NBA Picks & Predictions for PrizePicks Today: NBA Opening Night
NBA Opening Night night is finally here! Opening night of the NBA season is set to tip-off on Tuesday, October 22, at 7:30 p.m. ET with the defending champion Boston Celtics opening their season against their historical rivals, the New York Knicks.
The second part of this doubleheader will see last year’s Western Conference Finalists, the Minnesota Timberwolves, head to Los Angeles to take on the Lakers at 10 p.m. ET.
Below, we will preview both games on the NBA DFS slate, plus injury news, NBA projections, and picks and predictions for NBA Tip-off on PrizePicks. You can find today’s full NBA DFS Projections on the PrizePicks app.
Don’t forget to lock the Anthony Edwards free square in your PrizePicks lineup as part of the Back to Buckets promotions running during the first week of the NBA season.
Sign up on PrizePicks with promo code “Playbook” to get $50 instantly when you play a $5 NBA lineup
NBA Picks, Predictions for PrizePicks Today
Find game previews, NBA injuries, and PrizePicks picks and projections below.
- Knicks vs. Celtics Preview
- Timberwolves vs. Lakers Preview
- NBA Injuries Today for DFS
- NBA PrizePicks Today
- Knicks G Jalen Brunson 7 Assists — More
- Celtics F Jayson Tatum 14 Rebs + Assists — More
- Timberwolves F Julius Randle 18.5 Points — More
- Lakers F LeBron James 8 Assists — More
Knicks vs. Celtics: Preview, Time, TV
Date: Tuesday, October 22
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
How to Watch: TNT
The defending champion Celtics will raise their NBA-record 18th NBA Championship banner when they face off against the Knicks. The Celtics kept their championship core intact and will be looking to be the first team to repeat as champions since the Golden State Warriors went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.
As for the Knicks, the team is coming into the season with a new look. They started their offseason with a huge splash by trading for Mikal Bridges from cross-town rival Brooklyn Nets. This started the hype of the “Nova Knicks” as Bridges joined the team which already had Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo.
The big shock was when the team flipped Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks have now matched the blueprint the Celtics used to win their NBA title.
Will it pay off? We’ll need to wait until the upcoming NBA Playoffs to find out
Timberwolves vs. Lakers: Time, How to Watch, Location
Date: Tuesday, October 22
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET tipoff
Location: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
How to Watch: TNT
Minnesota was on the other side of the Knicks blockbuster trade, acquiring DiVincenzo and Randle from the Knicks. The trade came as a shock to many people as the Timberwolves made their deepest playoff run since the mid-2000s so the thought was that the team would “run it back” given an extra year of experience.
The question looms now if trading KAT was the right move or if this will pay off by giving the team more depth and avoiding being a second-apron luxury tax team.
The Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs for a second straight season by the Denver Nuggets. Their first move was to let go of head coach Darvin Ham and bring in JJ Redick to replace him.
The team is largely the same core they had last season with the additions of Dalton Knecht and Bronny James in the NBA Draft. So far this preseason, Knecht has proven that he’ll be a regular rotation player due to his ability to score at a high level.
It will be another historic year for LeBron James playing with his son this year, but will this team get over the hump and become a true title contender in the West?
Sign up on PrizePicks with promo code “Playbook” to get $50 instantly when you play a $5 NBA lineup
NBA Injuries Today
- Knicks center Mitchell Robinson is out until January. With the departure of center Isaiah Hartenstein to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the move to get Towns made sense as the team was desperate for a big. Towns will be the one playing center as a stretch-five.
- Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis is out until December after having foot surgery. That will make way for longtime veteran Al Horford to see more minutes at the beginning of the season. Horford’s role has changed over his many years in the league, but his role since joining the Celtics will remain the same, by stretching the floor and shooting 3s.
Knicks G Jalen Brunson 7 Assists — More
Likely to be hounded by either Derrick White or Jrue Holiday, look for the Knicks’ star guard to get his teammates more involved. As stated earlier, the team acquired both Bridges and Towns from the Nets and Timberwolves respectively.
The team is still working together to figure out their chemistry. This could be the kind of game where Brunson takes a step back and plays more of a facilitator role to get his teammates good looks.
Brunson also has a discounted Taco Tuesday projection on the PrizePicks board until 3:30 p.m. ET: 33.5 points+rebounds+assists, down from 38.5.
Celtics F Jayson Tatum 14 Rebs + Assists — More
Over the last couple of seasons, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum has slowly upped his tallies in assists. Tatum has yet to crack the five-assist mark in a season going from 4.3 to 4.9 assists in his last four seasons.
One of the two stars of the team, Tatum seems to have a chip on his shoulder after not seeing a lot of playing time during the 2024 Olympics.
He is also looking to make a push for his first MVP this season, coming into the season as a potential favorite to claim the title. With Porzingis out, Tatum will likely be the one who will account for more of his rebounds.
Sign up on PrizePicks with promo code “Playbook” to get $50 instantly when you play a $5 NBA lineup
Timberwolves F Julius Randle 18.5 Points — More
A new forward is in town in Minnesota and that man is Julius Randle. As KAT’s direct replacement, he’ll likely be tasked with replacing Towns’ scoring output one-for-one. Randle will be the team’s secondary scorer after guard Anthony Edwards, and that is a role that he will be familiar with after playing second-fiddle to Brunson.
Randle has averaged over 20 points in his time in New York and even with a stronger bench in Minnesota, this number seems a bit low for someone who has something to prove in a contract year.
Lakers F LeBron James 8 Assists — More
Even in his 22nd season, LeBron will likely still not show any signs of slowing down. He’s maintained an incredible average of 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists last year. Over his last three seasons, his scoring average has dropped while his assist averages have gone up.
The 39-year-old still averaged a 30% usage rate last year and will see the ball on nearly every possession the Lakers have when he’s in the game. Minnesota has lengthy defenders who will cause problems; with that, James will look to pass.
Lock In Your NBA Lineups on PrizePicks
The first NBA games of the season are here, and it’s time to lock in on the action by using PrizePicks — the easiest way to get real money action on NBA fantasy sports.
The NBA season is upon us and you can get in the game and lock in your favorite players on PrizePicks. Thanks to the number of unique stat types and squares on the board, you can build your lineup however you’d like, with no salary or positional restrictions.
Use PrizePicks to build a line of your NBA picks and check out the Playbook daily for more NBA picks.
Sign up on PrizePicks with promo code “Playbook” to get $50 instantly when you play a $5 NBA lineup
More Resources from PrizePicks
