At last, the 2021-22 NBA regular season gets underway this Wednesday, the 20th of October! There’s a magnificent double-header on the cards for opening day and we have you covered with our best bets for both games right here!
NBA Betting Tips: Wednesday, 20th of October
Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks
Fiserv Forum, 10:30am AEDT
What a fantastic game we have on our hands to kick off what promises to be a fantastic new NBA season. Despite being the clear favourites to win the championship this season, the Nets will start as the slight underdogs on the road against the defending champions.
The Brooklyn Nets enter the new season as the title favourites and it’s not hard to see why when you have a glance of their star-studded roster. The Nets came devastatingly close to making it to the NBA Finals last season with a banged-up roster and will be hoping that a better run with injuries and natural improvement will see them go a couple of steps further in 2021-22.
The Fiserv Forum will be rocking on opening night as the Bucks faithful welcome back their title-winning team from last season. Giannis Antetokounmpo and co. were able to raise their level on the biggest stage against the Suns in the NBA Finals last season, defeating them in six games to win their first championship since 1971. They’ll bring back a very similar looking roster as they look to defend their title.
The Nets will undoubtedly be out for revenge after bowing out to the Bucks in the Conference Finals last season in heartbreaking fashion, and we expect that to show on Wednesday with a win on the road led by a big performance from Kevin Durant. Take them to get the job done at a quote of around $2 at the time of writing.
Prop: Durant 30+ Points ($1.83)
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Lakers
Staples Center, 1pm AEDT
If the first game of the season is one to be excited about, then the second might just be even better! Tipping off at around 1pm (AEDT) we have the Lakers hosting the Warriors at the Staples Center in LA. The home side will start as narrow favourites, giving up a 3.5-point start in the spread.
The Warriors will be looking to quickly bounce back into title contention this season after a couple of wasted years due to injuries to key personnel. Klay Thompson still isn’t available to play but is expected to return within the next two months, which means Steph Curry will have to carry a very heavy load on offense once again.
The Lakers have had to deal with some injuries of their own over the past 12 months, which is one of the key reasons they bowed out to the Suns in the first round of the playoffs a few months ago. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are both currently healthy and are expected to suit up for the opener, while Russell Westbrook is also expected to make his debut for the Lakers after coming across from Washington in the off-season.
The is certainly the harder of the two opening day games to get a read on and one that we won’t be having a whole lot on. However, with so much change to the Lakers roster in the off-season and the inevitable growing pains that comes with it, we do see the Warriors to cover the small spread as a decent option here.
Prop: Green 10+ Assists ($3.40)
Golden State Warriors +3.5
$1.86
