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Best Bets
Tyrese Maxey Over 26.5 Points + Assists (-130) at Milwaukee Bucks
BetMGM, 1:15 p.m. CT
Ken Crites: James Harden has been ruled out for Philly's first two games (and potentially more). Maxey averaged 19.7 points and 3.7 helpers per game last season. He's only 22 years old, and his arrow is pointing up. The Sixers face the Bucks, who made a big change at point guard, replacing Jrue Holiday with Damian Lillard. Lillard is a scoring machine, but his defense is average at best. Expect Lillard and Malik Beasley to have trouble keeping up with Maxey. Last season, with Harden off the court, Maxey averaged 26.5 points per 36 minutes. The K-Train is 1-1 this season -- feel free to fade.
Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers: Under 226.5 Points (-108)
FanDuel, 3:00 p.m. CT
Jason Shebilske: The Suns are without two key contributors in Bradley Beal and Devin Booker on Thursday, and the combination of the absences with the Lakers' home-court advantage makes Los Angeles six-point favorites in this matchup. While I'm not as comfortable betting on the spread Thursday after the Lakers had a lackluster performance in their regular-season opener, I think the teams could have trouble reaching the 226.5-point mark after both teams struggled to generate excessive offense Tuesday. Both teams certainly have plenty of star power, but without Beal and Booker, I predict that it could be a relatively low-scoring affair Thursday.
Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks: Under 227.5 Points (-110)
DraftKings, 3:00 p.m. CT
Nick Whalen: The Sixers are obviously without James Harden, while the Bucks will likely only have Khris Middleton for limited minutes. Beyond that, I expect there be an adjustment period for both teams on Opening Night -- especially the Bucks, who looked a bit shaky during the preseason. Their defense could suffer without Jrue Holiday, but I think that's more of a longer-term concern than something that shows up tonight. Through two nights, only five of 14 games in the NBA have gone over 227.5 points.
