Peter’s Points: NBA Best Bets Today (Predictions, Prop Bets for Steph Curry, Jazz vs. Grizzlies, Lakers, Raptors)

Basketball season is officially upon us, and the NBA got started with a three-game appetizer on Tuesday, featuring six teams that are all in the mix to win the NBA Finals in the 2026-27 campaign.

On Wednesday, 22 teams are set to make their season debut in an intriguing 11-game slate that features just two spreads (Toronto -9.5 and Houston -8.5) of more than 5.5 points:

Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Washington Wizards
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Miami Heat
Charlotte Hornets vs. Brooklyn Nets
Chicago Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors
Utah Jazz vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Indiana Pacers vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Dallas Mavericks vs. Houston Rockets
Phoenix Suns vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Clippers

Early in the season, there are some opportunities in the betting market as everyone – including oddsmakers – figures out how these teams stack up in regular season action, and there are a ton of interesting storylines on Wednesday.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and LaMelo Ball make their debuts for the new teams while four of the top five picks in the 2026 NBA Draft make their season debuts (A.J. Dybantsa is out with an ankle injury). It’s a perfect time to get as many screens as possible going to get an early read on over two-thirds of the league.

But, before we get to the picks, it’s time for our two new segments in Peter’s Points for the 2026-27 season.

Dew’s Review: Man, are the Philadelphia 76ers going to be fun when everyone's healthy. Both LeBron James and Jaylen Brown fit in pretty easily on Tuesday night, and the Sixers upset the New York Knicks even with Joel Embiid shooting 4-for-15 from the field. I still can't believe how effective LeBron is across the board in his 24th NBA season.

Peter’s Point: Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton makes his return from a torn Achilles on Wednesday in New Orleans, and he’s coming off two strong showings in the preseason. Haliburton led the Pacers to Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals in his last healthy season, and his return could bring the Pacers back into contention in the East. There are some new faces – mainly Ivica Zubac – in this rotation, and it’ll be interesting to see just how quickly Indiana meshes after an injury-riddled 2025-26 campaign. If Haliburton looks like himself from the jump, the Pacers’ ceiling is one of the highest of any team in the East.

Even though there are 11 games to consider on Wednesday, I don’t want to get too aggressive this early in the season.

It’s important to give ourselves to see how some of these new-look rosters fare, and I’d much rather only play a few bets that I love rather than pulling the trigger just because it’s opening night. Still, there’s a couple sides and a player prop for Steph Curry that have caught my eye on Oct. 21.

Peter Dewey NBA Betting Record

2026-27 season record: 2-2 (-0.21 units)
2025-26 season record: 330-292-0 (-2.98 units)
OVERALL (since 2021-22 season): 1623-1530-27 (+29.96 units)

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

NBA Best Bets Today

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Utah Jazz Moneyline (-102) vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Steph Curry OVER 24.5 Points (-104)
Toronto Raptors + Los Angeles Lakers Moneyline Parlay (-128)

Utah Jazz Moneyline (-102) vs. Memphis Grizzlies

I’m high on the Utah Jazz entering this season, and I think there’s a real case that Will Hardy’s club will make the playoffs (by way of the play-in tournament) in the West.

Utah has shown flashes of competitiveness over the last few years only to be derailed by the franchise’s own tanking agenda. Now that No. 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson is in the fold alongside Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr., that should come to an end.

The loss of big man Jusuf Nurkic to open the season is certainly a killer for this Jazz team on the glass, but there is a lot of offensive talent between the three players mentioned, Keyonte George and Ace Bailey. After all, Markkanen and JJJ are All-Stars, and I don’t see the same top-line talent on this Memphis team.

The Grizzlies have a lot of intriguing young pieces, including No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer, but I wouldn’t have them favored in this game. The Grizzlies are still clearly in a rebuilding phase, and they’re asking Boozer to likely be their best player from the jump if they want to make the play-in tournament.

It’s certainly possible that the Duke product gets there in the 2026-27 season, but are we sure it happens as soon as opening night? Memphis had a fire sale of the roster over the last two seasons, and I think this line is putting a little too much love behind Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., Cedric Coward and several players that are going to be thrust into much bigger roles this season.

Utah is a great upset pick to begin the 2026-27 season.

Steph Curry OVER 24.5 Points (-104)

Steph Curry tweaked his ankle in an open practice earlier this month, but he’s been cleared to play in Game 1 of 82 against the Los Angeles Lakers.

A knee injury (runner’s knee) derailed Curry’s 2025-26 season, and he’s likely going to sit in plenty of games this year to manage the issue. But, on opening night, there aren’t a ton of matchups better than the one Curry has against the Lakers.

Los Angeles remade the roster in the offseason, letting LeBron James walk while adding Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, Ziaire Williams, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Matisse Thybulle, Collin Sexton and others.

The team fits nicely around Luka Doncic, but perimeter defense is going to be a question all season long. Can the Lakers keep multiple of Thybulle, Grimes, Williams or Jarred Vanderbilt on the floor defensively and still have enough shooting?

I’m skeptical, and I think Curry will be able to hunt Doncic and Reaves in switches all night.

The Warriors star is a one-man show with Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis out, and he’s coming off a 26.6-point-per-game season in the 2025-26 campaign. Steph took over 18 shots per night, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he pushes the 20-shot mark in this season opener.

This line is a little low against a Lakers team that has some defensive questions to open this season.

Toronto Raptors + Los Angeles Lakers Moneyline Parlay (-128)

I’m eyeing a little two-team moneyline parlay to open the season, as I don’t love laying a ton of points with favorites right out of the gate.

Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors have potential to be one of the best teams in the NBA this season, as they’re coming off a season where they earned the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference and had a top-five defensive rating.

Now, they’ve swapped out Brandon Ingram for Kawhi Leonard, who was one of the 10-best players in the league in the 2025-26 season even though the Los Angeles Clippers missed the playoffs.

Toronto is a trendy pick to make a leap in a loaded East, and I think it’ll overwhelm a young Chicago Bulls team on Wednesday night.

The Bulls added veteran Norman Powell and big man Nic Claxton in the offseason, but it’s pretty clear this franchise is rebuilding around No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson and former lottery pick Matas Buzelis.

Chicago was a bottom-10 team in net rating and defensive rating last season, and I don’t expect it to upset this Toronto team in the season opener. The Raptors were seven games over .500 at home in the regular season, and they dominated lottery teams, going 24-6 against teams that were under .500. With Leonard now in the fold, the Raptors should roll in their opener.

Los Angeles Lakers

I’m in on the Lakers entering the 2026-27 season, as a healthy Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves should lead to one of the five-best offenses in the NBA.

Meanwhile, Golden State has very questionable depth around Steph Curry with Porzingis and Butler sidelined. Last season, the Warriors barely made the play-in tournament, and I expect them to be extremely reliant on Curry’s night-to-night scoring once again this season.

Yaxel Lendeborg and other role players may have a chance to shine for Golden State with three starters out, but the Lakers’ offense should be too much for the Warriors to handle.

After all, L.A. won the last three meetings between these teams in the 2025-26 season, and it is the third-biggest favorite on the board on Wednesday.

This team is built much better around Luka Doncic, and he should elevate some of the Lakers’ new pieces against a Warriors team that was just 20th in the league in net rating last season.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Claim the latest DraftKings promo code offer today. Sign up and get $200 in bonus bets + 3 months of NBA League Pass when you make your first $5 bet.

Add us as a preferred source on Google