🏀 Three NBA Betting Insights to Know Before Tipoff
The NBA season opens today with a tripleheader — Celtics–Pistons, 76ers–Knicks and Thunder–Spurs — starting at 3 pm ET.
Our 44-page VSiN NBA Betting Guide is packed with futures bets, power ratings, team previews and predictions. I asked VSiN.com senior editor Zach Cohen to reveal three insights that caught his attention.
1. Nick Whalen wants the Cavaliers to win the Central Division.
Cleveland missed out on LeBron James, but Nick found one of the deepest and most solid rosters in the East. With Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, he believes the Cavaliers are built to win regular-season games.
He’s higher than the market in Cleveland and lower in Detroit, coming off a 60-win season. At plus-money odds, Nick likes the Cavaliers to finish in the top 50 wins and capture the Central.
2. Kelley Bydlon has a rule for Most Improved Player: No sophomores.
Over the past 10 seasons, the average Most Improved Player winner has been 24 years old, averaged 22 points per game and increased his scoring by six points from the previous season.
But Kelley has another filter: No second-year players. Voters expect talented rookies to improve in Year 2, and no sophomore has won the award since Monta Ellis in 2007.
3. Jonathan Von Tobel on the Warriors: “Honestly, what’s the point?”
That’s No. JVT’s 1 question about Golden State.
The Warriors are essentially returning a 37-win team after failing to land LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jimmy Butler is recovering from an ACL injury, Kristaps Porzingis has health questions, and the roster is loaded with aging veterans.
JVT’s assessment: This team has a ceiling that is nowhere near championship contention.
And that’s just three insights from 44 pages.
The VSiN NBA Betting Guide includes future picks from nine VSiN experts, Steve Makinen’s preseason power ratings, win-total projections for all 30 teams and more.
>> Get the VSiN NBA Betting Guide — $19.99 separately or included with VSiN Pro.
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🧰 Your NBA Opening-Day Betting Toolkit
Looking for NBA bets today? We’ll get back to you before 2 pm ET.
Zach Cohen will post his top sides, totals and player props. Steve Makinen will have his NBA Analytics Report, and Zach and JVT will break down the slate on Hardwood Handicapper podcast, which returns every Tuesday and Thursday.
>> Find Today’s Picks, Reviews and Podcasts on VSiN’s NBA Page
More tools for your NBA handicapping:
Betting Splits on Circa and DraftKings
Steve Makinen’s Updated Betting Splits System
Redesigned NBA Player Prop Analyzer
Opta AI NBA Prop Projection
⚾ World Series Set: Brewers Open as Favorites
The Rays head to Milwaukee after eliminating Cleveland 7-3 in Game 6 of the ALCS.
The World Series begins on Friday, with the Brewers installed as -165 favorites on Circa and Tampa Bay at +145.
Adam Burke, still recovering from the Guardians elimination, offered this assessment:
“In mourning, but the better team wins. This will be a great World Series for nerds like Gill Alexander and myself.”
Adam will have his World Series betting preview later today, including a look at where value might be in the series market.
>> VSiN’s World Series coverage
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🏈 NFL: First Coach Fired?
Dan Quinn faces more questions about the Commanders’ game management after a 23-17 loss to San Francisco. Quinn denied he didn’t know it was fourth down when Jayden Daniels threw the ball in field-goal range in the first half.
The Commanders closed out the +7, but head into their bye at 1-4-1.
Dave Tuley’s Week 6 ATS Report shows the favorites are 7-6 straight up, with a pick’em, but the Dogs finish 8-4-1 ATS. The Overs went 7-6-1 after the Under on Monday night.
Through week six, the favorites are 55-35-1 straight through two pick’em, but the underdogs are 48-37-6 ATS (56.5%). The overs lead at 47-44-2.
Two quarterback injury developments that impact Week 7 and beyond: Jalen Hurts is likely to miss the rest of the season because of blood clots, while the Ravens list Lamar Jackson (ankle) as day-to-day.
>> NFL Week 7 Betting Hub: Picks, Odds and Previews
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🏈 Three College Football Games Tonight
Week 8 begins with a Sun Belt matchup and two Conference USA games.
Adam Burke breaks down South Alabama–Marshall and identifies his favorite betting opportunities for Tuesday’s action.
>> Adam Burke’s Tuesday College Football Best Bets
For the rest of the week’s schedule, previews and picks:
>> College Football Week 8 Betting Hub
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🏒 A Total Liked by Jonathan Davis in the NHL Tonight
There are 11 games on Tuesday’s NHL schedule, and Jonathan Davis has already identified one total that has caught his eye.
JD likes it Over 6 goals in Red Wings–Kraken (9:40 pm ET), a number available on FanDuel when he made the selection.
All 11 previous meetings between Detroit and Seattle have produced at least six combined goals. Eight have reached seven or more, and five feature at least eight. Detroit won their meeting on October 9 6-3.
JD will post the rest of his selections on Tuesday around 2 pm ET.
>> JD’s NHL Picks and Analysis
🏆 Contest Corner: What’s a Live Survivor Entry Worth?
After Sunday’s carnage and Monday’s San Francisco win, 1,277 Circa Survivor entries remain in the hunt for $25 million.
That puts the implied value of each remaining entry at approx $19,590based on the remaining field and the prize pool.
In the $7.7 million winner-take-all Circa Grandissimo, only six entries left — an implied value of approx $1.28 million each.
🛒 Survivor Sweat Marketplace Opens for Business
The Survivor Sweat Marketplace opened Monday, giving buyers and sellers a place to bid on Circa’s live contest entries.
One list caught my attention: A seller is asking $10,000 for a 10% stake in a Survivor entry that has used the Bills, Texans, Chiefs, Vikings, Steelers and 49ers.
That’s a $100,000 implied asking valuation for the entire entry — well above the field’s mathematical average. Whether a buyer agrees is another matter.
>> Browse Survivor Sweat Marketplace Listings
🎯 Average Joe: 19 Perfect Records
Michael Stricos of Las Vegas leads the EdgeBoost Average Joe Week 6 standings.
Michael had one of 19 perfect 7-0 entries and won the tiebreaker with 83.5 action points.
>> Check out Michael’s Seven Winning Picks
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💵 Hope Michael Signed Up for EdgeBoost
EdgeBoost offers its customers a $1,000 bonus with at least a $100 deposit if they finish first in the weekly Average Joe standings.
>> Sign Up for EdgeBoost
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📊 Wunderdog: Every Pick Since 2001 Is Still Posted
From Geoff at Wunderdog: My NHL picks are up 210.6 units over 17 years, and my NFL picks are up 179.8 units over 25. Every loss is on my site right next to the wins, so you can check it all out before you spend a dime. Claim a $50 credit on my Pro Picks. No card required.
>> Claim Your $50 Credit
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🔥 Scott Rickenbach Rolls in Football and Baseball
Scott Rickenbach from Doc’s Sports is on fire in the NFL, college football and the MLB playoffs. He had another 7-star play Sunday in Green Bay’s 23-13 victory as part of a 3-0 NFL sweep.
His football record stands at 39-26, +4,340 this season. See documented results.
>> Get Your Free Trial With Doc’s Sports