NBA opening night is finally here. After a long offseason filled with Team USA winning the gold and so many acquisitions around the league, it is time for meaningful games to be played. Opening night is one of the best times in the sports world and I am so excited to bet on the NBA again.
The first two games of the season will be fun and worth the watch. We have the defending champion Boston Celtics facing off against the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Four high-profile teams to kick off the NBA season. Let's see what player props we are betting on to get the season headed in the right direction.
Jayson Tatum Over 8.5 Rebounds (-113)
Jayson Tatum is coming off a historic year. He won the NBA Finals and a gold medal in the Olympics. However, he is still being criticized for some of his playoff performances and DNPs at the Olympics. He gets to make his mark in the opening game of the season, as he gets to hoist the banner for the Celtics fans.
I originally was looking to back Tatum in the points department, but I believe that over 8.5 rebounds is the way to go. Tatum has averaged at least 8 RPG in his last three seasons. The one factor that points to him getting to 9 rebounds is Kristaps Porzingis missing this game and the Celtics not having the prototypical center to gobble up rebounds. Furthermore, the Knicks won't have a center in the paint at all times as well.
The Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns amid Mitchell Robinson missing the first half of the season. They also are without Isaiah Hartenstein, who left for the OKC Thunder in the offseason. There are no centers that will be camping in the paint on offense to snag offensive rebounds, as KAT will be posted at the three-point line while Jalen Brunson tries to drive in the lane and score. Tatum should be able to get easy rebounds with just one Knicks player, Josh Hart, trying to crash for the offensive rebounds.
Mikal Bridges Under 2.5 Threes Made (-186)
The Knicks not only traded for KAT in the offseason, but they also traded a hefty amount of first-round picks to reunite Mikal Bridges with his Villanova teammates. Bridges brings some versatility to this team with his elite defense and solid shooting. However, the shooting may be a concern for the future.
Bridges made an obvious tweak to his unorthodox shooting form, despite being a career 38% 3-point shooter for his career. Bridges admitted during the preseason that he has been trying to tweak his shot for the past seven years, but you can tell the difference now. The results have been troubling to say the least, as Bridges shot 2 for 19 from behind the arc, including an 0 for 10 outing on Friday.
The Knicks invested a lot in this team, but Bridges' shot might be broken. I just can't envision this new shooting form helping him to three 3s on opening night after a 0/10 shooting display less than a week ago. This is a mandatory fade and will be until the books adjust the line or the tweak begins to work.
Anthony Edwards Over 27.5 Points (+102)
The Timberwolves are heading into the season with extremely high expectations. Anthony Edwards is the face of this franchise who took down the defending champions of last season in the playoffs and made it to the Conference Finals for the second time in Wolves history. Now Edwards looks to bring them to the Finals while elevating his game even more, but this time without KAT, who they traded to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.
Their first game should be a statement in LA when they take on LeBron and the Lakers. Edwards last season only hit this over once in four games against this Lakers team, but the Lakers did allow the 9th-most PPG to Shooting Guards last season. They are a little bit thin defensively in the wing spots for players like Edwards. Rui Hachimura is not laterally quick enough to stay with him, while Austin Reaves is not a good enough defender. They might need to just hope Anthony Davis can clog the lane when Edwards drives and force him to take bad shots.
However, I see Edwards starting the season off strong and making a case for the MVP this year. With no KAT and Randle still getting acclimated, I think Edwards needs to take over and be the man tonight. I expect him to get 30 points tonight, which makes me love this over.
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