What a schedule we have today, with four great matchups that provide solid money-line bets. We will break down the money-line odds for each game, highlight a few key factors, and help you make your picks with more confidence.
Dallas and Minnesota have come out playing well, with only one loss each. This will be the first time these teams have seen each other since the Western Conference Finals, so this could be a heated game. Though the Mavericks ultimately won the series, the Timberwolves made some significant adjustments over the off-season. Adding Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo while losing Karl-Anthony Towns. Building 100% behind Anthony Edwards now, this team is hungry to prove themselves again.
The Mavericks also shook up their roster on the other side of the matchup. Snagging Klay Thompson in free agency, adding a 3rd true scorer to this loaded Mavs team. Getting Klay did come with some sacrifices, though, as they lost Derrick Jones Jr to the Clippers, leaving them without a primary ball-stopper on defense.
Regardless, the move is working out in this young season, as Klay has already been a great contributor as a third option. But we can’t glaze over the show's star, Luka Doncic, as he’s already off to what might be an MVP-level run. Luka is the main reason we’re going with Dallas on the road here. He’ll be the best player on the court, and even though Minnesota has a solid defensive core, Luka has shown he can beat it before. Especially getting the plus odds on the money line right now, the Mavericks are the better pick!
The Nuggets just picked up their first win of the season against the Raptors last night. After another summer of talent drain, they’re starting the season off a bit slow this year. Losing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to Orlando, they retained Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon.
Still, this roster seems to be a step down from where it was when they won the title. They have struggled to replace players and seem to rely on younger players far more. However, that doesn’t seem to slow down the best man in basketball, Nikola Jokic. As the reigning MVP for a third time, Jokic can still hold even this weaker version of the Nuggets together, and we fully expect them to reverse court soon, adding a few more wins to the win column.
On the other hand, the Brooklyn Nets don’t expect much out of them. This may be the least-talented team in the league, and that may be the point. All fingers point towards Brooklyn tanking this year for a high draft pick and rebuilding. We expect them only to win a handful of games this year. We don’t have much to say about this roster. This is an easy pick for the Nuggets money line here.
The Kings have gotten off to a rocky start, winning their first game last night against the Portland Trail Blazers. Their early season has been challenging, with their losses coming from the Timberwolves and Lakers. Their early struggles might be a deeper problem for this team as size continues to be a challenge for them. Points in the paint and rebound are a limiting factor for this team. Relying instead on hitting their three in droves to win games. Utah is a surprisingly bad matchup for a team like the Kings. Utah can play multiple 6’10 players simultaneously and force the Kings back beyond the arch. The Kings are still the more talented team on paper, but we’re worried about their early season start.
However, Utah has been a mild surprise, even though they are 0-3. They have stuck in games with some high-level competition, mainly because of Lauri Markkanen. His combination of size and scoring makes him a challenging matchup for the Kings. Overall, the talent in Utah is capable of winning any night if the cards fall their way. With a mixture of veteran talent and youth, you can’t sleep on them. That’s why we like them playing at home tonight; we think they’ll be able to knock off the Kings on their second night of a back-to-back!
Lastly, we have the Pelicans taking on the Golden State Warriors. We’ll start with the bad news: Steph Curry will not play tonight due to an ankle injury he suffered last night. So, that leaves the rest of this Warriors team, which is a mixed bag this year. We’ve been pleasantly surprised at what we have seen from Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield. Heild has led the bench unit in scoring, while Wiggins has returned to form defensively and has shot excellently. However, both will be asked to take on a much larger workload with Curry gone.
The Pelicans have also been hit by injuries early, losing Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III early this season. With the team already playing down and without a true starting-caliber center, this team is high on our list of teams that need to make a trade. However, they’re still talented, and with CJ McCollum, Zion Williams, and Brandon Ingram, they have loads of scoring potential. With Curry out for this game, we think the Pelicans have a great chance to take it and continue their outstanding early season!