The NBA season begins with the return of two superstars from injuries as Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets host Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. Brooklyn was still a playoff team without Durant last season, led by Kyrie Iriving and a strong cast. The loss of Klay Thompson will be difficult for the Warriors to handle as there isn’t as much talent around Curry as Durant has in Brooklyn. Nets vs Warriors Betting Odds The NBA season officially tips off with a very interesting matchup in Brooklyn between the Nets and the Golden State Warriors. It’s a very difficult matchup to make NBA betting predictions about because we really know very little about these two teams and how they will look. The return of Steph Curry to the Warriors lineup is a dramatic shift from what we saw last year, but Klay Thompson’s injury significantly weakens the team. Andrew Wiggins was a bright spot after arriving in a trade with Minnesota and the Warriors also added Kelly Oubre Jr., who is a very good scorer as well. Golden State drafted James Wiseman with the second pick in the draft, and he adds an inside scoring presence that might help free Curry for more shots. This team looks like it will need a few games to come together and discover their style of play. Last we saw Kevin Durant playing in a game that counts, he was suiting up for the Warriors in the NBA Finals. He missed all of last season with his Achilles injury and though he is at 100 percent, how long will it take him to adjust back to the NBA pace? Brooklyn has a far better supporting cast around Durant with Kyrie Irving as a co-superstar and Caris LeVert as a rising star. Spencer Dinwiddie is coming off a career year last season when he averaged 20.6 points and 6.8 assists per game, plus the Nets added depth with Landry Shamet. Still, this game will be about what Durant can do in his return, and FanDuel has plenty of betting options. I’m partial to Durant making at least three 3-pointers and Brooklyn winning for +360 odds because I don’t think Durant will hit the 30-point threshold in his return. The competition will be ramped up Tuesday night compared to what he faced in two preseason games when he averaged roughly a point per minute. Durant will be successful because he’s healthy and very talented, but I don’t think he’ll hit that magical marker. Brooklyn opens as 5-point favorites on the New Jersey online sports betting sites and that’s a bet I will easily take at -110 odds. The Warriors struggled last season without Curry and Thompson, but the additions made around Curry are just not enough to keep up with the Nets. Durant and Irving are a strong duo and the role players around them are simply better than what Curry has around him. My Prediction Brooklyn -5
