The 2023-24 NBA regular season tips off on Tuesday, and the first week of action is always a tough one to navigate since coaches use the preseason to get looks at different rotations and younger potential contributors.
Every team has unique situations to monitor, so we’re offering an early-season NBA betting guide breaking down what to look for from all 30 squads from opening night through Halloween night. With the season in full swing, there is no better time to pick the best NBA betting sites to add a little excitement to the regular season games.
2023-24 NBA early season betting: Ride teams that enter the season with continuity
Cleveland: Following Game 1 in Brooklyn, the Cavs have a Friday-Saturday home back-to-back against the Thunder and Pacers. The Knicks ring the doorbell on Halloween night, and if this team follow’s last season’s script of starting strong (5-1), no treats will be had. All-Star center Jarrett Allen (ankle) should be OK to open against his former team and Heat import Max Strus will join the starting lineup.
L.A. Clippers: Reportedly, the Clips have refused to include Terrence Mann in a package to land James Harden, holding up any trade. He’ll start, too, with Ivica Zubac back in the middle and Kahwi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook healthy and set to do the heavy lifting. Games against the Blazers, Jazz, Spurs and Magic are up first with no back-to-backs until November.
Minnesota: After closing last season with a slew of injuries, the Wolves are healthy again. They need to become Anthony Edwards’ team, so we’ll see what transpires early to make that happen. Mike Conley’s influence should help since with a training camp under his belt. After a 5-0 preseason, Minnesota has winnable games at Toronto, against Miami and in Atlanta.
Sacramento: After opening in Utah, the Kings hope home cooking helps build on last season’s breakthrough with the Warriors and Lakers visiting Golden 1 this weekend. Virtually everyone is back and they added wing Chris Duarte, who may unseat Kevin Huerter in the first five. A great start is vital given the depth of Sacramento’s division, and the need to prove last season was no fluke while getting results with a target on its back.
Beware of team issues, injuries when betting early NBA games
Charlotte: The Hornets are the only team to play their first three games at home, so getting off to a strong start is important. LaMelo Ball is back, but Miles Bridges’ future remains in legal limbo, and No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller shot 1-for-13 from 3-point range in the preseason after struggling in Summer League.
Dallas: Luka Doncic is nursing a calf strain and may not be 100 percent for Wednesday’s opener in San Antonio. The Mavs’ first home game is vs. the Nets, so Dorian Finney-Smith will be in town and Kyrie Irivng will be engaged. Rookie center Dereck Lively will play a large role in determining what kind of start Dallas gets off to presuming Doncic is fine.
Golden State: An ankle injury may force Draymond Green out of the lineup early, although he’s working to rush back. Golden State hosts Phoenix in Tuesday’s season opener before a trio of road games await over a four-night span in Sacramento, Houston and New Orleans. However, Steph Curry looks great, so we’ll get a clear picture of the Warriors’ early approach to the season immediately.
Memphis: Life without Ja Morant for the first 25 games begins at home against the Pelicans, Nuggets and Mavs since the Grizzlies leave town only once, visiting the Wizards Saturday. Unfortunately, center Steven Adams is out for the season, Brandon Clarke is still in rehab and newcomer Marcus Smart will be learning the offense as he runs point until Morant returns.
New Orleans: Zion Williamson, who hasn’t played since January and has played more than 30 games just once in his three seasons, looks ready to go. The Pels open in Memphis before home games against the Knicks and Warriors. Larry Nance, Jr., Trey Murphy III, Naji Marshall and Jose Alvarado have all been banged up, so depth may be an issue.
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NBA teams who could be strong ATS buys in opening week
Chicago: The Bulls return their nucleus intact, adding only vets Torrey Craig and Jevon Carter to Billy Donovan’s rotation. A strong start is possible given their continuity entering a stretch featuring home games against the Thunder and Raptors before hitting the road to face the Pistons and Pacers. A mediocre start may be a sign of things to come.
Houston: The Rockets’ road back to respectability begins in Orlando and San Antonio before a home back-to-back on Sunday and Monday against the. Warriors and Timberwolves. They’ll be underdogs in each game, but Ime Udoka has a healthy roster in place that won four of five in the preseason, setting the foundation for success with Fred VanVleet leading the way.
Indiana: The Pacers can get off to a strong start with home games against the Wizards and Bulls on tap in addition to a Friday visit to Cleveland. Rick Carlisle has inserted newcomers Bruce Brown and Obi Toppin into the starting lineup and picked up exhibition wins over the Hawks and Cavs because those guys have hit the ground running.
L.A. Lakers: LeBron James and Anthony Davis enter the season in great shape. L.A. is healthy outside of potential starter Jared Vanderbilt (heel). Taurean Prince is filling in as one of the new additions to the deepest Lakers’ roster in years. After nationally televised matchups against the Nuggets and Suns, we’ll see how the team handles their first back-to-back against the Kings and Magic.
San Antonio: Victor Wembanyama already put on a show in the preseason, raising questions about whether the Spurs’ timetable to return to respectability should be accelerated. Rival Dallas is in town for Wednesday’s opener with Houston coming through Friday before the Spurs hit the road to face the Clippers on Sunday and the Suns twice next week. Wemby led San Antonio in scoring in three of four games he played in.
Toronto: The Raptors begin the Darko Rajakovic era at home against Minnesota Wednesday on the heels of a 4-0 preseason, winning their dress rehearsal over the Wizards by 36 points. Fresh off leading Germany to the FIBA Word Cup, Dennis Schroder had 11 assists as he fills Fred Van Vleet’s shoes. After visiting Chicago Friday, Toronto is home the next night to play the 76ers, with the Blazers coming through Monday.
