The Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors reasserted their dominance with big opening-night wins. The Celtics played a close first half against the 76ers, but they ran away with the game in the second half. The Warriors never looked vulnerable against the Lakers, and their dominant third quarter performance put the game away. Now it’s the rest of the NBA’s turn, and the NBA betting odds for Tuesday’s contests have some solid value. Bettors looking for a solid return should tail the NBA picks and predictions below.
Top NBA Betting Picks & Predictions
Tyrese Haliburton O/U 25.5 Points + Assists
Tyrese Haliburton Double-Double
In one of the evening’s first games, the Charlotte Hornets will face the Indiana Pacers on the road. The Pacers, now without Malcolm Brogdon, will have to entrust point guard Tyrese Haliburton with a bigger role than the one he saw last season. Haliburton averaged 17.5 points and 9.6 assists per game with the Pacers last season. That shifted to 16.8 points and 10 assists after the Pacers shut down Brogdon for the final 11 games.
Haliburton will face the Washington Wizards in Indiana’s home opener. The Wizards played at a relatively slow pace last year, but they struggled with defensive efficiency and ranked 25th in the metric. Haliburton has played the Wizards twice as a Pacer, and he averaged 18 points and 12.5 assists in those meetings. He recorded a double-double both times.
Two angles should allow bettors to find value in this spot. First, backing Haliburton to go over his total points and assists offers a relatively safe return, especially since Haliburton’s production should tick up slightly after a full offseason with the Pacers. Second, backing Haliburton to get a double-double feels likelier than the implied odds suggest, as he averaged a double-double per game following Brogdon’s departure.
Wizards-Pacers Predictions:
1. Haliburton OVER 25.5 Points + Assists (-120 for 0.6 Unit) at DraftKings
2. Haliburton Double-Double (+125 for 0.4 Unit) at DraftKings
Spencer Dinwiddie O/U 4.5 Assists
The Dallas Mavericks moved on from Jalen Brunson in the offseason. Losing their second-best ball handler should leave Spencer Dinwiddie with plenty of chances to dish out assists. Brunson averaged 3.3 assists per game alongside Dinwiddie last year, and Dinwiddie averaged 3.9 assists per game himself. However, Dinwiddie’s assists per game ticked up to 4.5 in the two games that Brunson missed.
Dinwiddie is a sharp target given what Jason Kidd has said his plans are this year. He intends for Dinwiddie and Doncic to share the floor at key moments but for Dinwiddie to command the second unit. That unit now includes sixth man Christian Wood (who will work as a fantastic pick-and-roll partner for Dinwiddie) and, if Kidd’s words are to be trusted, Tim Hardaway Jr. Both players should help Dinwiddie rack up dimes.
The books have listed the number for Dinwiddie’s assists as if he’ll spend much of his time working alongside Luka Doncic. That really doesn’t appear to be the case, so taking advantage of this plus-money player prop looks like a sharp NBA pick for Wednesday.
Suns-Mavericks Prediction: Dinwiddie OVER 4.5 Assists (+130) at DraftKings
Jusuf Nurkic O/U 24.5 Points + Rebounds
When the Sacramento Kings invested in Domantas Sabonis, they got a unique big man who struggles to defend the rim and isn’t a great contested rebounder. That opens the door for Portland’s center, Jusuf Nurkic, to stuff the stat sheet. Nurkic last saw Sabonis at EuroBasket 2022, and he went for 15 points and five rebounds against him and Jonas Valanciunas.
The tracking stats prove Nurkic is the better rebounder. He reeled in 11.1 rebounds and 6.9 contested rebounds per game last year. Although Sabonis got 12.1 rebounds per game, only 4.7 of those were contested. Sabonis’ production was more a function of volume, so Nurkic should have an edge on the glass.
Playing Nurkic’s points and rebounds line also allows bettors to exploit Sabonis’ suspect paint defense. Sabonis allowed his opponents to make 64.1% of their shots less than five feet from the rim and gave up 13 such shots per game. Since Sabonis no longer has Myles Turner to bail him out close to the basket, Nurkic should exploit the mismatch on Tuesday night.
Trail Blazers-Kings Prediction: Nurkic OVER 24.5 Points + Rebounds (+100) at DraftKings
