Ricky Dimon
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The 2023-24 NBA season is here. It tips off on Tuesday with a pair of blockbuster matchups in the Western Conference, as the defending champion Denver Nuggets host the Los Angeles Lakers before the Phoenix Suns pay a visit to the Golden State Warriors. Yes, an opening night of this magnitude definitely calls for a mega parlay. Below are my plays for Tuesday, and also be sure to check out all of our NBA picks for tonight’s season-opening games.
Lakers ML (+168)
Warriors -1 (-110)
Suns vs Warriors Under 232.5 (-110)
NBA parlay odds: +877
For this parlay, we are going with 1 underdog on the money line, 1 favorite against the spread and an under. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
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Los Angeles Lakers ML over Denver Nuggets (+168)
It’s safe to say that the Lakers will be extremely motivated on Tuesday night, and not just because it’s their season opener. This is a rematch of the 2022-23 Western Conference Finals, in which Denver not only defeated LeBron James and company but also swept them right out of the playoffs. Trash-talking at the Nuggets’ eventual championship parade ensued, and you can be sure the Lakers did not like that one bit. It’s not as if Los Angeles needs any extra motivation for a season opener, but some additional spice certainly can’t hurt.
As for the Lakers’ roster, their depth has improved considerably with the additions of Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes and Taurean Prince. They also brought back both D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves. LeBron and Anthony Davis looked good (and – most importantly – healthy) during the preseason, so this team should be able to get off to a hot start in 2023-24. The Nuggets may deal with a brief hangover following their NBA title this summer, so I’ll back the Lakers on the money line to get us started.
Read our full LA Lakers vs Denver Nuggets predictions
Golden State Warriors -1 over Phoenix Suns (-110)
The Warriors were already a veteran team and now – with all due respect, of course – they are quite simply one of the “oldest” in the NBA. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have seemingly been around forever and now Golden State’s backcourt includes Chris Paul instead of Jordan Poole. Whatever the case, the Warriors are pretty much running it back so to speak and you can’t fault them for that strategy. Even if the roster is up there in age, it can still get the job done. Curry and Thompson remain arguably the best shooters on the planet, CP3 can run an offense in expert fashion, Andrew Wiggins is still at least close to the prime of his career and Draymond Green continues to do a little bit of everything. Playing at home against a Phoenix team that once again tinkered with its parts in the offseason, I like Golden State.
Lock in our Phoenix Suns vs Golden State Warriors picks for tonight
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Phoenix Suns vs Golden State Warriors Under 232.5 (-110)
I generally lean toward unders in the very early stages of a new NBA season because teams actually play defense. Especially with a matchup of this billing, it could feel like a playoff atmosphere rather than regular-season game. Combine that factor with a relatively high 232.5 total and I’ll stick with that early-season strategy in this case. It should also be noted that both teams have some new player personnel and may take a little while to gel on offense. Paul is now at point guard for Golden State, while Phoenix is incorporating Bradley Beal as 1 of the focal points of its offensive attack. I’m not sure either team will be a well-oiled machine right away. Moreover, Beal (back) and Booker (foot) are day-to-day. They will likely play on Tuesday, but it’s not ideal that they may already be less than 100 percent going into the season.
We also have a Suns vs Warriors Same Game Parlay for tonight at +444 odds
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