The Brooklyn Nets made some incredible deals before the start of the season as they landed Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
Durant is one of the best in the league and had he not picked up an injury during the Finals, Golden State should have beaten the Toronto Raptors.
However, the Warrior tore his Achilles during the Finals and jumped to New York with former Celtics star Irving.
The pair could be the NBA’s best duo but fans will have to wait till the end of this season as Durant isn’t expected to return soon.
Nevertheless, the Nets have looked decent in pre-season with three wins from three despite Irving not playing in most of the games.
The Raptors, for their part, created history by landing the NBA title thanks to Kawhi Leonard, but he jumped ship to join the LA Clippers.
The Canadians still have a decent roster with Kyle Lowry signing a new deal in the off-season, while Pascal Siakam and Marc Gasol should provide more firepower.
However, they are 1-2 after three games but should see Lowry start against the Nets (h/t Toronto Raptors Game notes).
This is the final pre-season game for all the teams ahead of a long campaign, and most of the top stars are expected to get a few minutes on court.
Irving and Lowry should feature for their respective sides, and here is the line-up prediction ahead of this fantastic clash.
Normally Lowry and Irving should have been the top picks for this game, however, the Brooklyn star has barely played in the three pre-season games.
Lowry has also not featured much but Nets coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed that Irving would not put in “regular season” minutes (h/t NBA Nets) in this game.
Fred VanVleet was one of the surprises from Toronto’s run last year and should be the other choice for this position.
Norman Powell has averaged 18 points in the pre-season and should be one of the shooting guards for this game.
The other choice could have been Patrick McCaw due to his NBA experience, however, Dzanan Musa has stepped up for the Nets in the three games.
Musa has averaged 13.7 points in pre-season and has done pretty well from three-point land too.
Kevin Durant being out is the biggest loss in terms of scoring points, so Caris LeVert is the option for this position after a decent run during pre-season.
Pascal Siakam was excellent for the Raptors in the finals and the Cameroon star is the solitary power forward for this game.
DeAndre Jordan is a rebounding machine and with Kyrie on the floor, he could nab a few points too. Serge Ibaka might not be a regular scorer but he is a handy player to have on the floor and could get a few boards.
The lack of minutes this pre-season makes Lowry a risk, but he could get the better of Irving in this clash.
This is a clash between two heavyweights in the league, and it is a surprise as to how well Brooklyn have done without Irving and Durant.
However, the Raptors could get back to their form from the previous campaign and just edge ahead of the Nets.
Selections, fantasy tips and predictions are based on historical data related to the team. It is advisable to conduct additional research close to the game for more accurate team news and player availability.
Several factors were taken to build this team, however, individuals should have their own ideas for player selection as this piece only provides some guidelines.
Image credits: Getty, AFP, Bongarts, (Dream 11 for team line-up)