It’s been a fun offseason, but we’re finally getting to the good stuff. This is the Opening Night of the NBA season, and it should be fun to see how things play out. I’ve never seen so many teams with championship rosters, and it’s tough to know what to expect. We have a few of those teams on this Opening Night card, so let’s go ahead and get into it!

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

Schedule and Odds

PHI at BOS (BOS -2.5) O/U: 214.5
This Eastern Conference showdown will kick off the 2022-23 season! It features two of the top teams in the east, and we should see these clubs go deep. Look for this to be the lower-scoring matchup in this short slate!

LAL at GSW (GSW -6.5) O/U: 227.5
These teams went in opposite directions last season, with the Warriors capturing an NBA title and the Lakers missing the playoffs. That makes the short spread a bit surprising, but the Lakers have the talent to compete with anyone. Look for this to be a high-scoring matchup.

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Injury Report

• Russell Westbrook (hamstring) Questionable
• Dennis Schroder (Visa) Questionable
• Robert Williams (knee) OUT
• Marcus Smart (groin) Questionable

Core Plays

Joel Embiid (C – PHI): $9,900 DraftKings, $10,700 FanDuel
Embiid was the second-best player in the NBA last season based on MVP voting, and he’s a safe bet on every slate. The big man averaged 55 DraftKings points per game, surpassing 40 or more in all but a handful of games. Boston missing Robert Williams only adds to Embiid’s value, with no size to match up with the MVP candidate. Joel averaged over 56 fantasy points per game in their four meetings last season.

LeBron James (SF – LAL): $9,200 DraftKings, $10,800 FanDuel
It’s wild to see this dude flirt with 40 and continue to play at an elite level. LeBron actually led all players on this slate with 55.1 DK points per game, dropping at least 35 DK points in every game he finished last year. That sort of floor is unmatched, and you know King James will be ready to roll in the opener. In three matchups with the Warriors last season, James averaged 38.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game.

Cash Game Considerations

Anthony Davis (PF/C – LAL): $8,500 DraftKings, $10,100 FanDuel
AD is always a risky option, but whenever he’s healthy, he’s one of the best players on the planet. That’s obviously the case in the first game of the year, with Davis averaging 47 DK points per game last season. He’s proven to be even better than that in the past, and we love that he’s expected to take over this offense. The only weakness on this Warriors roster is their size, and a beast like AD should exploit that.

Tyrese Maxey (PG – PHI): $5,000 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
I was floored to see this $5,000 price tag on DraftKings. Maxey took a significant step forward last season, averaging 31 DK points per game. That alone makes him $1,000 too cheap, and we’re talking about a top prospect who’s only 21 years old. This speedster is getting better by the day, and there’s no chance that his price will get any lower than this for the rest of the season.

GPP Targets

Draymond Green (PF/C – GSW): $5,800 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
Draymond got some bad publicity a few weeks back, but this defensive stud is coming off an impressive year. He bounced back with 30.4 DK points per game last season, returning to the distributor that made him an All-Star in the past. Green’s stat-stuffing ability is what makes him such a good fantasy commodity, and he always seems to play his best against LeBron. In 39 career meetings with James, Green is averaging nearly 40 fantasy points per game.

Derrick White (PG/SG – BOS): $4,100 DraftKings, $4,400 FanDuel
With Williams out for the foreseeable future, it looks like White will start in Boston. That means 30 minutes and more ball-handling opportunities, which is huge for a player who’s been a stud in that role in the past. In fact, White averaged 32.2 DK points per game in the 51 outings he played at least 30 minutes last year. That’s amazing from a $4K player, and he could be asked to do even more with Malcolm Brogdon and Marcus Smart both nicked up as well.

Value Plays

Al Horford (PF/C – BOS): $4,900 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
This is my favorite play of the day. Horford is aging gracefully in Boston, averaging over 30 fantasy points per game last season. That’s impossible to find from a sub-$5K player, and it looks even better since he’s expected to take on more rebounding duties in the absence of Williams. More minutes and more opportunities are incredible for such a crafty veteran, and it makes Big Al the best value of the day.

Patrick Beverley (PG/SG – LAL): $4,300 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
Beverley was a leader for a young Minnesota team last season, and LA is hoping he can do the same for the Lakers. The feisty veteran doesn’t score much, but he stuffs the stat sheet just like Green. He actually scored at least 23 fantasy points in 39 of his final 48 games last season, with many of those duds being due to injury or foul trouble. That makes him an enticing option south of $5K, and he could be looking at 30-plus minutes with Westbrook and Schroder both potentially missing this game.

Advantageous Pricing

• LeBron James (PF – LAL): $10,800 FanDuel, $9,200 DraftKings
• Anthony Davis (PF/C – LAL): $10,100 FanDuel, $8,500 DraftKings
• Tyrese Maxey (PG – PHI): $6,500 FanDuel, $5,000 DraftKings
• Al Horford (PF/C – BOS): $6,000 FanDuel, $4,900 DraftKings

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