Best NBA Odds for Every Game Today (Tuesday, Oct. 24)
By Peter Dewey
Welcome back, NBA fans!
Two games kick off the 2023-24 season on Tuesday, Oct. 24, including a Western Conference Finals rematch between LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers and Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
That game will be followed by the Golden State Warriors taking on the Phoenix Suns -- a matchup that has seen a ton of line movement due to some injury updates.
Betting on the NBA can be tough, but all season long we'll have you covered with the best available odds for every game.
If you’re looking to tail any of these bets, FanDuel Sportsbook has an amazing promotional offer. New users that sign up with the link below and wager $5 will receive $200 in bonus bets and three months free of NBA League Pass!
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Odds, Spread and Total
The Lakers were 4.5-point underdogs on Monday, but the line has steadily moved in favor of Denver over the last day. That could be partially due to the absence of forward Jarred Vanderbilt (heel) who is one of Los Angeles' best defenders.
The Lakers have not won a game on opening night since 2016, but they don't have to win this game to cover the spread for bettors.
My favorite pick for this game is a prop bet for Austin Reaves, as I think he can get over 23.5 points, rebounds and assists.
Here's a snippet from today's NBA Best Bets column on that play:
The former undrafted free agent averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in 16 games while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from 3-point range.
Those numbers put him well clear of 23.5 points, rebounds and assists, and he went past that number in nine of his 16 playoff games, including three of the four against Denver.
Even during the regular season in a smaller role, Reaves averaged 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Once he was moved into the starting lineup, those numbers jumped to 18.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game over the Lakers’ last 10 regular season games.
Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors Odds, Spread and Total
This line has moved significantly with reports that Bradley Beal (back) is unlikely to play and Devin Booker (toe) is 50-50 for the opener.
The Warriors ruled out Draymond Green (ankle) on Monday, which moved the Suns to one-point favorites. However, the line has settled at Warriors -3, which may be a little high if Booker does end up suiting up.
In my NBA Best Bets column, I broke down a pick for Kevin Durant that I bet yesterday before the injury news. Durant's points line has since risen to 29.5 points.
Last season, Durant averaged 29.1 points per game and he cleared this in eight of 11 playoff games and four of his eight regular season games (despite injury) with the Suns.
I expect this to be a high-scoring game, as the Warriors won’t have defensive anchor Draymond Green in the lineup due to an ankle injury. Golden State’s defensive rating went from 114.8 with Green to 118.4 without him last season.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays onBetStamp here.