Happy NBA Opening Night, to those who celebrate!
It’s a joyous occasion for us hoops lovers ready to see how this wide open league plays out for the 2022-23 season.
The NBA tips off with a double-header Tuesday involving the two reigning conference champions, and each are working through major issues that came up in the offseason. First the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers at 7:30 ET, then the Golden State Warriors receive their championship rings before hosting the Los Angeles Lakers at 10 ET.
For those counting, that’s Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, James Harden, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and more big star power on opening night.
Here’s a look at some of the best Opening Night bets.
76ers ML (+120)
You can’t get a complete picture of what to expect in this game by looking at last season. These teams split their four games, but each of those games were before James Harden joined the Sixers. He tilts how these teams will look against each other.
However, picking Philadelphia to win isn’t simply because of Harden. It’s mostly a value play. As the underdog, Philly is getting plus money, and this game could really go either way. And while vibes don’t win games, they definitely favor the Sixers right now. All Philly did in the offseason was improve the roster with names like P.J. Tucker and Montrezl Harrell, and Tyrese Maxey is only getting better. Harden also looks to be in great shape.
Boston added Malcolm Brogdon, which was huge, but it won’t have Robert Williams early in the season. The Celtics also lost head coach Ime Udoka, and while we don’t know the impact of that yet, my guess is it won’t be good and it won’t be minimal.
Prince’s Pick: 76ers ML, Under 216.5
Player Prop: Jayson Tatum Over 23.5 points (-115)
If there’s one thing I don’t question about Boston, it’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s desire to keep the team headed in the right direction. I believe they’ll do everything they can to win games, and the best way they know how to do that is through scoring the basketball.
Tatum is as talented as anybody when it comes to scoring. And his line is only one point higher than Brown’s, so I’ll roll the dice on him going over 23.5 points. He averaged 27 last season and about 26 in the playoffs.
Warriors -6.5 (-115)
I don’t really expect the Draymond Green-Jordan Poole stuff to carry over onto the court much for the Warriors. They’re a veteran group led by a veteran coach, and even if their relationship is never the same, the basketball part should roll along. And the basketball part looks promising.
For the first time in a long time, the Warriors are going into a season with a healthy Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Green. But now they have a new young core to pair with the old core with Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and James Wiseman in tow. Not to mention a top-tier role player like Andrew Wiggins.
I just don’t think LeBron James and Anthony Davis have enough help to cover this spread. Even with both scoring over 30 points in last year’s opener, the Lakers lost to the Warriors by seven. I could see a similar result here.
Prince’s Picks: Warriors -6.5, Over 224.5
Player Prop: Jordan Poole Over 2.5 3-pointers (-120)
All of Golden State’s 3-point lines are enticing, particularly Andrew Wiggins’ 1.5 — he only needs to hit two threes for the over. But I’m going with Poole’s line because the odds are a little better, and I truly believe he’ll come off the bench letting it fly against a Lakers bench not equipped to stop him or keep up.
Poole averaged almost eight 3-point attempts per game last season, more than enough for him to get three to fall. In four games against the Lakers last season, he made at least three 3-pointers three times. Now, go say that three times fast and get your opening night bets in.
