NBA Player Props and Best Bets for NBA Opening Night: Tatum Out for Revenge, Can LeBron Start Hot?

No need to pinch yourself, you’re not dreaming—the 2024-25 NBA season starts TONIGHT on Tuesday, October 22.

The Boston Celtics will begin their title defense with a matchup against the New York Knicks, who were active in the trade market and sit second in odds to win the Western Conference. Their new-look roster includes arrivals Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, along with the returning core of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby.

Then, the Los Angeles Lakers will kick off JJ Redick’s coaching career by hosting the defending Western Conference runner-ups, the Minnesota Timberwolves. LA is 0-6 against the spread and straight up on opening night with LeBron James in the lineup, a trend they’ll try to reverse when they get underway tonight.

As the first games of the 2024-25 NBA season approaches, we’ve assembled our favorite player prop picks for NBA opening nights. Here’s who we’re looking at.

Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. Use our FanDuel promo code to win $300 in bonus bets with a winning $5 wager.

Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, October 22

Mikal Bridges Under 14.5 Points (-122) at FanDuel

Bridges scored 19.6 points per game last year, a sharp decline from the 26.1 he averaged during his first season with the Brooklyn Nets. He also shot 43.6 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from three, and 81.4 percent from the free-throw line, all of which were below his career averages.

The Villanova product appears to have developed a hitch in his jump shot and, despite splitting the over/under at two apiece during the preseason, averaged just 8.3 points per game on 10.5 percent three-point shooting. Boston allowed the second-worst three-point percentage (34.9) last year and will play tight defense on him in his Knicks debut.

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Jayson Tatum Over 8.5 Rebounds (-102) at FanDuel

Tatum averaged 8.1 rebounds during the last regular season and 9.7 in the playoffs. He now averaged at least eight rebounds per game in three straight seasons and will have a larger responsibility on the glass with Kristaps Porzingis sidelined by an injury.

The Knicks will be without Previous Achiuwa and Mitchell Robinson, their two best rebounders, as both are dealing with injuries. Karl-Anthony Towns is also going to need to re-familiarize himself with playing center full-time and is no longer an elite rebounder (8.3 per game last year). 

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LeBron James Under 24.5 points (-122) at FanDuel

LeBron is an even 3-3 on the over/under in his Lakers tenure. However, he scored just 21 points in the first game of last season and typically spends more time on his body than he does on his skills during the offseason, leading to an increased potential of rust.

The Timberwolves had the best defense in the league last year and will make it tough for LeBron and company to find success. JJ Redick also wants to be less dependent on LeBron, which means that he should have the ball in his hands less frequently.

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Julius Randle Over 1.5 Threes (+112) at FanDuel

It’s reasonable to expect Randle will need time to find his niche with his new ball club. It’s possible he attempts to go straight to filling Towns’ role of playing well beyond the three-point line, which should give him plenty of chances to hit the over.

Randle and Towns took the exact same amount of threes per game last year—5.3. Towns is a much better shooter, but Randle should get more space due to the looming threat of Anthony Edwards’ drives and the rest of Minnesota’s talented three-point shooters.

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Anthony Davis Over 3.5 Assists (+130) at FanDuel

One of Redick’s ideas for the Lakers is to use Anthony Davis as a hub, or the focal point of the offense. Davis flashed in this role in the past and has the skill set to become a high-assist big man, particularly if the Lakers can take more threes and still make a high percentage of them like they did last year.

The 31-year-old averaged 3.5 assists per game last year and 4.0 in the postseason. He also dished out four in the Lakers’ final preseason game, which was the only time he played his usual minutes load.

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