NBA Opening Night brings three games, and plenty of opportunities to build a winning ticket.
From Boston's road test against Detroit, to the defending champion Knicks' ring night, to a Western Conference Finals rematch in San Antonio, our NBA parlays roundup breaks down three-leg combos from our betting analysts for Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Check out our full slate of NBA picks for more expert predictions, player props, and analysis.
NBA parlays at a glance Tuesday, Oct. 20
| Matchup & time | Combo & analyst |
|---|---|
| Boston Celtics vs. Detroit Pistons 3 p.m. ET |
Celtics ML Under 221.5 Tatum o8.5 rebs Combo: 4.75x Tom Oldfield |
| Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks 7 p.m. ET |
Knicks -4.5 Over 231.5 76ers 1H +2.5 Combo: 8.11x Shawn Krest |
| Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs 9:30 p.m. ET |
Spurs ML Hartenstein 3+ asts Fox 2+ threes Combo: 6.69x Geoff Clark |
Prediction market picks courtesy of Polymarket, one of our best prediction market apps.
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Celtics vs. Pistons
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC/Peacock
- Analyst: Tom Oldfield
Combo: 4.75x
- Celtics moneyline
- Under 221.5
- Jayson Tatum Over 8.5 rebounds
Tom Oldfield is backing Boston to open the season with a road win, citing the Celtics' strong away record and defensive potential.
"The Celtics were 21-6 SU as road favorites last season, and I'm picking the visitors to start the post-Jaylen Brown era with a win at Little Caesars Arena."
Read our full Celtics vs. Pistons prediction and picks for more analysis.
76ers vs. Knicks
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC/Peacock
- Analyst: Shawn Krest
Combo: 8.11x
- Knicks -4.5
- Over 231.5
- 76ers 1H +2.5
Shawn Krest is backing the defending champion Knicks to cover, but doesn't see them getting off to a fast start.
"The Knicks produced plenty of dramatic comebacks in their run to the title last year. That's because they got off to slow starts regularly, a trend that's continued in the preseason. The wild offseason of battling off-court attention and demands could also lead to a sluggish start for New York."
See our full 76ers vs. Knicks predictions for additional insight.
Thunder vs. Spurs
- Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- TV: NBC/Peacock
- Analyst: Geoff Clark
Combo: 6.69x
- Spurs moneyline
- Isaiah Hartenstein 3+ assists
- De'Aaron Fox 2+ 3-pointers made
Geoff Clark is backing the Spurs to win their home opener against the arch-rival Thunder.
"The Spurs were 8-4 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder with a +7.6 spread differential last regular season and in the playoffs. San Antonio also went 4-1 SU and ATS against OKC in the regular season and NBA Cup despite Wembanyama starting only twice and averaging 25.1 minutes across those five games. Now Wemby should be fully unleashed."
Read our full Thunder vs. Spurs predictions for a complete breakdown.
More NBA picks
Want to build a bigger card? These Covers resources cover additional angles for today's games:
Check the NBA injury report and compare numbers across basketball betting sites before finalizing today's picks.
All of today's matchups are also on the NBA scores and matchups page, and the full pick archive lives in free NBA picks.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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