It’s officially back. We’ve officially reached the best time of the year, all major sports leagues are back; most importantly, the NBA is back.
We’ve got KD and the new look Suns travelling to the Bay to take on his former team the Golden State Warriors.
Let’s get into our preview and best bets for Day 1 of the 2023-24 NBA Season.
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Suns vs. Warriors Game Information
Matchup Information
- Location: Chase Center; San Francisco, California
- Date: October 24th, 2023
- Time: 10:00 PM EST
Betting Odds
Courtesy of Bovada
Spread
Moneyline
- Suns (-105)
- Warriors (-115)
Total
- Over 232 (-110)
- Under 232 (-110)
Suns vs. Warriors Preview & Best Bets
The 2023-24 season is kicking off with a bang. We’ve got two great west coast matchups, with superstars on all sides.
Yeah the Lakers in Denver, on ring night; the league wasted no time and you should be excited.
In the late window we’ve got Kevin Durant and this brand new Suns’ team taking on his former team and former Phoenix Sun, Chris Paul.
Drama everywhere, it’s awesome. Let’s get into our best bets for opening night.
Bradley Beal o1.5 3 Pointers Made (+105) via Bovada
Beal enters his 12th year in the NBA, and his first time playing on a team with deep playoff aspirations since probably 2016-17.
He’s definitely the new guy on the block, but he’s definitely not new what it all comes with. Beal averaged 23.2 on 50% from the field last season, shooting 36.5% from 3 and took only 17.6 shots/game.
Beal’s now the third best scorer on this Suns’ team, and their third option; no knock on Beal but it just speaks to the greatness of Durant and Booker.
The Wizard’s starting point guard last season was Monte Morris. Therefore, Beal spent a majority of his time on the court as the primary ball handler, and the team’s floor general.
This resulted in just 4.4 3P attempts/game, almost a career low. He still managed to shoot just under his career average of 37.2% but with fewer catch & shoot opportunities, he took fewer threes.
Last time Beal was able to play off ball was when Russ was still a Wizard. In 52 games with Russ, Beal averaged 30.9 points on 48.7% and was attempting 6.0 3s/game.
Now in his first game with the Suns’ he faces a Warriors team that has the ability to put up points in a hurry. The game total sitting at 232, with Beal’s points line sitting at 19.5.
With no true point guard on the floor for the Suns, expect Booker and Durant to assume the role of ball handlers. With all attention on those two, expect Beal to get open around the perimeter for a couple money balls.
Ladder Sprinkle: B. Beal 3+ 3s (+330) | B. Beal 4+ 3s (+1025)
Bradley Beal o1.5 3-Pointers Made (+105) via Bovada
Suns vs. Warriors o232 (-110) via Bovada
Last season, these two teams met four times with the total going over 232 in all four matchups. All of these games came without Kevin Durant playing for the Suns.
KD joined the Suns at the trade deadline but due to a lingering injury, wasn’t able to suit up until March 1st. The Suns cruised to an 8-0 record with Durant, during the regular season, averaging 116 PPG.
The Suns ranked 24th in field goal percentage last season, shooting 46.7% from the field. In the eight games with KD, that number jumped to 48.9%. For reference, the Cavaliers ranked 5th at 48.8%.
The Warriors offense last season ranked 2nd in scoring, putting up 118.9/game on 47.9%. In addition to the high total, player props are trending in the same direction.
Steph holds the highest game one ‘point prop’ on the slate (30.5), with Durant and Booker both in the top 10 ranging from (25.5) – (27.5). Vegas also has Curry projected around five 3s with Klay coming in around 4-5.
The Dubs will be without defensive general, Draymond Green for the season opener. Expect that to open up the inside for the Suns, and result in faster pace of play for the Warriors. Both should result in points.
Suns vs. Warriors o232 (-110) via Bovada
Klay Thompson 5+ 3s (+150) via Bovada
Narrative spot right, Klay and his contract issues? Not so much. Last season Klay averaged 24.4 ppg at Chase Center, on 44.7% & 42.4% from deep.
Thompson averaged 4.9 3s/game on 11.5 3P attempts at home, versus his 3.8 on 9.6 3PA on the road.
Last season was also Thompson’s full season back at full strength. In the season opener last year, Thompson saw just 20 minutes, scoring 18 points going 2/6 from 3.
He was on a bit of a minutes restriction early, averaging just 12.3 ppg in his first six games. This year, he begins the season with no restrictions and a chip on his shoulder.
Last season Klay went over this line 2 of the 4 matchups, including both home games. In those matchups at Chase Center, he went 6/14 and 8/14 from three.
The Suns traded their two best wing defender, Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, at the deadline for Durant; Terry Craig’s now in Chicago, and Ayton plays for the Blazers.
In the solo matchup without Bridges and Johnson last season, Klay put up 38 points on 14/23 and 8/14 from 3.
Chris Paul’s looking for revenge and he’s bringing his ‘shooters’. Look for him to find Klay is great spots around the perimeter.
Ladder Sprinkle: K. Thompson 7+ (+550) | K. Thompson 8+ (+1200)
Klay Thompson 5+ 3s (+150) via Bovada
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