NBA Playoffs - Eastern Conference First Round
Game 5 - Series tied 2-2
Tip-off: Wednesday, 7:35 p.m. ET
Line: Toronto -3.5, Total: 191

The Raptors look to take their first lead of their first-round playoff series on Wednesday night when they host the Nets in a crucial Game 5.

Neither team has won two in a row in this series, but Toronto has that chance in Game 5 as the clubs travel back north to Air Canada Centre where the Raptors are 27-16 SU (21-20-2 ATS) this season. Brooklyn is trying to recover from a horrendous offensive showing in Sunday's Game 4 when it managed just 79 points on 41.2% FG in an eight-point defeat. The Nets have been a poor road team this season at 17-26 SU (19-23-1 ATS), but they are 4-4 SU (3-4-1 ATS) when playing in Toronto over the past three seasons. Overall during this timeframe, the Raptors are 7-9 SU in the series, but have the 8-6-2 ATS advantage. Both teams have favorable betting trends on Wednesday, as over the past two seasons, Brooklyn is 16-4 ATS in road games after 2+ straight ATS losses, and is 15-3 ATS on the road when playing six or less games in 14 days. Toronto, however, is 21-8 ATS after two straight games giving up 10 or less offensive rebounds this season, and is also 52-35 ATS after playing a game as an underdog over the past two seasons. While the Nets have no injuries of concern, Raptors PG Kyle Lowry will be playing at less than 100 percent because of a knee injury and teammate SF Landry Fields is questionable for this contest after missing Game 4 with a back injury.

Brooklyn blew a golden opportunity to gain complete control of the series in Game 4, and now it must win one of the next two games in Toronto in order to win the series. After a 29-point performance in Game 3, SG Joe Johnson (19.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG this series) was completely invisible in Game 4 as he scored just seven points in 42 minutes. Johnson will need to be more aggressive, as he shot the ball just seven times (2-of-7 FG) in Sunday's loss. SF Paul Pierce (15.5 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG this series) has really come on strong offensively for this Brooklyn team with 22 points (9-of-14 FG, 3-of-7 threes) and five rebounds in Game 4. Nobody in the starting five scored more than 10 points on Sunday besides the small forward. Brooklyn will need PG Deron Williams (17.8 PPG, 5.5 APG this series) to get back on track after having just 10 points (4-of-12 FG) and six assists in Game 4. He was in foul trouble for a lot of the contest and also had five turnovers. His clash with Kyle Lowry continues to be one of the most important matchups in the series and he can’t allow the Raptors point guard to get the better of him. Reserve PF Mirza Teletovic (8.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG this series) had 12 points and five rebounds in just 17 minutes in Game 4. His offense off the bench could give the Nets a huge boost in Toronto if the big man can get hot from the outside.

The Raptors went on the road and picked up a Game 4 victory in what was an extremely gutsy performance for this young team. After really struggling in Game 1 (14 points on 3-of-13 FG), SG DeMar DeRozan (24.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG this series) has come on strong for the Raptors with 28.0 PPG over the past three contests. DeRozan had 24 points and five rebounds in Game 4, and will need to be on his game Tuesday in order for the Raptors to gain their first lead of the series. C Jonas Valanciunas (12.0 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 1.5 BPG this series) had just six points and six rebounds to go along with two blocks on Sunday. He had been dominating the paint with three straight double-doubles to open the series (14.0 PPG, 14.0 RPG), so the Raptors will need to try to reestablish him early on in Game 5. PG Kyle Lowry (18.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.0 APG this series) had 22 points and a game-high +14 rating on Sunday, and will need to continue to be aggressive going to the basket. His speed causes major trouble for the slower Brooklyn guards, and Toronto would be wise to continue exploiting that. Lowry must continue taking outside shots when they’re given to him, as he shot 38% from downtown in the regular season. PF Amir Johnson (10.5 PPG, 5.3 RPG this series) had a huge game in Brooklyn on Sunday, finishing with 17 points (7-of-11 FG), five rebounds and a +11 rating in 30 minutes of action. If Johnson can get it going again for Toronto, he could really be an X-factor for Wednesday's Game 5.