The real Opening Night Bets

I’ve wrestled with some of these picks for a lot of the day, which is why I am getting this out so late. Last night, we got our first taste of meaningful NBA action since the Celtics won the title in early June. The Celtics won on their banner night destroying the Knicks, with Tatum making 8 threes, and in Los Angeles, the Lakers won in JJ Reddick’s debut with incredible performances by Anthony Davis and Lebron James. Lakers also saw a historic moment in the second quarter that saw the first Father-Son duo in NBA history play together when Lebron and his son Bronny James took the floor together for the first time.

And thankfully that will be the end of the Lakers and Celtics talk for this post, and I get to focus on other NBA teams. Opening Night is always a weird night to bet in my eyes, as anything can happen. When you get 10-15-20 games into the season you can kind of tell where games will go most of the time if you know the teams, but with a brand new season everyone is as hungry as ever and everyone has the same odds to win. That being said, I do think some games are “Slam Dunks” (every pun intended) tonight, where there is potential to make a good amount of money.

Pacers(-5.5) at Pistons(+170):

Indiana Spread Here is an interesting play in my eyes. Detroit is going to need a few more years to truly work out what this team is with Cade Cunningham, and I think the Pacers are one of the potential sleeper teams in the East. I love the way Tyrese Haliburton has grown in his career, and I think he is going to take another step up this year and prove that he is cemented as a current top-five-point guard in the league. Haliburton, combined with Pascal Siakam, and young and emerging players like Benedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin potentially coming into the prime of his career, I think it is all going to be too much for a PIston’s team that is still going to have a lot of challenges this year. Pick: Pacers -5.5

Grizzlies(-2.5) at Jazz (+125):

As weird as it is to say, I think this line is too generous towards the Jazz. I understand where Vegas is coming from in a way. Memphis finally has Ja Morant back for the first time since the middle of last season, and Utah can probably see the light at the end of the tunnel in terms of their rebuild, after giving Lauri Markennen a big extension late this past offseason. However, I think Vegas is forgetting what kind of player Ja was when he was 100% healthy a couple of years ago. This was a guy who was an MVP candidate, and led a startup Memphis team to the Western Conference Semifinals and got beat by the team that eventually went on to win the Title. I think that he wants to put on a show in his return and that he is going to be the best player on the floor in this game. I think that Memphis is going to show that they are back to their ways in 2022, with Jaren Jackson Jr showing that he is an all-pro defensive player, and Ja showing that this offense is at least good enough to beat teams they should in the end. Pick: Grizzlies -2.5

Magic(+110) at Heat(-2.5):

When I said I was wrestling back and forth with picks for a lot of the day, I should have been specific and just said this one. I think this will be one of the more interesting games of the night. For those who don’t usually watch Orlando, it’s time to get a game pass and start. Paolo Banchero is a stud that can score from every level, and if his three-point shot can be just the slightest bit more consistent (he shot 34% last year if it gets to 36-37%), with Franz Wagner next to him, and poised to make another leap from an already nice 19 points per game, this team could be another sleeper in the east that I think people need to keep an eye on. That is not to discredit Miami, who with Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Tyler Herro still have a very talented Roster, however, this is a time when I think that youth is going to play a massive factor, and I think Orlando is eager to prove that they are a very real contender in the East this year. When we look back at this game at the end of the season, we will not be saying this was an upset. Pick: Magic Moneyline

Warriors(-5.5) at TrailBlazers(+190)

What are the Warriors cooking? One of the biggest question marks of the season to me is what exactly is this Golden State team after the departure of long-time shooting guard Klay Thompson, and with the replacement that Mike Dunleavy Jr has brought in. Two of the Warriors’ Big Three are still there, with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green slated to be two of Golden State’s starting five tonight barring any pregame injuries. The Warriors went 6-0 this preseason and won five games for the fourth time in the past 10 years. The other three years they won five games in the preseason were 2015, 2017, and 2022, all three years ending in a title. As much as I want to talk about the TrailBlazers, this is a game Golden State should win running away. Portland is in the middle of their rebuild and probably playing for Head Coach Chauncey Billups's job. They have a couple of good pieces, Jerami Grant, Deni Avdija, Deandre Ayton, and Anfernee Simons come to mind, but none of them are as good as Curry and Green, as well as the pieces of Golden State’s young core that is poised to take another leap this year. Pick: Warriors -5.5

Play of the Night/Potential Parlay

The play of the night is Pacers -2.5 over the Pistons. Detroit is just not ready to compete with the athletes that Indiana has, and I think that the Pacers will run away with this game early and Never look back. The Pacers are truly a balanced team with an All-Star caliber center and an All-Star caliber Point-Guard. I don’t think Cade Cunningham is going to have the athleticism to be able to guard Tyrese Haliburton (yet, he will soon), and I think that Pascal Siakam is going to be a major factor on the defensive end of the floor and make it difficult for Detroit to score inside.

In terms of a potential Parlay, I would put a three-leg down with Pacers spread, Warriors Spread, and Orlando Moneyline. I know that the Orlando portion of it will be a sweat, but scared money doesn’t make money. With the pick of the day in here anchoring an early win in the parlay, I think if the Magic can get that win in Miami, you are setting yourself up for a decent payday because of this parlay.