NBA Opening Night Player Props: Best Bets for Oct. 20
The NBA returns on Tuesday with an NBC tripleheader, starting at 3:00 p.m. ET with Celtics-Pistons. To follow, the reigning champion New York Knicks play host to the new-look 76ers, with LeBron James and Jaylen Brown making their 76ers debut. Concluding Opening Night is a rematch of the Western Conference Finals, which went 7 games between the Thunder and the Spurs. There's no better way to open up the season than with 5 of the 6 leading odds-favorites to win the Finals going head-to-head, so let's dive into my top NBA Player Prop Bets for Tuesday, October 20 - A category I went 78-63 in last season.
Top NBA Player Prop Bet for Opening Night: Ausar Thompson (Pistons) Under 20.5 Pts/Rebs/Asts (-117)
Odds available at Caesars Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Ausar Thompson enjoyed a 5-year $155 million rookie-scale contract extension in the off-season and is ready to take the next step for the Pistons - especially from an offensive standpoint. Tobias Harris exited in the off-season for the San Antonio Spurs, a focal point for the Pistons last season, as he averaged 13 points per game on 47% from the field, so the floor opens up for Thompson to carve out a larger role. But I don't expect that to be on full display against the Celtics on Tuesday. Thompson will have his hands full on the wing, defending Jayson Tatum and Paul George, with full trouble looming. Though a small sample size, Thompson found himself in foul trouble in 3 of 4 pre-season games, fouling out of one of them in 14 minutes.
To Thompson's credit, he does look more polished and knocked down a handful of mid-range shots in the pre-season, but I'm looking to fade the All-Defensive 1st Team selectee against the Celtics to open the season.
Check out our Best Bets for Opening Night
Top NBA Player Prop Bet for Opening Night: Cason Wallace (Thunder) Over 12.5 Points/Assists (-125)
Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Much like Ausar Thompson, Cason Wallace enjoyed a summer of getting better and a new contract. As of publication, the Thunder have yet to release their starting lineup and rotation, but I expect Wallace to start in the backcourt alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Ajay Mitchell is listed at +420 to win 6th Man of the Year, while Jared McCain and Alex Caruso will be other viable options off the bench.
Much of the attention will be on Alexander and Chet Holmgren, and depending on defensive schemes, Wallace could find himself with the ball in his hands much more than we are accustomed to. Back him to surpass 13+ points + assists on Opening Night to conclude the slate.
