To repeat their success five seasons back, the Raptors have made a significant number of changes to their squad.
They re-signed small forward Scottie Barnes, shooting guard Immanuel Quickley, and small forward Garrett Temple. They also added free agent center Bruno Fernando. Fernando was waived (released from the contract) by his former team, the Atlanta Hawks, in July.
The Raptors traded forward Jalen McDaniels to the Sacramento Kings and got point guard Davion Mitchell, forward Sasha Vezenkov, and the 45th pick in the NBA draft in return. In July, the Raptors decided to waive Vezenkov, who has signed with Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League.
They selected point guard Jamal Shead with the draft rights they acquired from the Mitchell trade. They also selected shooting guard Ja’Kobe Walter and power forwards Jonathan Mogbo and Ulrich Chomche.
They decided to waive forward Mouhamadou Gueye, who signed with the Washington Wizards this week. The Raptors also released forward Jalen McDaniels and shooting guard Gary Trent Jr.
The Raptors started their preseason campaign with a 125–98 win over the Washington Wizards. Since then, the Raptors have faced setbacks and lost to the Wizards in another match with a score of 113–95. They then lost to the Boston Celtics with a close score of 115–111. They will be meeting the Celtics again tonight.
There are some injury concerns for the team. Small forward Bruce Brown Jr. underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and has been ruled out for three weeks. Shooting guards RJ Barrette and Ja’Kobe Walter are recovering from shoulder injuries. There are a few more minor injuries in the team. However, all the injured players, except Brown, are likely to return before the start of the regular season.
Brooklyn Nets: Analysis and Team Preview
The Nets failed to qualify for the playoffs last season for the first time in six years. Moreover, they are yet to win their first-ever NBA title.
The Nets began their offseason campaign with the re-signing of center Nic Claxton, shooting guard Keon Johnson, and power forward Trendon Watford. Claxton has been with the team since 2019 and has reportedly signed a four-year deal.
The Nets have appointed Jordi Fernandez as their head coach for this season. He is the 24th head coach of the franchise in the NBA. Fernandez spent the last two seasons as the Sacramento Kings’ associate head coach.
Free agent point guard Killian Hayes signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Nets.
In a trade with the New York Knicks, the Nets received five first-round draft picks, one first-round pick swap, a second-round draft pick, small forward Bojan Bogdanović, power forward Mamadi Diakite, and shooting guard Shake Milton.
In return, the Nets traded small forward Mikal Bridges and power forward Keita Bates-Diop, a 2026 second-round draft pick, and the draft rights to small forward Juan Pablo Vaulet.
They further traded Diakite and the draft rights to small forward Nemanja Dangubic to the Memphis Grizzlies. In return, they received small forward Ziaire Williams and a future second-round draft pick.
Shooting guard Lonnie Walker IV became a free agent after last season and signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Boston Celtics.
The Nets didn’t have any picks in the draft but have secured multiple first-round picks for future seasons. Center Day’Ron Sharpe suffered a hamstring injury this month and is expected to miss at least six weeks. Small forward Bojan Bogdanovic has injured his foot, and the timeline for his return is unclear.
The Nets faced the LA Clippers in their first preseason game at the Frontwave Arena. They lost the match with a final score of 115–106. They won their next matches against the Grizzlies 119–94 and against the Wizards 131–92.
Toronto Raptors vs Brooklyn Nets: Head-to-Head and Odds
The Raptors and the Nets have faced each other in 112 matches. The Nets have won 51 out of these 112 games, while the Raptors have been victorious on 61 occasions.
The Nets have defeated the Raptors in four of their last five outings. In their last game, they defeated the Raptors 106–102 in a closely contested game at Barclays Center. The upcoming preseason game is also scheduled to be played at the Barclays Center.
For more information about betting on this fixture, visit the 7bet NBA betting page.
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