The first full night of NBA action is Wednesday, with 11 games on the schedule, and there are interesting storylines from just about all of them. But I think the marquee game is clearly Timberwolves vs. Heat as All-Star LaMelo Ball makes his debut with Minnesota and All-Star and former league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo makes his first regular-season start with Miami.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Heat favored by 1.5 points at home, and the Over/Under for total points is set at 242.5. Claim the best Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS55, trade $25, and receive a $55 bonus here: This is the first game of an ESPN doubleheader -- Warriors-Lakers is the late game (of course) -- with a 7:30 ET tip. At -1.5 via DraftKings, Miami is taking 53% of bets but only 31% of handle.
The very high total of 242.5 is taking a solid Under lean. Fans interested in NBA 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 plus three free months of NBA League Pass: Bet on the NBA and more with the BetMGM bonus code CBSSPORTS, where new users can get up to $1,500 in bonus bets: FanDuel SGP price: +134 (subject to change) In most offseasons, the biggest story would have been a two-time MVP like Antetokounmpo being traded to Miami along with very solid sixth man Bobby Portis Jr. for Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis and a bunch of draft picks.
Giannis became only the fourth player with multiple MVPs to switch teams before age 32 after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone and LeBron James. I'm not all that enthused about that trade, although you understand why the Heat had to go star-hunting after missing the playoffs last year for the first time since 2019. That despite averaging a franchise-best 120.9 points per game, the second-highest average in the NBA.
Bettors aren't all that enthused about it, either. For example, the Heat have a win total of 46.5 at BetMGM and no team is taking more Under win total money in the NBA (Pistons and Lakers are next). That also could be because bettors not expecting Giannis to stay healthy, as he has reached 70 games once in the past seven seasons.
He played a career-low 36 in 2025-26 and averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Great numbers, but also his fewest across the board since at least 2017-18, although the Greek Freak did shoot a career-high 62.4% from the field. Giannis, +1400 to win a third MVP, is set with an Over/Under PRA of 46.5 tonight for his debut.
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