NBA Opening Night Odds and Picks: Lakers vs. Clippers and More
The NBA regular season tips off Tuesday and we have NBA betting tips for the two marquee opening night matchups. The entire league is waiting for the new-look Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers to face off, but first game on the schedule is between Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans.
Before you do anything, you’ll want to check out our NBA odds comparison tool. Shopping lines is one of the most important things to do when it comes to online sports betting. Luckily, the odds tool does the work for you, saving you time and money as you make you NBA bets this season:
NBA Betting Odds and Picks — Opening Night
Pelicans at Raptors -7, O/U 231.5
Opened: Raptors -5, O/U 227.5
71% of bets on the Raptors and 80% of bets on Under as of Tuesday morning, per VegasInsider.com
The Raptors look to defend their NBA Championship without the NBA Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard. New Orleans will be missing a key piece as well, but not one that they had last season. The highly anticipated debut of No. 1 pick Zion Williamson will be delayed 6-8 weeks while the 280-pound forward undergoes knee surgery to treat a torn meniscus. It’s definitely a blow to this Pelicans starting lineup as Williamson averaged 23.3 points and 6.5 rebounds on 71.4% shooting from the floor in his four preseason appearances.
As DFS analyst Notorious points in RotoGrinders Premium NBA Expert Survey, the main thing to know about tonight’s game is the Raptors change of pace.
“We are obviously dealing with a very small sample from the preseason, but the Raptors (second) and Pelicans (fifth) were both ranked in the top five in pace of play. If we look at the betting market, the total for the game has already moved up four points from where it opened.”
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My NBA Pick: Over 231.5
Projected NBA Lineups
Here’s a look at what the RotoGrinders projects the starting lineups to be Tuesday night:
Pelicans
PG – Lonzo Ball
G – Jrue Holiday
G – J.J. Redick
F – Brandon Ingram
C – Derrick Favors
Raptors
PG – Kyle Lowry
G – Fred VanVleet
SF – OG Anunoby
F – Pascal Siakam
C – Marc Gasol
My Pick: Over 231.5
Rookie of the Year Fallout
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Williamson will likely miss at least 20 games to start the season. That’s not including games and minutes that Williamson will need to miss when he comes back as a result of precautionary measures. To no one’s surprise, Williamson opened as the heavy favorite to win Rookie of the Year. He remains the favorite, leaving value for sports bettors to take advantage.
Ja Morant +260 and RJ Barrett +450 – These are the favorites to win the award after Williamson. If I’m going with anyone at the top, I’m taking the extra value with the Knicks’ RJ Barrett.
Tyler Herro +1400 – Herro has been one of the biggest movers as a result of his preseason play. The former Kentucky Wildcat will provide valuable minutes for a potential playoff team in Miami.
Michael Porter Jr. +2000 – Porter has all the potential in the world and the Nuggets are hoping to take him in with the No. 14 pick in 2018 pans out. If you aren’t familiar with Porter, the rookie missed the entire 2018-19 season so he’s eligible for the award this year. Porter averaged 9.3 points during the preseason. Tread lightly, though. Not only did Porter miss an entire year in the NBA but he also sat out the majority of his college career at Missouri.
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RuI Hachimura +2000 – Hachimura and the next guy is who my money is on. No, the Wizards won’t be a playoff team, but Hachimura is already projected to be a starter. Hachimura has a fantastic mid-range jumper and the physical ability to get open and beat defenders off the dribble. With John Wall and Isaiah Thomas hurt, Hachimura will be one of the primary offensive weapons behind Bradley Beal.
Jarrett Culver +3300 – Culver makes Minneapolis home just a few months after losing the National Championship at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Timberwolves loved Culver, taking the small-town kid with the six overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. Culver can play multiple positions, which will help increase the rookie’s usage. Culver showed out during the preseason scoring double digits in all four of his preseason games.
NBA Betting Odds and Picks — Los Angeles
Lakers at Clippers +3, O/U 225.5
Opened: Lakers +1, O/U 225.5
84% of bets on the Lakers and 54% of bets on Under as of Tuesday morning, per VegasInsider.com
There’s no better way to end Opening Night than with the favorites to win the 2019-20 NBA Championship. The Clippers +350 are slight favorites over the Los Angeles Lakers +440 at FanDuel Sportsbook. Unfortunately, the Clippers will have to wait to show-off their new Hollywood duo, as Paul George will miss at least the first 10 games, according to Clippers head coach Doc Rivers. Here’s what the starting lineups look like with George on the sideline:
Projected NBA Lineups
Lakers
PG/SF – LeBron James
PG/SG – Avery Bradley
SG/SF – Danny Green
PF – Anthony Davis
C – Javale McGee
Clippers
PG – Patrick Beverly
SG – Landry Shamet
SF – Kawhi Leonard
PF – JaMychal Green
C – Ivica Zubac
Kawhi Leonard took on the world last spring and summer. Tonight, he’ll try to take on the Anthony Davis and LeBron James, and for our purposes, we just need Leonard to keep this within 3 points. Sportsbooks opened the Clippers -1 but public money has poured in on the Lakers, making the Clippers 3-point underdogs. I’ll take the value from the line movement.
My Pick: Clippers +3
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Here are my favorite plays at Monkey Knife Fight Tuesday Night:
Kawhi Leonard Under 28.5 Points
LeBron James Under 27.5 Points
Leonard’s and James’ points props are at 26.5 across online sports bettings sites, so I think there’s value in taking the under at Monkey Knife fight with the slightly higher lines.
Futures Notes
- Find out why we think you should fade Los Angeles Superstars when it comes to MVP Odds.
- If we’re fading Hollywood, then who are we betting? I think there’s value in the mid-tier.
Image Credit: USA Today Sports Images