After an abbreviated offseason aimed at shifting the league back to its normal schedule, the NBA returns on Tuesday. The league, as always, will deploy a doubleheader showcase to begin the campaign, and the reigning NBA champions are on the docket in the first game on the 2021 NBA Opening Night schedule. The Milwaukee Bucks host the Brooklyn Nets at 7:30 p.m. ET in the first contest of the season at Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee will begin its title defense against the betting favorite to win the 2022 title, with Kevin Durant and James Harden keying things for Brooklyn.
The latest NBA odds for the Opening Night 2021 schedule from Caesars Sportsbook list Milwaukee as the 1.5-point home favorite, while the total sits at 233.5. The other end of the centerpiece doubleheader showcases the Los Angeles Lakers against the Golden State Warriors at 10 p.m. ET, with the Lakers listed as 3.5-point home favorites and the over-under at 226. Before making any NBA picks for Opening Night, you need to check out what the proven SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned almost $9,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three seasons. The model finished up almost $600 on its top-rated picks last season and enters the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 100-66 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has evaluated the NBA odds for Opening Night 2021 and posted its best bets. Parlaying these four NBA picks will return around 12-1. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s top NBA picks today.
Top NBA picks for Opening Night
The model sees value in going under the 226-point total in the Lakers-Warriors matchup. Both teams have very strong defenses, helping to bring stability in this matchup. Los Angeles led the NBA in defensive rating last season, giving up fewer than 1.08 points per possession, and the Lakers are elite on the defensive glass.
Golden State was the NBA’s worst offensive rebounding team in 2020-21, snatching fewer than 20 percent of the team’s missed shots, and the Lakers also create turnovers at a high level.
The Warriors, led by Draymond Green, are versatile and effective defensively. Golden State’s defense created a turnover on well over 13 percent of possessions, and that strength is magnified by ball security as a primary weakness for the Lakers offense. The Warriors were also a top-five team in 2-point defense (51.1 percent) a season ago, and the Lakers rely on rim pressure offensively.
Featured Game | Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors
How to make Opening Night NBA picks, parlays
The model has locked in three other NBA bets, with point spread and point total picks in both high-profile games. You can only see the model’s NBA best bets at SportsLine.
So which NBA picks should you parlay on Tuesday for a shot at a 12-1 parlay? And which picks are the model’s strongest plays? Visit SportsLine now to see the top NBA picks for Opening Night, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
