The wait is over, basketball fans. After four months of a busy offseason, training camp, preseason and all the hoopla surrounding them, the real deal is finally here.
The NBA returns tonight for the 2013-2014 season with big time marquee match-ups in South Beach and Hollywood.
[sc:BettingArticlesShortcoder ]Sports Betting Preview for October 29
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Baseball: Lester Puts Red Sox One Win from Title
- Jon Lester smothered St. Louis on four hits into the eighth, David Ross hit a tiebreaking RBI double in a two-run seventh inning off Adam Wainwright and the Boston Red Sox beat the Cardinals 3-1 Monday night to take a 3-2 World Series lead.
Football: Seahawks Survive Rams
- Everybody expected the Seattle Seahawks to blow the St. Louis Rams out, but that wasn’t the case, as they won by the skin of their teeth. The Seahawks prevailed with a 14-9 victory despite being limited to 135 TOTAL yards.
Top Bet Games to Bet On
Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat (8 PM ET)
Derrick Rose sat on the bench and watched the Chicago Bulls fall to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring while recovering from knee surgery that kept him out for the entire 2012-13 campaign. [sc:NBA240banner ]
The Heat, who went on to win their second straight NBA Championship, will begin their title defense against a healthy Rose when they host the Bulls on Tuesday. Rose and Heat superstar LeBron James mark one of several intriguing matchups.
James and Rose combined to win the last five NBA MVP awards, with Rose stealing the crown from James in his last fully healthy season, 2010-11. The dynamic point guard could spend some time going up directly against James, who proved during the playoffs last season that he could guard all five positions on the court with little trouble. The Bulls kept their roster largely intact from last season, believing Rose was the missing piece that can get the team past Miami.
Odds: Chicago (+5) vs. Miami (-5), O/U: 188.0
The games between these two teams have always been a battle to the end and it shows with the fact that the road team is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings. Yet in many of those games, Miami has been on top, as they are 5-1 SU in their last 6 games against Chicago.
However, Rose did not play in those games, and last played against the Heat on April 12, 2012. In the last five regular season games he played vs. the Heat, the Bulls are 4-0-1 ATS.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 PM ET)
The Los Angeles Lakers officially ruled Kobe Bryant out for Tuesday’s season opener, leaving the stage set for Doc Rivers and the rival Los Angeles Clippers. Rivers will spend his first game on the sidelines with his new team when the Clippers serve as visitors Tuesday in the arena they share with the Lakers. Bryant, who suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon toward the end of last season, is practicing with the team in a limited capacity.
Rivers made headlines over the summer when he jumped from the Boston Celtics to the Clippers, drawing criticism from Celtics’ fans while giving Clippers’ fans hope that the team can build on last season’s progress. The Clippers quickly re-signed Chris Paul and brought in J.J. Redick to help spread the floor for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan inside.
The Lakers, who slid into the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference last spring before bowing out in the first round, lost Dwight Howard to the Houston Rockets and watched Bryant, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol grow one year older.
Odds: LA Clippers (-9) vs. LA Lakers (+9), O/U: 199.5
The Clippers dominated the Battle of LA last year, as they are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings. However, the Lakers are 13-3 SU in their last 16 games at home, and those were games when they played with a chip on their collective shoulder. It’s something they should have again entering this game.
[sc:NBA490banner ]For the most comprehensive list of NFL, NCAAF, MLB, and NHL game odds and betting lines, visit Top Bet Sportsbook.
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