Bust out Andy Williams because it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. There’s only so many fake Russell Westbrook deal fans can run through the trade machine, so many takes about teammates punching each other, only so much we can say about how good Victor Wenbanyama is going to be (super good, you guys).
We need something real, something tangible. We need games. And now they’re here. Two big matchups, four of the league’s marquee franchises. One glorious opening night.
Let’s make some plays.
Philadelphia 76ers (+2.5, +120) @ Boston Celtics (-2.5, -140) – 7:30 ET / 4:30 PT
These are two teams I’ve been looking forward to all off-season. The Sixers seem like the team most likely to make the leap from playoff team to true title contender. Boston for…myriad reasons. When we last saw the Celtics, they were getting run off their home floor by the eventual champs. Philadelphia, mostly Joel Embiid, fought valiantly through injuries all postseason, nearly coming back in their series against Miami.
Boston and Philly split their four matchups last season, but I always hesitate to use last season to inform my decisions in the present. What truly matters to me in this matchup is the absence of Robert Williams. The hyper-athletic big who I believe is responsible for Marcus Smart’s Defensive Player of the Year award probably wouldn’t have been matched up head-to-head with Joel Embiid, but he would have been the most important help defender on the team. Without him, Embiid is free to punish Al Horford and any unfortunate soul who ends up in single coverage on him.
With the Celtics, there’s always a chance for them to become scorching hot from deep, but Williams’ absence significantly hurts their trademark defence. Last season, Boston held opponents to five fewer points per game with Williams in the lineup. His ability to defend shots from the corners to the rim will be particularly missed against a team like the 76ers, who live at the rim and in the corners. I like Philadelphia (+2.5) to win this game outright, so I’ll take the points the books are giving.
Jumping on the OVER on Joel Embiid’s points (27.5) is one of my favourite player props of the night. He averaged more than 30 a game last season, he’s going to be angry all year about not winning the MVP, and he’ll be the biggest and best man in the paint no matter who Boston puts on the floor. Give me P.J. Tucker OVER 0.5 three-pointers made as well. The NBA’s top sneakerhead has built a career on hitting corner threes, and he averaged nearly two made threes per game during the time he played with James Harden in Houston. He’s getting older, but I expect a great season from Tucker. And it starts tonight.
L.A. Lakers (+6, +205) @ Golden State Warriors (-6, -245) – 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
The title defence begins for the Warriors, against the team I plan on fading all season long. Golden State was elite against the spread at home last season, covering 60.4 per cent of the time as
home favourites, 62.8 per cent at home overall. So I won’t keep you in suspense. The pick is Golden State (-6).
The player props are far more interesting in this one. You can get Steph Curry’s point total over/under at 22.5 points on some books. Hammer Steph’s OVER. Maybe the books have some inside information, but Curry gets up for games against teams starring Lebron James. The rebounding total for Andrew Wiggins is back down to 6.5. As I said in my piece about my year-long betting strategies, I love Wiggins when that number is below 8.5, so give me Andrew Wiggins OVER 6.5 rebounds.
James also gets up big time for games against Golden State, his tormentor for his entire second stint in Cleveland. I like Lebron OVER 1.5 combined steals and blocks, as well as OVER 25.5 points. Anthony Davis has been abandoned by his jump shot over the last two seasons, something the Warriors are surely aware of. Both Steve Kerr and Draymond Green love daring stars who they believe can’t shoot to shoot open shots. I think Davis will find himself wide open beyond the arc all night. He’ll hit one. Give me Anthony Davis OVER 0.5 three-pointers made.
The Sicko Same Game Parlay of the Day pays out at +1200
· Philadelphia 76ers Money Line
· P.J. Tucker OVER 0.5 threes made
· Joel Embiid OVER 27.5 points
· Joel Embiid Double Double
· James Harden OVER 8.5 assists
As always, only bet what you can afford to lose. Play safe and don’t chase.
COMMENTS
When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.