The 2019-20 NBA season is underway and the first three days of play have thrown up some interesting results! Saturday offers a great nine game slate and we have a full preview and betting tips for some of the key matchups below!
NBA Betting Tips Saturday 26th October
Toronto Raptors at Boston Celtics (10am AEDT)
The Raptors kicked off their title defence on night one of the season with a thrilling win over the New Orleans Pelicans. The two teams were locked up after four quarters but the Raptors were able to pull away in overtime, claiming an 8-point win on the back of some strong play from Pascal Siakam and Fred Van Fleet.
The Celtics had the unenviable matchup against the 76ers on the road to start the season and while they stayed competitive for most of the game, they ended up going down by 14 points. Gordon Hayward was solid for the Celtics, putting up 25 points on 8/15 shooting.
Tough matchup to call here between two sides that were elite teams last season but have clearly declined due to loss of talent this year. We are going to stay away from the match line and opt to take Hayward’s overs for points, as he should continue to have an increased role on offence due to the departure of Kyrie Irving.
Dallas Mavericks at New Orleans Pelicans (11am AEDT)
The Pelicans will be without their star draft pick, Zion Williamson, for the foreseeable future, however, there’s still plenty to be excited about in New Orleans. Without Zion, the Pels took it right to the Raptors on night one of the season, unveiling an exciting and young new core as they went down by eight points in overtime.
The Mavericks kicked off their season with a win on Thursday l, downing the Washington Wizards by 8 points as stay youngster Lila Doncic exploded for 34 points. Kristaps Porzingus also impressed in his first game for the Mavs, dropping 23 points including 3 threes.
Brandon Ingram was super impressive in the Pelicans opener and should continue to be the focal point on offence in the absence of Zion Williamson. The small forward played 35 minutes and put up 19 shots in the loss. We like him to go over again.
Ingram OVER 18.5 points
$1.85
Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers (1.30pm AEDT)
The Lakers were competitve for the majority of their opening night matchup against the Clippers but ultimately went down by 10 points to a red hot Clippers team. That loss might have been more impressive in hindsight, after the Clippers absolutely decimated the Warriors by 19 points on Friday. Recruits Anthony Davis and Danny Green were impressive, combining for 53 points in the loss.
The Jazz picked up a 5 poitn win in their opening game of the season, lead by star point guard Donovan Mitchell, who dropped 32 points in the five point win over the Thunder at home. They'll be hoping to get a bit more out of recruits in the likes of Mike Conley, who had just five points in the win.
Hard not to love the look of the Danny Green point line after his impressive performance in Game 1. There's no way he goes off for 28 points again, but with his line at just 9.5, we think he clears it quite comfortably. Green played 32 mnutes and pit up 14 shots on Wednesday. Should get his fair share of touches once again.
Green OVER 9.5 points
$1.75
