NBA Opening Night Player Props (Oct. 18) – Picks for Lakers vs Warriors, 76ers vs Celtics

• The 2022-23 NBA season tips off on Tuesday, October 18, with Lakers vs Warriors and 76ers vs Celtics
• Joel Embiid (27.5) and LeBron James (26.5) have the highest over/under point totals on opening night
• Below, see the NBA opening night player props and picks for LAL vs GS and PHI vs BOS

After an offseason of typical NBA drama, the regular season finally gets underway on Tuesday night. It is a star-studded affair across the two opening contests, with the Golden State Warriors receiving their rings at Chase Center ahead of their matchup with LeBron James’ Los Angeles Lakers. Draymond Green avoided a suspension for his punch of Jordan Poole and will be available to play alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.

The reigning Eastern Conference-champion Boston Celtics welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to TD Garden with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and James Harden all healthy. Boston slipped to second in the NBA Championship odds at FanDuel following their change of head coach.

NBA Player Props – October 18th

Odds as of October 18th at FanDuel Sportsbook. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook Promo Code.

Pick #1: James Harden Over 8.5 Assists

With Boston owning the highest projected win total, it’s no surprise to see the Sixers as 2.5-point underdogs on the road. Philadelphia had a superb offseason, however, and there are high hopes that James Harden can look somewhere close to his best after having months to recover from a long-term hamstring issue and improve his conditioning. While preseason optimism is commonplace, there is good reason to be positive about how Harden has looked.

James Harden catch-and-shoot three on a fastbreak. Good to see. This is easily the best Harden has looked. He's attracting the entire Charlotte defense on every possession.

— Paul Hudrick (@PaulHudrick) October 12, 2022

Boston has elite perimeter defense, led by Marcus Smart, and ably supported by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Malcolm Brogdon and Derrick White. Their defensive reputation has clearly suppressed some of the Sixers’ props for this game, and it gives us some value backing Harden for over 8.5 assists. The former MVP has averaged double-digit dimes in each of the last two seasons, including 10.5 as a Sixer.

Harden is a masterful playmaker even without the same scoring punch as his peak years. Philly has surrounded him with more shooting than 2021-22, making it easier to pick up assists with kick outs to three-point shooters. Also, with Rob Williams out, the Celtics will be forced to throw extra bodies at Joel Embiid, and Harden can take advantage of the open shots that will create.

James Harden entering this season: "These last two years, there was a lot of drama, a lot of negative energy…Whether it was me getting out of Houston or what happened last year, it was just a lot. Here, it’s just fresh. It’s relief. It’s like, let’s just go hoop."

— Gina Mizell (@ginamizell) October 17, 2022

Of his 65 regular season games last season, Harden hit this over in 44 of them, including his lone appearance against Boston. This is great value.

Pick: James Harden over 8.5 assists (-118)

Pick #2: Andrew Wiggins Over 15.5 Points

Golden State appears to have moved on from its recent drama, setting them up to focus on beating the Lakers on opening night. The Warriors are 6.5-point favorites over Los Angeles after winning three of four against them in 2021-22.

Andrew Wiggins is staying in The Bay 👏 pic.twitter.com/aZBidgg4Bm

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 15, 2022

Much of the attention will be on Draymond Green and Jordan Poole, but it is Andrew Wiggins’ points line which catches the eye. Wiggins averaged 17.3 per game last season, and was Golden State’s ironman through the regular year and playoffs. He is going to continue playing big minutes while Steve Kerr manages his older players.

Of his 73 regular season appearances in 2021-22, he passed this line on 41 occasions. In the playoffs, he went over 16 of 22, including his spectacular performances in the last four games of the Finals.

The Warriors don’t win their last championship without Andrew Wiggins. He had a legitimate NBA Finals MVP case.

— Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D. (@DrNiravPandya) October 15, 2022

The Lakers’ defense is expected to improve from being ranked 21st last season, but they are not exactly loaded with stoppers outside of Anthony Davis. Wiggins will also continue to benefit from the defensive attention on Steph Curry, Poole and Klay Thompson.

The shot volume is there for Wiggins to cruise past this points line. Los Angeles’ defense will be forced to focus on Golden State’s guards to compensate for their lack of defensive talent, and that should leave Wiggins with plenty of easy buckets.

Pick: Andrew Wiggins over 15.5 points (-115)