NBA opening-night betting report: Public has clear side in 76ers-Celtics
The 2018-19 NBA season tips off Tuesday with two marquee matchups. Will Bernanke, the lead analyst at CG Analytics in Las Vegas, offered some feedback to theScore as to how bettors are lining up.
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
Opening odds: Celtics -5 / 208.5
Current odds: Celtics -5 / 210.5
Tuesday's opener between the 76ers and Celtics marks a rematch from last postseason when Boston took the second-round series over Philly in five games. The Celtics did so without both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, who combined to play in just 61 games a season ago.
The Celtics and 76ers finished the 2017-18 regular season as the second and third seeds in the East with 55 and 52 wins, respectively. Both figure to be contenders this season, but for Tuesday, the public is siding with the Celtics as short favorites.
"Seventy-four percent of all dollars are on Boston," Bernanke said. "As of now, the ideal result is a 76ers cover and/or an outright win."
Oklahoma City Thunder at Golden State Warriors
Open: Warriors -12 / 224
Current: Warriors -13.5 / 220.5
Oklahoma City was bounced out of the postseason last summer in the first round in a six-game series with the Utah Jazz. The Warriors, on the other hand, netted their second straight NBA title and third in four years with a clean sweep over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
There will be no shortage of stars on the floor Tuesday, though the Thunder will be down one - Russell Westbrook is out after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-September.
"Westbrook's out and 62 percent of all dollars are on the Warriors," said Bernanke. "There's a good chance we end up needing the Thunder."