NBA Expert Tips and Best Bets | Nov 1

Just a little over a week into the NBA season, already there are plenty of storylines emerging from the world’s biggest basketball league – as there always are. On Wednesday Australia time, a number of those will take center stage during the three-game slate, including the compelling start to the career of Victor Wembanyama, and the impressive starts of the talented Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers. Let’s take a look at some of the best bets for this relatively quiet Wednesday of NBA action. 

Knicks -2.5 |  $1.90 @ PlayUp

The Cavaliers had an impressive 2022-23 season, winning 51 games and securing the fourth seed in the East, but their year was brought to an abrupt end by none other than the Knicks, who beat them in a five-game first round series. Both teams will be hoping to return to the playoffs this season and the Cavs, in particular, have more than enough young talent to suggest they should be able to do just that, but unfortunately a lot of that talent is out through injury. Point guard Darius Garland will miss this game as will center Jarrett Allen, while Donovan Mitchell is questionable. The presence or absence of the latter will be significant – with him out alongside the other two, the Cavs went down by 12 points to the Pacers in the last game, and there’s no doubting the Knicks are a sterner challenge than that. But even if Mitchell plays, with Garland and Allen out the Cavs’ depth is getting a very firm early test, and the Knicks can force them to fail it with a strong win. 

Suns -6.5 | 1.89 @ GetSetBet

The Suns and the Spurs are two of the most intriguing teams in the early stages of the NBA season, albeit for vastly different reasons. Both of them have talent to burn, but while the Suns’ talent is very much ready to compete for a championship, that of the Spurs is still very raw. Wembanyama is a human highlight reel, Jeremy Sochan is an underrated talent while Devin Vassell continues to show his wares as a legitimate NBA player, but it’s going to take a while for it all to come together – as we saw when they went down by 40 points to the Clippers. The Suns, meanwhile, are having to deal with the absence of two parts of their three-headed monster, with both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal out, but even with only Kevin Durant leading the charge they’re managing just fine, having beaten the Jazz by 22 points in their most recent outing. They might be a little thin without Beal and Booker, but they’re still a lot better than the young Spurs at this point in time, and on their home floor should be able to cover the 6.5-point line. 

Clippers 1-10 | $2.55 @ BlueBet

The Clippers have long endured plenty of criticism, with their inability to capitalise on the recruitment of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard – largely because of the inability of those players to get on the court – seeing their legitimacy as a contender gradually disappear. But they’ve started this season strongly, a two-point loss to the Jazz aside, and their 40-point win over the Spurs in their last game was very impressive. The Magic, meanwhile, have had an easy start to the season, but they’ve made the most of it with two strong wins. They have a lot of potential for improvement this year, with plenty of young talent on their roster, and based on those two games they look ready to take the next step. But beating the Rockets and Trail Blazers is one thing; the Clippers are a whole different beast. Particularly in Los Angeles, the home side should be too strong, but in the Magic’s first legitimate test against a good side of the season, they can hang around and make their more highly fancied opponents work for their spoils.