Day 2 in the brand new 2023-24 NBA season features a monster 12-game slate, with 24/30 teams in action. Fans will get to see plenty of top end talent for the first time, including #1 pick Victor Wembanyama! We bring you our best bets for the day below.
Also, make sure to head over to our NBA Tips page regularly, as we’ll be providing free tips for all the major slates for each and every week of the 2023-24 season!
Season recap: We went 1-1 on opening day to finish -0.15u
NBA Betting Tips: Thursday, October 26th 2023
Atlanta Hawks at Charlotte Hornets
Spectrum Center, 10am AEDT
The Wizards take on the Pacers first up on Thursday in a battle between two Southeast Division clubs. This should be a fast-paced game which is also indicated in the total points line with is currently sitting around 235.5 points. There will be plenty of stats to go around in this matchup and I think De’Andre Hunter will feature heavily. The start to his career has been a little bit of a slow burn but he still averaged 15/4/1 last season and is now coming into year 5. With John Collins now in Utah I think Hunter is ready to step into an even bigger role as a wing player. His numbers should increase from last season and I’m keen to attack his 20.5 PRA first up as a result.
Deandre Hunter Over 20.5 PRA
$1.86 (1 Unit)
Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 10am AEDT
Two young teams will face each other in their first crack in the new season, with the Wizards and Pacers locking horns. This is another game that should be fast-paced and lead to an influx of stats, and the current total points line is a juicy 235.5 points. The player I’m keen to have a look at here is second-year man Bennedict Mathurin. He had a fantastic rookie campaign averaging 16.7 points per contest in 28.8 minutes, only starting 17 games. He’ll be a starter in year 2 and one would expect his numbers will naturally see an increase. Mathurin will be the Pacers second option on offence and I think it’s certainly realistic for him to average between 18-20ppg this season. With that in mind, I’m more than happy to have a decent crack at his points line here.
Bennedict Mathurin 15+ Points
$1.80 (2.5 Units)
Houston Rockets at Orlando Magic
Amway Center, 10am AEDT
Another couple of young teams will come together in the early timeslot on Thursday when the Rockets and Magic meet in Orlando. The Rockets were holders of the second worst record in the NBA a season ago (22-60) and had another year picking at the top end of the draft. Meanwhile, the Magic showed some improvement last campaign but still finished with a negative record (34-48). The Rockets made plenty of tweaks to their roster in the off-season and it’ll be interesting to see how their new squad fits together. Regardless, they went 8-33 on the road last season while the Magic were almost always competitive in home games (20-21). I’m a fan of how the Magic’s roster is shaping as they have about 8-9 genuine quality NBA players. I expect them to be too strong and consistent over the course of 48 minutes and to cover the small spread at home.
Orlando Magic -3.5
$1.89 (2 Units)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets
Barclays Center, 10:30am AEDT
Is Ben Simmons back? He’s certainly talked the talk and somewhat walked the walk in the preseason. His Nets will host the Cavaliers on Thursday in what shapes as one of the more intriguing matchups in this monster slate. By all reports the Nets are set to back Simmons in and start him at the point guard position as he looks to regather his All-Star form. He averaged 7/6/6 last season in what was his worst year as a pro. His current points + rebounds + assists line is only 20.5 currently, which means we won’t even need to see drastic improvement from him to cover first up. It could be a trap, but I think his PRA line is low enough to have something on.
Ben Simmons Over 20.5 PRA
$1.83 (1.5 Units)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Toronto Raptors
Scotiabank Arena, 10:30am AEDT
The Toronto Raptors shook up their roster in the offseason, parting with Fred VanVleet. Coming in to take over ball handling duties is veteran Dennis Schroder. Schroder comes into the fresh NBA season in good form having led Germany to the title in the recent FIBA World Cup, also earning tournament MVP honours. Last season in the NBA he played for the Lakers where he averaged 12.6 points, but was coming off the bench for the most part. Schroder is slated to start on Thursday and with him averaging 14 points per contest over his career, his points lines look to be a touch disrespectful. Providing he shoots a decent clip, Schroder should be scoring at least a dozen points against the Timberwolves.
Dennis Schroder 12+ Points
$2.15 (1 Unit)
Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs
Frost Bank Center, 12:30pm AEDT
At last we get to see a potentially generational talent in Victor Wembanyama make his NBA debut on Thursday when his Spurs play hosts to Luka Doncic and the Mavericks. It’ll be fascinating to see how Wemby handles the hype in his first official game in the association, although he doesn’t appear to be the type of guy to shy away from the spotlight. Wemby’s main asset as he begins his career is likely to be his rim protection and shot blocking ability, simply due to his 8ft wingspan and impeccable timing. He was blocking shots for fun in the preseason and now comes up against the Mavericks who’s two main scorers in Doncic and Kyrie Irving love to drive to the rack. I think we could be on for a block part in Wemby’s first outing.
Victor Wembanyama Over 2.5 Blocks
$2.15 (1 Unit)
