It’s finally here, the 2022/23 NBA season starts on Tuesday, and here we have our opening night NBA picks.
There are two matches on the opening night, and both involve betting favorites to be NBA Championship winners. In the opening match, the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers, and then later in the night, the Golden State Warriors host the LA Lakers.
Before we get into our opening night picks, let’s first take a look at the latest betting to win the NBA Championship in 2023.
The best NBA betting sites make the Golden State Warriors the favorites to win the crown in 2023.
The Warriors are +575 with BetOnline, who now have the Milwaukee Bucks second at +675. The Bucks are now followed by previous preseason favorites, the Boston Celtics, who are now out to +700; which is also the same odds as the LA Clippers.
The Brooklyn Nets make up the top five in the betting at +750. There’s then a big gap until we get to the Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns, who are both +1400.
| 2023 NBA Championship Winner Betting |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | +575 | +550 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | +675 | +700 |
| Boston Celtics | +600 | +700 |
| LA Clippers | +700 | +750 |
| Brooklyn Nets | +750 | +800 |
| Phoenix Suns | +1400 | +1400 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | +1400 | +1400 |
| Miami Heat | +1600 | +1600 |
| LA Lakers | +1500 | +1600 |
| Denver Nuggets | +1800 | +2000 |
| Dallas Mavericks | +1600 | +2500 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | +2500 | +2500 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | +3300 | +4000 |
| Toronto Raptors | +3300 | +4000 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | +3500 | +2800 |
The odds I’m using in this article are from BetOnline. You can find more information about this bookmaker and their current new customer sign up offers in our BetOnline sportsbook review. Now let’s take a look at the match betting and make some picks.
First up, the Boston Celtics host the Philadelphia 76ers at The Garden. Otherwise known as the TD Garden, this will need to become a fortress for the Celtics if they are to reignite the belief that this is really going to be their year.
After being the betting favorites to be the 2023 champions just a few short weeks back, the Celtics have been drifting in the odds recently. This could be down to their patchy preseason form, or it could be an adjustment to the market, suggesting they may have been too short in the first place.
The Celtics were the beaten finalists in 2022, and they were also the best performing NBA team in the second half of the season. This may have led to a surge of bets in the summer, and what we have just seen lately is the market correcting itself.
Onto the match itself, and on the Moneyline Boston are -140, with the 76ers at +120.
This means a tight call in the handicap betting with the Celtics giving away 2.5 points. The 76ers (+2.5) are favorites at -115, with the Celtics (-1.5) the outsiders at -105. On the total points spread, the marker is 215.
In opening matches making picks is difficult. Yes, we have preseason to go on, but that doesn’t really replicate a competitive match, so I’m going to use last season as a marker to start with.
With Boston being so strong defensively last season, I’m going to pick them to win the match. It’s just a case of choosing between the Moneyline and the handicap. On this occasion, I’m going with the handicap. It’s only 2.5 points, so I think it’s worth the extra risk for the better odds. So my betting pick is the Boston Celtics at -105 to win on the handicap.
I’m not expecting a high scoring game, but even so, I’m leaving unders as I think 215 is a low spread.
I think it’s fair to say that the Warriors haven’t had the best build up to their opening match. Their preseason form on the court wasn’t great, and the wrong type of fast hands shown by Draymond Green hasn’t helped either.
How that plays out across the season remains to be seen. But as of yet it doesn’t appear to have affected the betting on the Warriors to retain their NBA title. Steve Kerr’s team are still the favorites at +575 in the betting to win the NBA finals.
Moving onto the latest betting odds and the Warriors are -250 on the Moneyline to start their season with a win. The Lakers are +210.
On the handicap the gap is bigger than in the opening match. The Warriors are handing their opponents 6.5 points. The betting is even, with the Warriors (-6.5) at -110, and the Lakers (+6.5) at -110. The total points spread is set at 227, both sides of the market are -110.
The Lakers had a disappointing season last time out, so will new coach Darvin Ham be able to make a difference? I’m not sure he’s sorted out all of last season’s problems, and I think it might take time for Ham’s new ideas to be properly implemented.
Therefore I’m going with the Golden State Warriors (-6.5) to win on the handicap.
I’m also expecting a high scoring match given the attacking talent on show, so I’m also going for over 227 in the total points market as a pick.
About the Author
Over the last 10 years, Dean has sharpened his expertise in crafting and revising content for his soccer and cricket betting platforms. Driven by his passion for sports betting and writing, he embarked on a journey of writing about sports wagering. Although Dean's preferred areas of focus are the English Premier League and cricket, his extensive sports knowledge enables him to tackle nearly any sport. Gone are the days of traveling the world to witness events like FIFA World Cups and Ashes cricket, as Dean now prefers the comfort of his own home while enjoying sports.
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