3 best bets for NBA opening night, including a Luka Doncic player prop

Check out the three best bets for NBA opening night, as the Houston Rockets face the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Golden State Warriors visit the Los Angeles Lakers

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Two marquee matchups tip off the 2025 NBA season on Tuesday night, as the Houston Rockets visit the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors take on the LeBron James-less Los Angeles Lakers.

It's the first live NBA action since the Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals in June.

The doubleheader will feature on NBC and Peacock, where viewers will get a first look at Michael Jordan’s debut as a studio analyst, which NBC NFL commentator Cris Collinsworth casually leaked details about last week.

Here, we give you three best bets for NBA opening night.

Oklahoma City Thunder -6.5 (-115)

The Thunder were far and away the best team in the NBA last season, and they were especially dominant at their home arena.

Despite the players receiving their championship rings in what should be an emotional pregame ceremony, I expect OKC to remain focused on the job at hand and start the new campaign where they left off.

In 2024/25, the Thunder went 36-6 at home with an average margin of victory of 16.3 points. I expect them to cover the spread on Tuesday against a Houston team that needs time to gel.

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Kevin Durant Over 23.5 Points (-118)

Durant makes his Rockets debut on Tuesday, as the 18-year veteran takes on the team he began his Hall of Fame career with.

The 37-year-old always feels like he has a point to prove, and he should be especially eager to silence a rowdy OKC crowd on the night they raise their first ever championship banner.

Durant has averaged 25+ points per game every year since 2008/09, so I am comfortable taking the wily vet to clear over 23.5 points in this game.

Luka Doncic Over 16.5 Assists + Rebounds (-103)

With LeBron James set to miss the opening few weeks of the season, it will be the Luka Doncic show in Los Angeles to start the year.

I am expecting the Lakers point guard to fill up the stat sheet while James is out. Opposing defenses will be laser-focused on him, which should allow Luka to facilitate for his teammates.

In five games without LeBron last season, Doncic averaged 10.2 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game, compared to 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists in 28 games with LeBron.

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