NBA Picks

We are just days away from the 2025-26 NBA season tipping-off and what a game we have coming our way on Tuesday. Luka Doncic and his Los Angeles Lakers welcome Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in what should be a fun and entertaining clash at Crypto.com Arena.

Preseason isn’t usually a measuring stick when it comes to analysis, but for what it’s worth it the Lakers went just 1-4 SU in 5 games, with head coach JJ Redick experimenting a lot with his lineups. LA made some significant moves during the offseason, adding Deandre Ayton who will start at center, while Marcus Smart comes in to strengthen the point guard position. The defense will suffer a bit with Dorian Finney-Smith leaving for Houston, but then again the Lakers weren’t really known for their defense last season. LeBron James will miss the start of the season with a sciatica injury, it is unclear when he is expected back. It’ll be up to Luka Doncic to build on a solid offseason where he balled out at Eurobasket with Slovenia.

Despite having the oldest starting five in the league, the Warriors aren’t without high expectations this season. The trio of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green is as good as any other in the league, if they can play enough games together. Golden State will be basing their optimism on the fact they went 22-5 SU in 27 games when Curry and Butler played together last season, it is well documented how good those two players compliment each other on the basketball court. Al Horford and Seth Curry are the two most notable additions, while Kuminga, Melton and Gary Payton II all got extended. There was something about playing on the road that got this team fired up last season, they concluded the year winning 9 of 13 games away from home.

There have been a few rule changes this offseason that will benefit shooters like Stephen Curry, so I expect the scoring to go up a bit in the early going. Both teams will want to show off in the season opener, I’d rather lean towards a high scoring game here as opposed to backing a team to win. The over has cashed in 6 straight meetings. Back the points.

Over 223.5 is available at -108 odds at time of publishing. Playable up to 225.5 points.

We can start with the obvious – the Knicks on opening night in the Garden, you can expect to pay a premium to back New York here before we go any further. New York made it to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2024-25 season and though we have not played a minute of basketball, the discussion here is can the Knicks get to the Finals this season finally? Cleveland we remind everyone was the top seed in the East, last season, but no one is talking about them.

It would go against conventional wisdom to back the Cavaliers here perhaps and even go as far as to suggest that they can win this game outright. But is that really absurd? The Cavs have the perimeter shooting threat that can give New York fits and when this team fires on all cylinders, they can light it up quick. New York meanwhile may caught up in the spectacle and revelry that comes with opening night in the Garden. Yes, we say it again.

But opening night is all about surprises and it wouldn’t be all that crazy if Cleveland swoops in and steals a win? Not by the least, especially is Donovan “The Spider” Mitchell gets going from beyond the arc. Cavaliers pull the upset.

Cleveland vs. New York prediction: Cleveland +145 (Money Line), available at time of publishing. Playable to number posted.

After a rather disappointing campaign last year, the Raptors are looking to turn a new page as they head to Atlanta for a date with the Hawks. No major changes were made in the offseason, but that was hardly surprising given the moves Toronto made mid-season last year. Brandon Ingram is expected to lead the team offensively, while the trio of Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley gets better after another year of playing together. The Raptors have generally had good luck in games at Atlanta, covering the spread in their last 5 visits. They are also 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings overall.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kristaps Porzingis and Luke Kennard were Atlanta’s key additions during the offseason, as they look to surround Trae Young with some talent. Expectations are high for the Hawks this season, even the oddsmakers are projecting them to win around 46.5 games which would be their highest win total since the 2015-16 season. I am not the one to jump on the bandwagon that easily. The defense was a major problem last year, Atlanta ranked just 19th in efficiency on that end. As good as Trae Young is on offense, he still remains a liability on the other end and I just don’t see how the Hawks compensate for that.

I like the direction in which the Raptors are headed. They have nothing to lose here. Brandon Ingram has a pair of 30+ point games in his last four against Atlanta, I can definitely see the Raptors keeping this one close. Back the road team to cover.

Raptors +6 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number. 

At first glance, who wouldn’t gravitate towards Detroit? After all, the Pistons beat the Bulls in three straight games last February. Detroit’s last impression was a hard-fought playoff series against the Knicks, where they consistently flirted with victory before falling short in the final minutes. One could argue they were a few bounces away from a second-round appearance — and that wouldn’t be far-fetched.

Chicago, on the other hand, didn’t leave such a good impression the last time they were on the floor. The Bulls endured a play-in loss to Miami, a team that was promptly dismantled by Cleveland in Round 1. On paper, that should make this a straightforward call: ride with Detroit.

However, the market isn’t treating Detroit like the clear favorite. In fact, the spread is modest — surprisingly so for a team with better recent form and dominance in the matchup history. That subtle hesitation speaks volumes. If the Pistons truly were a tier above, it would be reflected in the line. Instead, we are seeing the opposite. Roll with the Bulls in an opening night shocker.

Detroit vs. Chicago prediction: Chicago +120 (Money Line), available at time of publishing. Playable to number posted.

While it’s hard to put too much weight on preseason games, the signs for the Memphis Grizzlies do not loot promising. The team have suffered some heavy losses to the likes of the Charlotte Hornets and seem to be struggling to get by after the Desmond Bane trade. Ja Morant is yet to make an appearance too but could be in line to start the season. Do not be surprised if he is rusty to start. With Zach Edey due to miss time too, the Grizzlies should struggle early in the season. The Pelicans on the other hand have Zion Williamson ready to start the season and in arguably the best shape of his career. While Dejounte Murray and Kevon Looney will not be available to start the season, the likes of Jose Alvarado should be able to step in.

The Pelicans have a couple of wing defenders in Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones who should be able to cause issues for the Grizzlies role players. Murphy III had a breakout season last year offensively, averaging 21.2 points per game. He should prove to be a great running mate for Williamson, especially with his floor spacing ability. Without Looney in the paint the Pelicans could lack rim protection but the absence of Edey should make it tough for the hosts to capitalize. With Jaren Jackson Jr. acting more as a perimeter threat, it could play into the hands of the Pelicans. Take the points on them here.

New Orleans Pelicans +3 available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

You’ll be hard pressed to find anything optimistic around the Wizards coming into this season. Quite a few moves were made in the offseason, most notably the arrival of CJ McCollum who joined via trade from the Pelicans. At 34 years old he is on the other side of his prime, but on this team he should get the majority of shots on offense which should reflect on his stats. Will that reflect on the Wizards winning games? I doubt it. An aging Khris Middleton and the aforementioned McCollum are mainly surrounded by younger players looking to develop into NBA players. Playing in Milwaukee hasn’t been a pleasant experience – the Wizards have come out on top just once in 10 visits.

A hungry and motivated Giannis Antetokounmpo is exactly what this league needs. The Greek Freak lost his running mate Damian Lillard who went back to Portland, but the Bucks front office made sure to add a couple of players to keep their superstar happy. The aging Brook Lopez was replaced by basically a younger version of himself in Myles Turner, while Cole Anthony, Amir Coffey and Gary Harris add solid depth. Whenever you surround a player like Giannis with shooter that means trouble for the opposing team. Washington ranked 26th in opponent points in the paint last season, so look for Giannis to have his way on the inside. And if that doesn’t work, the Bucks will turn to their three-point shooters who led the league last season making 38.7% of their attempts.

Milwaukee ended last year quite reliable from a betting standpoint, covering in 9 of 13 games. They were also 5-1 ATS in their last 6 home games, the spread isn’t too big here at 8.5 points. Surely they can win each quarter by at least 3 points against one of the worst teams in the league?

Bucks -8.5 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.