Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – October 21st Edition

This week marks the opening of the 2019-20 regular season in the National Basketball Association. The Los Angeles Clippers may be the odds-on favorite after adding Kawhi Leonard to an already potent lineup, also their crosstown rivals, the Lakers, may have something to say about that after bringing in Anthony Davis to play alongside Lebron James. Zion Williamson is headed to New Orleans, but a knee injury will put off his debut for a few weeks. The Dallas Mavericks have set their sights on the postseason after adding Kristaps Porzingis to play alongside Luka Doncic. The Philadelphia 76ers added Al Horford to beef up their interior defense, but Ben Simmons is starting the season with a tight back. We have a couple of primo NBA betting picks for you to consider as the league’s action gets underway.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – October 21st Edition

🏀🔜👏 #KiaTipOff19 on TNT, ESPN & NBA TV begins October 22… & IT’S ANYONE’S GAME! pic.twitter.com/R7ZgI6CbLv

— NBA (@NBA) October 19, 2019

Tuesday, October 22

Los Angeles Lakers at Los Angeles Clippers (10:30pm ET, TNT)

The two tenants of the Staples Center square off on the NBA’s opening night, and for the first time in a long time, both teams are contenders in the West. The Lakers, of course, have long been the dominant team in Hollywood, but in recent years the Clippers have been the better team while the Lakers have suffered through mediocrity — or even worse. Adding Lebron and AD to the Lakers’ roster makes this an intriguing game. The Clippers have Kawhi, but they won’t have Paul George, whose shoulder is a major concern. He could be ready by Thanksgiving, but it could also push into 2020. Kawhi has not played 70 games (of an 82-game season) in three seasons. They face the Lakers, who have two of the best six players in the NBA. The Lakers also have Kyle Kuzma, Avery Bradley and Danny Green to round out their starting five — but depth is an issue. The backcourt is also an issue, as Rajon Rondo can turn into a head case at any time, and Alex Caruso and Quinn Cook do not bring a lot of confidence. Even so, without George, the Clippers will have a hard time putting away the Lakers. NBA Betting Prediction: Lakers 111, Clippers 107

Wednesday, October 23

Boston at Philadelphia (7:30pm ET, ESPN)

These two teams view themselves as potential contenders in the East, but neither could find their way past Toronto in the playoffs last season. The Raptors saw Kawhi head back south of the border, though, and on paper these two teams are among the league’s elite. Philadelphia, as we mentioned, added Horford in free agency from Boston, while Boston added point guard Kemba Walker. The fact that Horford has swapped teams going into this opener adds some intrigue to the matchup. Philadelphia does have back tightness plaguing Ben Simmons, but they have Joel Embiid at 100 percent, and Horford will add some defense in the middle. However, losing Jimmy Butler hurts the 76ers’ scoring chances. Should they have maxed Butler out instead of Ben Simmons? We will find out as the season goes by. The Celtics enter the second year of Gordon Hayward’s recovery from that dreadful knee injury, and the addition of Walker brings real scoring punch from the point. Jayson Tatum should reach higher efficiency this year than he did in seasons past and cruise to an All-Star game. However, losing Horford in the middle means that the anchor of the Boston defense is gone. He is replaced by a combination of Enes Kanter, Daneil Theis and Robert Williams will share the paint duties, and Philadelphia could take advantage of this combination in a big way. Philadelphia might still need a sharpshooter, as Ben Simmons has not established himself as a scoring threat beyond 12 feet from the basket, and if Simmons cannot stretch opposing defenses, he will be easy to lock down once defenses stiffen up in the postseason. NBA Betting Prediction: Philadelphia 107, Boston 101