🏀 Three NBA Betting Insights Worth Knowing Before Tipoff
The NBA season opens today with a tripleheader — Celtics–Pistons, 76ers–Knicks and Thunder–Spurs — starting at 3 p.m. 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 pull out three insights that caught his attention.
1. Nick Whalen likes the Cavaliers to win the Central Division.
Cleveland missed out on LeBron James, but Nick sees one of the deepest and most stable 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 on Cleveland and lower on Detroit, which is coming off a 60-win season. At plus-money odds, Nick likes the Cavaliers to top 50 wins and take the Central.
2. Kelley Bydlon has a rule for Most Improved Player: No sophomores.
Over the last 10 seasons, the average Most Improved Player winner was 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 good 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 JVT’s No. 1 burning question about Golden State.
The Warriors are essentially bringing back 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’s nowhere near championship contention.
And that’s just three insights from 44 pages.
The VSiN NBA Betting Guide includes futures picks from nine VSiN experts, Steve Makinen’s preseason power ratings, win-total projections for all 30 teams and much more.
>> Get the VSiN NBA Betting Guide — $19.99 separately or included with VSiN Pro.
🧰 Your NBA Opening-Day Betting Toolkit
Looking for today’s NBA bets? We’ll have you covered by 2 p.m. 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 the Hardwood Handicapper podcast, which returns Tuesdays and Thursdays.
>> Find Today’s Picks, Analysis and Podcasts on VSiN’s NBA Page
More tools for your NBA handicapping:
Circa and DraftKings Betting Splits
Steve Makinen’s Updated Betting Splits Systems
Redesigned NBA Player Prop Analyzer
Opta AI NBA Prop Projections
📋 Get the NBA Rotation Book for $4.99
Get ready for the NBA season with the DonBest Rotation Book, available for just $4.99.
⚾ World Series Set: Brewers Open as Favorites
The Rays are headed to Milwaukee after eliminating Cleveland 7-3 in Game 6 of the ALCS.
The World Series begins Friday, with the Brewers installed as -165 favorites at Circa and Tampa Bay at +145.
Adam Burke, still recovering from the Guardians’ elimination, offered this assessment:
“In mourning, but the better team won. It 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 the value might lie in the series market.
>> VSiN’s World Series Coverage
🏈 NFL: First Coach Fired?
Dan Quinn is facing more questions about the Commanders’ game management after a 23-17 loss at San Francisco. Quinn denied being unaware that it was fourth down when Jayden Daniels threw the ball away in field-goal range during the first half.
The Commanders covered the closing +7, but head into their bye at 1-4-1.
Dave Tuley’s Week 6 ATS Report shows favorites went 7-6 straight up, with one pick’em, but dogs finished 8-4-1 ATS. Overs went 7-6-1 after Monday night’s Under.
Through six weeks, favorites are 55-35-1 straight up with two pick’ems, but underdogs are 48-37-6 ATS (56.5%). Overs lead 47-44-2.
Two quarterback injury developments that have an impact on Week 7 and beyond: Jalen Hurts is likely to miss the remainder 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
🏈 Three College Football Games Tonight
Week 8 kicks off with a Sun Belt matchup and two Conference USA games.
Adam Burke has broken down South Alabama–Marshall and identified 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
🏒 An NHL Total Jonathan Davis Likes Tonight
There are 11 games on Tuesday’s NHL schedule, and Jonathan Davis has already identified one total that caught his eye.
JD likes Over 6 goals in Red Wings–Kraken (9:40 p.m. ET), a number available at 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 have featured at least eight. Detroit won their October 9 meeting 6-3.
JD will have the rest of his Tuesday selections posted around 2 p.m. ET.
>> JD’s NHL Picks and Analysis
🏆 Contest Corner: What’s a Live Survivor Entry Worth?
After Sunday’s carnage and San Francisco’s win Monday, just 1,277 Circa Survivor entries remain in the quest for $25 million.
That puts the implied value of each surviving entry at approximately $19,590, based on the remaining field and the prize pool.
In the $7.7 million winner-take-all Circa Grandissimo, just six entries remain — an implied value of roughly $1.28 million apiece.
🛒 Survivor Sweat Marketplace Opens for Business
The Survivor Sweat Marketplace opened Monday, giving buyers and sellers a place to make offers on live Circa contest entries.
One listing caught my eye: A seller is asking $10,000 for a 10% stake in a Survivor entry that has already used the Bills, Texans, Chiefs, Vikings, Steelers and 49ers.
That’s a $100,000 implied asking valuation for the full entry — substantially above the field’s mathematical average. Whether a buyer agrees is another matter.
>> Browse the Survivor Sweat Marketplace Listings
🎯 Average Joe: 19 Perfect Records
Michael Stricos of Las Vegas topped 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.
>> See Michael’s Seven Winning Picks
💵 I Hope Michael Signed Up for EdgeBoost
EdgeBoost is offering its customers a $1,000 bonus with at least a $100 deposit if they finish first in the weekly Average Joe standings.
📊 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 sits on my site right next to the wins, so you can check all of it before you spend a dime. Claim a $50 credit toward my Pro Picks. No card needed.
🔥 Scott Rickenbach Is Rolling in Football and Baseball
Scott Rickenbach from Doc’s Sports is on fire in NFL, college football and the MLB playoffs. He won another 7-star play Sunday on 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 the documented results.