2023-24 NBA opening week betting guide: Fade tough early schedules
Atlanta: The first full season under HC Quin Snyder begins with Saddiq Bey replacing discarded forward John Collins in the lineup. Atlanta opens with a visit to Charlotte and challenging home games against the Knicks and T-Wolves sandwiching a Sunday visit to Milwaukee, making for a tough early stretch of three games in four nights.
Denver: The champs host the Lakers Opening night before spending the weekend in Memphis and OKC. Game 4 will be the second leg of the Nuggets’ first back-to-back as Utah visits Monday, so the recipe for an early post-title hangover has been cooked up by the schedule makers. Forwards Michael Porter Jr. (ankle) and Christian Braun (calf) missed preseason time but should be ready for ring night.
Miami: Jimmy Butler spent time away from the Heat this preseason and participated in no exhibition games. Guard Josh Richardson, expected to play a key role, is dealing with a foot injury, and backup wing Haywood Highsmith is out a few weeks with an MCL sprain. Miami visits Boston, Minnesota, and Milwaukee over a four-day span beginning Friday and may be ragged early.
New York: The Knicks can feed the hype machine for 2023-24 with a Wednesday home upset of the Celtics. They visit arch nemesis Trae Young on Friday, are in New Orleans Saturday, and on national TV against the Cavs and former top target Donovan Mitchell next Tuesday. A 1-3 preseason doesn’t matter. How they handle this early stretch will fuel the tabloid back pages.
Orlando: After the home opener against the Rockets, the Magic hit the West coast for games at the Blazers, Lakers, Clippers, and Jazz. Although still young, Orlando is deeper, more seasoned and expects to make the playoffs, so avoiding an early hole is important. Last year’s group opened 1-7 and dropped 20 of their first 25. Everyone is healthy.
Philadelphia: Nick Nurse will coach whoever shows up in Milwaukee ready to work in Thursday’s opener. He’ll get an ovation when his new team plays in Toronto on Saturday and make his regular season home debut in front of Philly fans Sunday. Even though it will be the Sixers’ third game in four nights and James Harden may or may not play, he’ll be booed if they lose.
Utah: John Collins is the main new rotation piece, but veteran guard Kris Dunn and rookies Taylor Hendricks and Keyonte George had their moments in preseason for a team that’s deeper and more talented. Injuries contributed to a 2-9 finish that caused Utah to miss the playoffs, but another step forward is a strong possibility. Home games against the Kings and Clippers precede stops in Phoenix and Denver, offering a difficult early proving ground.
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Exercise patience with players getting use to new teams early in the 2023-24 NBA season
Boston: The East’s co-favorites start the season at the Knicks before hosting Miami on Friday night, so the Celtics will need to galvanize quickly. Winning their last three preseason games by double-digits means nothing. Unproven bench pieces will be under scrutiny and may be one reason to avoid laying big numbers until we see how they gel.
Milwaukee: Damian Lillard’s Bucks debut comes at home on Thursday against the 76ers, but his team plays only once until a Sunday-Monday back-to-back at Atlanta and back in Milwaukee against Miami. Lillard facing the Heat team he so badly wanted to join adds spice to that rivalry. Newcomer Malik Beasley led the preseason in 3-pointers, adding another shooter to the mix around Giannis.
Phoenix: Bradley Beal averaged 11 points over two preseason games, finishing plus-24 over 32 minutes despite not shooting well. Devin Booker will be the de facto point guard and we’ll all see how the on-court chemistry plays out since the Suns will be on TV a lot, starting with road games at the Warriors and Lakers. They host the Jazz and Spurs to close October.
NBA underdogs to monitor in opening week
Brooklyn: A healthy Ben Simmons averaged over seven boards and eight assists in major minutes as a starter over the final three dress rehearsals. Shooter Cam Johnson missed the preseason with a hamstring injury and is now ready to go, but Simmons should stay in Jacque Vaughn’s lineup as long as he produces. The Nets have the weekend off after hosting the Cavs Wednesday and visiting the Mavs on Friday.
Detroit: Ex-No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham is back from injury and rookie Ausar Thompson is in line for a major role, so new head coach Monty Williams will be playing with rotations deep into the season. Veteran shooter Bojan Bogdanovic has been dealing with a mild calf strain. The Pistons will be a nightly underdog most of the season.
Oklahoma City: Chet Holmgren’s regular-season home debut won’t come until Sunday against Nikola Jokic, but he’ll first face Nikola Vucevic in Chicago and against the Cavs’ twin towers. How he handles the grind is the key to OKC’s season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will play off the ball more, a sign of how much more talented the Thunder are heading into the season.
Portland: Dame Time is over, but the Blazers’ youth movement will be fun to watch since Scoot Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe are explosive. Vets Deandre Ayton, Robert Williams III, Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons didn’t play much in the preseason but will be in the mix in games against the Clippers, Magic, 76ers, and Raptors. Only the Orlando game will be at home.
Washington: The Wizards have the lowest projected win total of any team and will be underdogs on most nights. Jordan Poole had a 41-point game this preseason and another two where he went a combined 3-for-28 from the field, which may be a preview of how up and down he’ll be as Washington’s new primary option. Kyle Kuzma missed half the preseason due to a calf contusion but will start the season. Washington opens the season in Indiana before returning to D.C. to host the Grizzlies (F) and Celtics.
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