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The NBA season doesn't officially start until some unpredictable nonsense happens, and Thursday night we had two examples. The defending champions, albeit, missing a few players, were trounced by the Miami Heat and Steph Curry dropped 45 points on the Los Angeles Clippers. Not many people saw the Warriors beating both the Lakers and Clippers in their first two games, so combine that with the fact that the Bucks were down 32-7 to start last night's game and you can confidently say basketball is back.
Friday isn't a massive slate, but seven games gives us plenty to talk about, so feel free to go to the NBA Chat Room to ask about specific games and bets, but these are the four best options for tonight. Some of these wagers are based on fantasy points, so make sure you are understanding where you place your money.
MonkeyKnifeFight.com is always ahead of the curve with their canceling of contests amid postponements, so don't worry about wasting money on a player or game that might not play. As always, you can find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter with any questions, especially since lines and players are subject to change throughout the day.
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IND @ CHA
Julius Randle (NYK) MORE 22.5 Points - Terrence Ross (ORL) MORE 15.5 Points
Julius Randle started off the season on the right note, and in a vacuum, 23 points isn't asking too much from the Knicks primary scoring option. Evan Fournier stole the spotlight in New York's debut game, but the dynamic of this team still relies on Randle and whatever help he can get from his guards. Even if this game doesn't stay close, the new additions to Orlando's frontcourt won't stop Randle from producing.
However, Terrence Ross is a serious wrinkle in this bet. There's no doubt about how he will play because aside from efficiency, he's fairly consistent in his style. He creates spacing because of his willingness to shoot, he just doesn't always hit like we'd expect him too. The Magic are just as bad as they were last year and that means Ross gets his bench minutes plus a few if he is hitting his shots. Asking for 15-points from Ross in this situation isn't outlandish and there's a really good chance he is one of the few Magic players that is able to get his shot off all game.
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CHA @ CLE
Collin Sexton (CLE) MORE 21.5 Points - Gordon Hayward (CHA) MORE 20.5 Points
Collin Sexton's role this year is going to be more like a shooting guard, and although he has the ability to run point, his mindset keeps him from fully capitalizing. He's not, by any means, a player looking to pass and now that the Cavaliers have players like Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio, there isn't much room for Sexton to be the team's main facilitator. He is going to get his touches, seeing how he is one of the best finishers on this team, but with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley demanding some attention, he won't have the same spacing and needs to learn to work from the outside-in. Regardless, the Hornets backcourt hasn't shown much life in terms of defensive effort, so this is an easy target.
Similarly, the Cavaliers defense is solely Jarrett Allen. That being said, Gordon Hayward hasn't shown much consistency in his past few seasons and more often times disappoints statistically. That's not to say he hasn't had a positive impact on the Charlotte squad, but he's no LaMelo Ball, and the only thing that makes me think he will score over 21 points is that he's playing Cleveland.
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TOR @ BOS
Jayson Tatum (BOS) MORE 27.5 Points - Fred VanVleet (TOR) MORE 17.5 Points
Jaylen Brown went off in the first game of the season which means Jayson Tatum goes off in the second game, right? We can only hope, but Tatum has nearly built a career off his games against Toronto and that isn't changing suddenly. Tatum could have a bad game, but that's not saying it was anything the Raptors did. If Tatum is hitting his shots, or even generating offense for that matter, he should have no problem staying efficient against this defense.
For Fred VanVleet, he simply needs to be better. As the only real option in the backcourt, VanVleet needs to do everything and more, including scoring at least 20-points against in-conference rivals / playoff contenders. The Raptors have taken a step back and even fully healthy, that's only returning Pascal Siakam, who hasn't been the same player since the Raptors title run. Toronto is not likely to win many games this year, and unless specific Raptors increase their efficiency and productivity, Toronto is a fringe lottery team.
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UTA @ SAC
Donovan Mitchell (UTA) MORE 26.5 Points - De'Aaron Fox (SAC) MORE 25.5 Points
For a lot of these teams, not much has changed outside of some bench re-arrangements. Donovan Mitchell didn't start off the season with a stat-line assuring he will score at least 27 points tonight against the Kings, but his shot attempts make it pretty clear that he is still the number one option on offense. The Thunder defense isn't good by any means, so although the stats were spread throughout the entire roster, Utah's game against Oklahoma City isn't a good indication of how facing the Kings will go in terms of stats. Despite the season debut, Mitchell is going to look to have one of those big games as early and often as possible.
De'Aaron Fox is in a similar situation being the top option for his team, but if Harrison Barnes and Richaun Holmes are playing like this consistently, then Fox might not have to produce like he has been in recent years. He is a natural scorer with a knack for passing and the less he needs to be used, the more lethal he becomes in later situations. Fox has only scored over 25 points against the Jazz once in his career and Friday night should be the second time.
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