Free Pick | NBA | Thursday | Nov. 2

Check out college and pro football offers for Thursday Night!

Nelly’s opened our NBA season 1-0 last night – we’ll be selective early in the season as we look to back up six consecutive winning basketball seasons.

Nelly’s is on a 14-3 college football run since early October.

#555 Toronto Raptors +8.5 over Philadelphia 76ers 6:10 PM CT

Toronto is just 2-3 this season but the Raptors have a pair of quality wins beating Minnesota and Milwaukee. All three losses have come by single-digit margins including a one-point overtime loss in Chicago. Toronto lost by seven hosting Philadelphia on Saturday and that game was competitive throughout as the largest lead for the 76ers was just 12 points. A seven-point loss for Toronto was a good showing considering Philadelphia outshot Toronto 50.0% to 43.7% and those numbers could bounce in tonight’s rematch for an even closer outcome. Toronto had 13 turnovers and was -16 in the paint, also numbers that are less likely to repeat Thursday night. Philadelphia is just 2-1 this season and the bulk of the positive statistics stem from beating Portland by 28 points. The roster is in flux following the James Harden trade and there may be an adjustment period for this team, while losing P.J. Tucker and Danny Green won’t help the outside shooting potential for the 76ers. Philadelphia has a big game with Phoenix next on the schedule and having a three-day layoff this early in the season might not be that beneficial. The 7ers have won four straight games in this series but seven points in the largest margin in the past three meetings. Toronto has the fifth best 3-point defense at this point in the season holding foes below 30 percent beyond the arc compared to Philadelphia allowing nearly 38 percent. Darko Rajakovic has strong credentials as the new Toronto head coach and opponents likely don’t have a great feel for preparing for his scheme as the Raptors look likely to be an appealing early season underdog, particularly in a division rematch.