Ladies and gentlemen, basketball. 

 

 

It is opening night in the NBA and we have two great matchups. First, the Philadelphia 76ers will head to Boston to take on the reigning Eastern Conference Champion Boston Celtics, and then the Golden State Warriors will get their NBA Finals rings tonight as they welcome in the Los Angeles Lakers. 

The last time we bet on the NBA was one to remember as not only did we cash our Warriors' NBA Finals future, but I also had the Warriors ALT -9.5 (+400) for the clinching game and that hit with ease. I have long said that nobody knows this Warriors team more than me given that I have PTSD from when they just pantsed my beloved Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals every year, and I was obsessed with watching them because I knew we would have to beat them to win the Finals. 

The majority of the time, we didn't, but I wouldn't trade 2016 for anything. 

Anyway, enough about me and my Cavaliers' fandom, let's get into our best bets of the night. We would love for you to tail our best bets, we just ask that you do so responsibly.

*Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook

 

Philadelphia 76ers (+3.5) @ Boston Celtics O/U 216.5

 

Part of what made the Celtics so damn good down the stretch last season was their defense. Boston led the league in Defensive rating (106.2) last year, and they had a few All-defense selections in Marcus Smart (First-Team) and the Timelord, Robert Williams (Second-Team).

Unfortunately, Williams is out tonight, and likely for a few games, and although this team did not suffer any major losses to their roster over the offseason, Ime Udoka was suspended for the entire season for doing something nasty, so who knows how this team will respond to interim coach Joe Mazzulla. However, I like the additions of Blake Griffin and Malcolm Brogdon to give this team so much more depth on both sides of the court.

For the 76ers, they had a full offseason with James Harden, which may not sound like that big of a deal, but all reports out of Philadelphia are telling me he is in shape and committed to the team (I can't imagine that changing within the next few weeks). Like the Celtics, they also brought in a lot of depth to help them on both ends of the court as Montrezl Harrell, P.J. Tucker, Danuel House, and De'Anthony Melton bring a lot of upside for a very low risk.

The 76ers are going to live and die with Harden and Joel Embiid in terms of their title chances, but I feel as though the depth they added is going to play a massive factor in their success this season. Last season, the Sixers finished top-12 in both offensive rating (113.0) and defensive rating (110.2), and that is with a team that was so disengaged and could not succeed unless the three-ball was dropping every night.

Again, the Celtics also added a lot to the league's runner-up, but they are without their head coach and they are starting with some injuries, including to Williams, who may be Boston's most important player. Their defensive rating goes down by almost four points when he is off the court, and they were only 5-11 ATS as home favorites when he is out. I like Philadelphia to win SU tonight, but I will take the points in this case.

Pick: 76ers +3.5 (-110)

 

Los Angeles Lakers (+7) @ Golden State Warriors O/U 224.5

 

It is a totally not awkward night for the Golden State Warriors as they will get their championship rings, and we will get to witness the chemistry this team built over their magical season as they celebrate their accomplishments by embracing each other in friendship and memories of reaching the pinnacle of the basketball world.

It's a good thing that Draymond Green didn't knock Jordan Poole's beak to the back of his head like Daffy Duck in a random practice to make things weird. By the way, how funny is it that after that incident, the Warriors gave Poole, and Andrew Wiggins massive contract extensions while Green twiddles his thumbs waiting for that extension he has asked for?

Anyway, that is a part of the storyline not only for tonight, but the rest of the season as the Warriors figure out if this can work. It probably will, given how good Golden State is, and I think we overrate how important Green actually is to the team. At some point, a team outgrows its leader, and that might be the case for the Warriors. Even with all of that said, he is one of three players with a positive point differential from the Warriors last season.

Golden State is bringing back their core players, but they lost a lot in Otto Porter Jr., Gary Payton II, and Nemanja Bjelica from their title run, and their replacements in Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green leave a bit to be desired.

Now, I will spoil it right now and tell you I am taking the Lakers on the spread tonight, but I cannot ignore how much of a comedic mess they were last season. It was obvious from the jump that Russell Westbrook just did not fit in (at least in a major role), and injuries to Anthony Davis and LeBron James were just too much to overcome.

Luckily, they added some good depth pieces in the offseason in Patrick Beverley (lol), Thomas Bryant, Lonnie Walker IV, and Juan Toscano-Anderson, who played a role in the Warriors' title run.

Now that they are healthy, the Lakers can at least justify bringing back Westbrook as they try to tell themselves that this will be different. It may actually be different with Westbrook taking on a sixth-man role and the prospect of potentially staying healthy. When LeBron and Davis are on the court together, Los Angeles is 75-33 in the regular season and 18-8 in the postseason, and with their new depth, and new strategy when it comes to Westbrook, I like getting seven points tonight with the Lakers.

Pick: Lakers +7 (-110)

 

Photo Credit: Embed from Getty Images