NBA Opening Night 2018-19 Betting Preview
The NBA season tips off Tuesday night with a pair of games on the schedule for bettors to start on.
First up, the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers as a 5-point home favorite at Bovada Sportsbook.
This will be a different-looking Celtics squad than the one that bowed out in the Eastern Conference final last season. Kyrie Irving is back after missing the end of last season, while Gordon Hayward also returns after missing almost all of 2017-18 due to a gruesome leg injury.
Boston was 66-35 straight up and 62-37-2 against the spread last season. At home the Celtics posted a 31-18-2 ATS record, and when favored last season they were 36-26-2 ATS.
The 76ers continue to trust the process as they look to continue building on a solid 2017-18 season. The young core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and – if he can stay healthy – Markelle Fultz looks to help the 76ers take the next step this season.
Philadelphia went 57-35 SU last season and a solid 52-38-2 ATS. On the road the Sixers weren’t always a great bet at 22-22-2 ATS, while they were also around .500 as an underdog at 13-13-2 ATS.
Boston and Philadelphia met up in the postseason last year and Boston took the series 4-1, while also going 4-1 ATS. Altogether, including the postseason, the Celtics and 76ers met up nine times last season with Boston dominating with a 7-2 record SU and ATS. At home Boston was 4-1 SU and ATS against Philadelphia last season, and is 10-1 SU and 7-4 ATS in the last 11.
UNDER cashing in Warriors-Thunder matchups
Tuesday’s other game sees the Golden State Warriors begin their season at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder as an 11.5-point favorite.
On their way to another championship last season, the Warriors were 74-29 SU and a money-losing 46-56-1 ATS. When favored last season, they were only 44-50-1 ATS, and in their last 30 as a double-digit favorite they went 27-3 SU and 13-16-1 ATS. It will be interesting to see what the addition of DeMarcus Cousins does to their all-star lineup when he returns from an Achilles tendon injury.
The Thunder will rely heavily on Russell Westbrook again this season as they look to improve on last year’s 50-38 SU and 37-50-1 ATS records. On the road last season, the Thunder were a bad bet at 19-25 ATS.
The Warriors and Thunder clashed four times last season, splitting the series 2-2 SU and ATS. All four games went UNDER the posted total, and the UNDER is 9-1 in the last 10 matchups. At home the Warriors have dominated this matchup at 11-2 SU and 10-3 ATS in their last 13 vs the Thunder.