The NBA season is fully underway now as we are on day two of the season. The defending champion Bucks won 127-104 and the Lakers lost 121-114 versus the Golden State Warrior. There are currently 11 games slated for the 20th of October, with the Celtics and Knicks looking like a good matchup, my favorite tonight just as a fan is going to be the Raptors versus the Wizards. Still got beef in Philadelphia with the entire Sixers team basically turning their back on Ben Simmons. They are basically saying that they are there to play basketball and not babysit.
The games of the week are October 21st, the Dallas Mavericks at the Atlanta Hawks. Friday the 22nd, the Brooklyn Nets head to the city of Brother Love to take on the 76ers. Finally, game 3 is the Orlando Magic versus the New York Knicks on Sunday the 24th, for which there are currently no betting lines.
Dallas Mavericks at Atlanta Hawks
Last season the Mavericks clinched the Southwest Division with a record of 42-30, splitting their conference 21-21 and holding down the fort at home 21-15. Luka Doncic led the Mavericks in points per game at 27.7 and averaged about 34.3 minutes per night. He played and started in 66 games for the Mavs last season. The team was eliminated by the Clippers last post-season.
The Hawks on the other hand clinched the Southeast Division last year and played spoiler to the 76ers in game 6 of the second-round last season. They went 40-32 and played well against their conference going 24-18. Trae Young lead the Hawks with points per game at 25.3 and averaged 33.7 minutes a night. He played 63 games for the Hawks as well. The Hawks are current favorites to win this game,
Mavericks vs Hawks Betting Odds
Moneyline: +120 (+115) for Dallas and -140 (-140).
Over Under: 22.5, -110 for Dallas and -110 for Atlanta.
Spread: +2.5 (-110) for Dallas and Atlanta -2.5 (-110).
Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
There really isn’t much more you can say about the Sixers' regular season in 20-21. They clinched the conference, they won their division, they went 49-23, and then choked it away in the second round of the playoffs. They destroyed their conference 31-11. I don’t want to talk about it anymore as they are my hometown team. Joel Embiid basically led the Sixers in every category despite only playing in 51 games. He averaged 31 minutes a night 25.5 points per game. He also averaged 10.6 rebounds a night as well. He is only going to be playing better this season as the Sixers have unfinished business.
The Nets finished only second to the Sixer last season, going 48-24. They also dominated their conference as well going 26-16 and defended the court at home with a 28-8 record. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant tied for average points per game at 26.9, while Kyrie Irving played more averaged minutes. The Nets lost in the second round to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.
Early Nets & 76ers Betting Odds:
Moneyline: -125 for the Nets +105 for the Sixers.
Over Under: 230.5 -110 for both teams.
Spread: +1.5 (110) for the Sixers and -1.5 (-110) for the Nets
Again, early betting odds are not final.
Orlando Magic versus the New York Knicks
I picked heavy hitters for the first two games, and I often forget that the Magic are actually an NBA team and not some team that plays against the star team in a Disney movie. That is of course a joke. The Magic and Knicks had a polar opposite season. The Magic went 21-51 then 13-29 against their conference. They did not fair well at home either going 11-25. The Magic’s point per game leader was center Nikola Vucevic who played 44 games for the team and averaged 24.5 points per game. He also averaged 34.1 minutes a game. The Magic traded him with Al-Farouq Aminu to the Bulls for two platers and two future first-round picks.
The Knicks of course went 41-31, fourth in the Eastern Conference. They played well versus the conference going 25-17 but only went 4-8 in the division. They were eliminated in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks' average point per game leader was Julius Randle who averaged 24.1 points per game and averaged 24.1 points per game.
There are currently no betting odds on this game but stay tuned to our bookmakers for updates!
