The Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors face off tonight. Both these Eastern Conference teams have gotten off to a slow start this NBA season. The Nets currently hold a record of 8 wins and 10 losses. On the other hand, the Raptors are slightly better off and are at 9 wins and 8 losses.
Yuta Watanabe, Seth Curry, Ben Simmons, and the others have all stepped up and provided Kevin Durant with support. In fact, the less-known Yuta has transformed himself into a deadly three-point shooter and role player for the Nets.
With that being said, we should wonder about his availability status along with the rest of the players. Additionally, we should also have an expected idea of the rosters and context of this matchup.
Yuta Watanabe is listed as day-to-day for the Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors game tonight
Watanabe joined the league in the 2018-2019 draft. He has averaged only 4.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists so far in his career. Be that as it may, he has certainly stepped up this year and performed when things have gotten dire for the Brooklyn Nets.
In fact, he scored 20 points against the Portland Trail Blazers and 16 against the Memphis Grizzlies. Most of them came through fast transition three-point shots. Considering that Yuta is averaging a league-high 57% from the three-point line, we can tell that he has worked on his game extensively.
However, we shouldn’t expect him to suit up in this game against the Raptors. It would interest a few people to know that Yuta played for Toronto for the last 2 years, before being traded to the Nets. Watanabe has been diagnosed with a hamstring strain and might end up missing this game against his former team.
In any case, we should wonder about the rest of the players and expected rosters for the Nets-Raptors match tonight.
Brooklyn Nets injury report
- Yuta Watanabe
- TJ Warren
- Alondes Williams
Brooklyn Nets expected roster
- Kyrie Irving
- Kevin Durant
- Ben Simmons
- Seth Curry
- Royce O’Neale
- Nic Claxton
Toronto Raptors injury report
- Pascal Siakkam
- Otto Porter Jr
- Scottie Barnes
- Dalano Banton
Toronto Raptors expected roster
- OG Anunoby
- Thaddeus Young
- Juancho Hernangomez
- Fred VanVleet
- Christian Koloko
Despite missing Yuta Watanabe, we can tell the Brooklyn Nets are still comparatively healthier than the Toronto Raptors. Finally, let us take a look at the expert predictions for this game.
The Nets are favored to defeat the Raptors tonight
Brooklyn and Toronto already faced off once this season. This was a close game. However, the Nets won thanks to a solid performance from Kyrie Irving. He scored 30 points and 7 assists to carry his team in a 109-105 win against Toronto.
It is very difficult to argue that the Raptors have the talent it takes to defeat the Brooklyn Nets. Moreover, they will be missing two of their best players. Both Pascal Siakkam and Scottie Barnes are expected to miss this game. Therefore, it is quite an easy bet to go with the Brooklyn Nets for this match tonight.
