Opening Night Player Prop NBA Bets: The NBA regular season tips off Tuesday with an exciting two-game NBA opening night bet slate that is loaded with star power.
First, it will be Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets taking on his old team in the Golden State Warriors. Following that will be the battle of Los Angeles between the Lakers and Clippers.
The start of the NBA season also means there is an opportunity for us to make some money on player props. Here are four to consider for the slate with all odds coming from PointsBet, an approved betting partner of the NBA.
Opening Night Player Prop NBA Bets
Stephen Curry, Warriors at Nets: Over 27.5 Points (-115)
1 unit wager: Win Pays 1.87 units
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Curry in a game that counts. He played only five games last season because of injury in what turned out to be a lost campaign for the Warriors. The good news is that he’s back now, although Klay Thompson (Achilles) is set to miss yet another entire season.
Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins have returned, and the Warriors added Kelly Oubre Jr. and James Wiseman, forming what should be a more competitive team, health permitting.
After reading about the Best NBA Win Total Bets for 2021 and predicting NBA win totals, check out the rest of our NBA content.
Having a full season of Wiggins and the addition of Oubre will help somewhat offset the loss of Thompson, but this team is still lacking quality scoring options and overall depth. Frankly, their bench could be a disaster.
That means Curry is likely going to have to carry this team on the offensive end. He scored 29 points across 29 minutes in their final preseason game against the Kings and should finish the season among the league leaders in points per game. His usage rate should also be off the charts, so look for him to start off the season with a big scoring output.
Kelly Oubre Jr., Warriors at Nets: Over 5.5 Rebounds (-143)
1 unit wager: Win Pays 1.70 units
The Phoenix Suns leaned heavily on Oubre last season, and he didn’t disappoint, averaging 18.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in 35 minutes a game.
He’s always been a respectable rebounder, averaging at last 4.5 rebounds in both of the previous two seasons despite never averaging more than 28 minutes a night.
The Warriors might really need him to crash the boards in this game with Draymond Green (foot) listed as doubtful. Given this modest total, I like Oubre to hit the over.
Kevin Durant, Nets vs. Warriors: Over 25.5 Points (-115)
1 unit wager: Win Pays 1.87 units
Exactly who is going to guard Durant if Green is indeed out? This is a matchup nightmare. Durant looked sharp during the Nets’ two preseason games, finishing things off by scoring 25 points across only 27 minutes against the Celtics on Friday. Even playing on the star-studded Warriors, Durant had averaged at least 25.1 points in each of his last three seasons.
He should once again be among the league leaders in usage rate, and scoring at least 30 points in this matchup is not out of the question for him.
Montrezl Harrell, Clippers at Lakers: Under 23.5 Points + Rebounds (-125)
1 unit wager: Win Pays 1.80 units
After struggling mightily within the bubble in Orlando, Harrell now finds himself on the Lakers and facing his former team on Opening Night. He is coming off of the best season of his career, averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds, and he’ll now be tasked with leading the Lakers’ second unit up front while also spelling Anthony Davis at times.
With that being said, replicating his 25.7 percent usage rate from last season will be difficult.
Both LeBron James and Davis sat out the Lakers’ first two preseason games, which helped Harrell post 26 and 25 combined points and rebounds, respectively. In their final two preseason games with both James and Davis back in action, Harrell record 17 and 14 combined points and rebounds, respectively.
Add in Marc Gasol stealing some minutes at center and Harrell’s combination of limited minutes and a reduced usage rate make the Under appealing.
After reading about the Best NBA Win Total Bets for 2021 and predicting NBA win totals, check out the rest of our NBA content.
