2021-22 NBA Schedule Release Odds: Nets-Bucks, Warriors-Lakers

This past Tuesday, the NBA released the opening day schedule for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season. The full regular season schedule will be released Friday, August 20th at 3 p.m. (EST). On Tuesday, October 19, 2021, to kick off the regular season, the Brooklyn Nets will play against the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:30 p.m. (EST). The game will be played at the Fiserv Forum, and this is also a rematch of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals series. Last season, the Bucks defeated the Nets 115-111 in overtime at the Barclays Center in Game 7 of this playoff series.

Milwaukee will be raising their championship banner before tip-off. Then, at 10:00 p.m. (EST) inside the Staples Center, the Golden State Warriors will face the Los Angeles Lakers. The games will be televised live in a doubleheader on TNT. From October 19th through the 22nd of the 2021-22 season, the league will focus on celebrating the league’s 75th Anniversary Season. During the opening week (Oct. 19-22), the first eight games will air on either TNT or ESPN.

• Table odds above retrieved from BetNow

• Table odds above retrieved from DraftKings Sportsbook

• Table odds above retrieved from BetMGM

According to BetMGM, the Bucks are one-point favorites against the Nets. Referencing BetNow, both teams have a moneyline showing -110. The total is also listed at 240.5 (-110) at BetNow as well. On the flip side, DraftKings Sportsbook opened the total at 239.5. Several betting sites are listing the moneyline at -110 for both teams in this Nets-Bucks game.

Moreover, Los Angeles opened as 4.5-point favorites versus Golden State. Though, FanDuel Sportsbook has the Lakers as 5.5-point favorites over the Warriors. Plus, the Warriors’ best moneyline is +160, while the Lakers’ best moneyline is -185. However, per DraftKings Sportsbook, Golden State is shown at +170 for the moneyline, whereas Los Angeles is -200. DraftKings Sportsbook has the total at 229.5. From BetNow, the total for the Warriors-Lakers game is listed at 230.5 (-110).

For an important reminder, these betting odds right now are subject to change. Players can sustain injuries, test positive for COVID-19 or even get traded during preseason. For example, on October 27, 2012, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded James Harden, Lazar Hayward, Cole Aldrich and Daequan Cook to the Houston Rockets for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, a 2013 first-round draft pick, future first-round draft pick and a future second-round draft pick. This move surprised Rockets fans and gamblers before the season began.

Considering this will be Russell Westbrook’s first game as a Laker and first time playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, oddsmakers are expecting high ratings and plentiful bets. The rematch between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant in the Nets-Bucks game could be another exciting thriller, especially if the action is anything similar to the overtime Game 7 conclusion of last season’s Eastern Conference Semifinals series.