NBA Picks and Predictions: Best Bets for Wednesday October twenty second

After the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder and three fellow Western Conference contenders opened the season on Tuesday, most of the rest of the league gets its turn Wednesday night.

New eras and vibes abound in arenas and locker rooms.

As for the betting analysis, it’s business as usual.

Let’s see how these picks stack up on the Association’s first busy night of 2025-26.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS at NEW YORK KNICKS, 7 p.m.

Many view these high-scoring attacks as the top two contenders in the Eastern Conference.

With a trio of Top 20 scorers from last season involved, this opener from Madison Square Garden should at least pack plenty of points.

New York’s Jalen Brunson (26 points) and Karl-Anthony Towns (24.4) will aim to outdo Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell (24.4), who has his share of running mates.

Over 228.5 total points (-110 with BetMGM)

PHILADELPHIA 76ers at BOSTON CELTICS, 7:30 p.m.

Responding cheekily to The Ringer’s recent list omitting him from the league’s top 100 players, Sixers center Joel Embiid said, “I’m here to help,” after Philly’s preseason finale against Minnesota on Friday.

As the organization wants him healthy for a hopeful postseason run, Embiid may be more inclined to assist as a passer on the perimeter or at the elbow as the season starts. He’ll be a force inside, of course, albeit a selective one considering his two knee surgeries in 14 months and the mere 19 games he played in 2024-25.

“We got a bunch of athletes. We’ve got to release them. … They’ve got to run,” Embiid said. “My job is to find them and, in a way, that also kind of saves me, because if we get early baskets and easy baskets. I won’t have to run up and down. I can just let those guys push the pace, attack.”

Embiid averaged a career-best 5.6 assists in 39 games in 2023-24 and showed a penchant for passing during the preseason, including a team-best eight assists versus Minnesota. Expect the trend – if not the careful Embiid – to cross over.

Joel Embiid 7+ assists (+240 with BetMGM)

Celtics forward Jaylen Brown insists the hamstring tightness that hampered him late in preseason was “just maybe a little tweak but nothing crazy.”

As in not enough to sideline him for the opener of what shapes up as a strange season in Boston. Jayson Tatum (Achilles) is out indefinitely and multiple mainstays, headed by Al Horford, also are gone. Still, the Celtics boast depth and talent to be a force on the periphery of a top-heavy Eastern Conference.

As such, Brown knows he’ll attract lots of defensive attention and should be primed to take the reins in this one.

Jaylen Brown 25+ points (-120 with BetMGM)

SAN ANTONIO SPURS at DALLAS MAVERICKS, 9:30 p.m.

Top pick Cooper Flagg faced a double-team on the first possession of his first Summer League game with Dallas, one sequence among several that have thrust him into the spotlight.

He’s maintained a poise beyond his years throughout the process, so why should Flagg’s regular season debut be any different?

No rookie has captured a scoring title since Elvin Hayes in 1968-69, and it’s unlikely Flagg will crack that class. He is quite capable of starting his career solidly, however, before an amped up home crowd.

Cooper Flagg 15+ points (-140 with BetMGM)