It's one of the great days of the year Tuesday, because the NBA tips off with an unusual tripleheader – Celtics at Pistons is a standalone 3 ET start and then we get the usual two-game Opening Night marquee slate. The defending NBA champion is always a part of that slate, and the New York Knicks will raise their championship banner ahead of hosting LeBron James and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers. Bet on the NBA and more at BetMGM, where new users can get up to $1,500 in bonus bets: It's a 7 ET start on NBC from Madison Square Garden, and tickets to get in are some of the most expensive in NBA regular-season history.
At -4.5 via DraftKings, the Knicks are taking 67% of handle and 69% of wagers ATS, while the total of 232.5 is taking similar leans to the Under. Fans interested in NBA betting and those who want to try futures betting can keep up with NBA news and follow our experts to be prepared before wagering at any of the top sports betting apps. Bet on NBA props and more at DraftKings and get $200 in bonus bets after placing a qualifying first wager: FanDuel SGP price: +117 (subject to change) In New York City, obviously seeing that first Knicks championship banner since the 1972-73 campaign will be the biggest news.
Nationally, the focus is clearly on LeBron's first game back in the Eastern Conference since reaching a fourth straight NBA Finals in 2018. Cleveland lost that series in a sweep, to Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors. Needless to say, where LeBron goes so usually goes the betting action.
His original plan was to go play for the Knicks, but that went out the window when they won it all. So once the Sixers traded for Jaylen Brown, young friend Tyrese Maxey was able to help lure LeBron to Philly and form the league's latest super-team alongside Joel Embiid and rising young VJ Edgecombe. The Thunder and Spurs are +260 co-favorites to win the NBA title at BetMGM, with Philadelphia next at +850.
The Sixers are blowing the other contenders out of the water, though, in terms of action with 37.6% of handle at the book and 30.9% of bets. No other team in the league is even at 6%. New York was +700 to repeat shortly after last year's Finals but is now at +1000 with 5.2% of handle and 5.7% of bets.
It entered last postseason at +2200 to win a championship, the longest title odds by an eventual winner in the previous 30 seasons. No team has won back-to-back titles since the 2017-18 Warriors; the NBA has had eight different champions in eight seasons for the first time in league history. "The Thunder and Spurs are clear favorites to win the NBA Championship, but bettors love the 76ers," BetMGM senior trader Anthony Parenti said on social media recently.
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