After the most eventful offseason in recent memory, NBA action has finally returned for the 2017-18 season. Join us here as we preview our NBA betting tips for Thursday, 19th October!
2017-18 NBA Preview & Betting Tips for Thursday, 19th October
Milwaukee Bucks At Boston Celtics (10:30am AEST)
We kick off our betting tips at the TD Garden, with the Boston Celtics hosting the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks will be looking to open their 2017-18 campaign by defeating their Eastern Conference foes, as they seek a return to the post-season for consecutive seasons and improve on last year’s 42-40 regular season record. Giannis Antetokounmpo (AKA the Greek Freak) will be leading the charge again for the Bucks and should cause major matchup headaches for Brad Stevens men in this one. 6’8 guard Khris Middleton will likely be responsible for keeping Celtics star Kyrie Irving under control, which will leave last year’s Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon to take care of the uber-athletic Jaylen Brown, who starred in the Celtics opening game loss to the Cavs.
The Boston Celtics will return home after a narrow loss to the Cavaliers on opening day. Although the fight back in the second half by the Celtics was impressive, the major talking point is definitely the Gordon Hayward injury. The Celtics new star recruit played just 5-minutes before breaking his leg in the first game of the season in what was a gruesome site for viewers. As well as immediately taking the Celtics out of championship contention, this injury will force inexperienced youngsters Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to carry a heavy offensive load. It’s a difficult back-to-back to start the season and it will take a gutsy effort to come away with a win immediately after such a disappointing opening day for the Celtics.
One area in which this game will be won and lost is on the boards. The Bucks ranked 29th in the league for rebounds last year, while the Celtics ranked 26th. Getting an advantage in this area should go a long way for either side in claiming the victory. However, we feel that the Gordon Hayward factor will prove too costly in this one, with the Greek Freak dominating in a Milwaukee win.
TIP: Milwaukee Bucks to defeat Boston Celtics - $2.32 at Sportsbet
Minnesota Timberwolves At San Antonio Spurs (12:00pm AEST)
The Minnesota Timberwolves enter their first game of the season with high expectations after signing superstar Jimmy Butler in the offseason, along with key pieces Taj Gibson, Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague. These new recruits will add a wealth of experience to the young Wolves roster, who boast the up and coming star duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins. Coach Tom Thibodeau will have his work cut out for him allocating minutes to all his key players and trying to get them to sacrifice individual stats in order to achieve success as a team. However, in a recent interview Jeff Teague was quoted saying “you’re probably not going to average 28 points or whatever if you have a lot of guys who can really play, you’ve got to make sacrifices to be great, and for our team to be really good, everyone is going to have to sacrifice, myself included”. This will make a lot of Timberwolves fans happy, although it’s a lot easier said than done.
The San Antonio Spurs will begin their 2017-18 campaign with a banged-up squad. They will be without veteran and starting point guard Tony Parker, as well as highly fancied MVP favourite Kawhi Leonard. Both players are dealing with quadriceps injuries, which will keep them out for at least a couple of weeks. The Spurs are coming off a 61-win season and have added perennial 20ppg scorer Rudy Gay. Gay should be able to fill part of the void left by Leonard’s absence, although LaMarcus Aldridge will be the main go to guy on offense.
With a fit and talented squad all in/or entering their prime, the time is now for the Timberwolves. We expect them to come away with a win in their first game against an injury-plagued Spurs line-up.
TIP: Minnesota Timberwolves to defeat San Antonio Spurs - $2.09 at Sportsbet
Portland Trail Blazers At Phoenix Suns (1pm AEST)
The Portland Trail Blazers start their new season in an away matchup with the Phoenix Suns. The Trail Blazers enter their 2017-18 campaign with a very similar roster to last season, with the additions being C.J. Wilcox, and rookies Caleb Swanigan and Zach Collins. Their biggest loss in the offseason was Allen Crabbe, who signed with the Nets. With a very similar roster and the same coach, it’s fair to say we can expect the same results. The Trail Blazers love to push the tempo to allow their star backcourt (comprising of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum) to get open looks in transition. The Trail Blazers averaged just under 110 points a game last season, which was the 8th most potent in the league. We can expect Portland to score heavy in this one against an inexperienced Phoenix Suns line-up.
Early signs from the preseason indicate that Phoenix Suns fans could be in for another long season. They haven’t tinkered much with an extremely youthful roster that constantly broke their franchise record for the youngest team they’ve put on the floor. Devin Booker made big strides last season as he stepped up his offense and averaged 22ppg (including a 70-point game) and Marquese Chriss teased fans with his potential at times. Potential Rookie of the Year candidate Josh Jackson will likely start for the Suns, in what is a team that is definitely looking ahead to the future. Phoenix are another team that love to push the ball and get their shots early in the shot clock, finishing last season with the 2nd fastest paced offense in the league. We see them liking their chances in a shootout against the Trail Blazers in what should be an exciting contest.
Both teams in this Western Conference duel will be looking to get their 2017-18 season off on the right foot. We expect it to be a free-flowing and high-scoring shootout.
TIP: Total Points Over (220.5) - $1.90 at CrownBet
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