Analysis

Detroit went 3-1 straight-up, 2-2 against the spread in last year's meetings. All four games were decided by seven points or fewer. Five of the last six meetings between the Pistons and Celtics have stayed under the total, and that is the direction that we’re going to look in the 2026-27 opener. Boston will be integrating some new pieces as Paul George and Mitchell Robinson have been brought in to help replace the production lost by the departure of Jaylen Brown. For all intents and purposes, the Celtics are also re-integrating Jayson Tatum back into the lineup for the second time. Tatum missed the first 62 games of the regular season, returned for the final month but was knocked out of the playoffs with more lingering ailments. Boston played at by-far the slowest pace in the league last season, and Detroit generally isn't interested in a track meet. Last season, Detroit took 56-percent of its field goal attempts from the paint, which was the second-highest rate in the league. Boston's acquisition of Robinson was made to help the Celtics' interior defense for matchups like this. Boston has only scored an average of 104.3 points per game in its last three trips to Detroit. Ausar Thompson earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team last year, and he was a thorn in Derrick White's side last season. In the final meeting between the Pistons and Celtics last year, White was held to four points on 1-of-11 shooting. In Detroit's 112-105 road win in Boston, White posted a game-worst -16 plus/minus rating with four turnovers. Look for Thompson and the Pistons' defense to cause havoc once again in this matchup.
Play the Under

The Knicks and Sixers split their four regular season meetings with the road team winning-and-covering all four games. New York earned a four-game sweep in the postseason, out-scoring Philadelphia by an average of 22.3 points per game in what would eventually become one of the most-dominant championship runs in NBA history. The Knicks and Sixers approached the offseason with two drastically-different needs: New York wanted to keep as many pieces in place from last year's championship run, while Philadelphia attracted two of the biggest names in the sport. Jaylen Brown and LeBron James join the Sixers' core of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Head coach Nick Nurse has been tasked with making this lineup work, and it's going to be easier said than done. Brown, Embiid and Maxey all prefer to operate with the ball in their hands. Brown posted an 18.7-percent iso rate last season, which is the third-highest mark of any player in the league. Maxey had the second-highest usage rate of any one in last year's playoffs. Embiid has only played in 96 regular season games over the last three years, so frankly, this newer group of Sixers doesn't have much experience playing with him. We prefer the steady hand of the Knicks, who will be bringing (almost) everyone from last year's team back with the exception of Mitchell Robinson. New York posted a 15.4 net rating during the postseason last year. To put that in a little bit of context, the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors that went 16-1 in the playoffs posted a 12.9 net rating en route to their championship. A post-title hangover will likely make an appearance at some point this season, but in a matchup of one team essentially starting from scratch against the in-tact defending champs, we'll take the defending champs.
Play New York Knicks

To say that these two teams have become quite familiar with one another would be an understatement. Oklahoma City and San Antonio played a whopping 12 times last season, including one meeting in the NBA Cup semifinals (won by San Antonio) and a seven-game series in the Western Conference finals (also won by San Antonio). When all was said-and-done, the Spurs went 8-4 straight-up, 7-4-1 against the spread in those 12 games against the Thunder. Oklahoma City lost a trio of rotation pieces - Lu Dort, Aaron Wiggins and Isaiah Joe - but the Thunder's core has remained intact. The same is true in San Antonio where the Spurs' roster has stuck together, but they did make an eyebrow-raising move in the coaching box. Former Thunder and Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been brought in to lead the Spurs' offense. Anytime that you can add a two-time NCAA Tournament-winning coach who has been a staple in the USA Basketball program as an assistant coach, that's certainly an interesting prospect. Ultimately, we're interested in the over in this contest. We're intrigued to see what Donovan can unlock in the Spurs' offense, and even though Oklahoma City's losses were minimal, Dort, Wiggins and Joe all played a role in the Thunder defense. Both teams finished top-5 in true shooting percentage last year. Both teams were top-7 in offensive rating. Both teams play at a brisk pace. Opening Night might get off to a slow start between Detroit and Boston, but we're expecting to see some fireworks in the nightcap.
Play the Over