NBA Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions: Sunday (10/23)
Here are my best bets for the Sunday NBA slate.
Portland +3.5 (-110 FanDuel)
In our first Sunday matinee of the season, the Lakers host the Trailblazers, who find themselves as three-point underdogs. This line stuck out like a sore thumb because there is little that the Lakers have shown this year to make themselves favorites over a team like Portland.
To say the Lakers have struggled on offense would be putting it lightly. Their field goal percentage is better than just the young Thunder team. On top of this, they sit 25th in offensive rebound rate, leading to many one-and-done possessions. Some of it may just be a small sample size, but there’s little reason to believe this will improve, as the roster wasn’t really constructed with shooting in mind.
For Portland, Damian Lillard has picked up right where he left off before his injury last season. His return and the addition of Jerami Grant have helped them get off to a hot start, led by a defense that has been great at getting defensive rebounds and avoiding fouls.
If Portland can stay healthy, they can keep up this new emphasis on defense and, in turn, become a force in the Western Conference. For now, they’re the better team in this matchup and one of my best bets.
New Orleans -7.5 (-110 on FanDuel)
The Jazz has surprised many, including perhaps their own fans, with a 2-0 start on the season. They’ve torched the nets with a 56.2% effective field goal percentage, good for 3rd in the league in the early season. Perhaps they can keep this up, but with a roster filled with just decent rotation players, I think there will be some regression.
They have been a little lucky with a high offensive rebounding rate, considering they’re near the bottom in defensive rebounding rate. This could be a major issue against a Pelicans team that ranks near the top in both OREB and DREB rates in the early season.
Frankly, the Pelicans are showing why many were very high on them this season. They’re scoring effectively, cleaning the glass, and playing competent defense. If this game were played in January or February, the spread would probably be double digits. Because of this, I’ll take -7.5 as one of my best bets.
Washington at Cleveland u216.5 (-110 on FanDuel)
The Cavs were an under machine in 2021-22. Early returns from this season show that trend may stay. They currently rank near the bottom of the league in pace and in offensive possession length. Coming into the second game of a back-to-back, keeping the pace slow can save their legs for a long season.
Washington, meanwhile, seems to have also slowed down offensively, too, this season. They rank just ahead of Cleveland in offensive possession length. They’ve also gone under in both contests.
Points will come at a premium with a slow pace and low turnover rates for both teams. Even though this is the lowest total on the board, it isn’t low enough.
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