PrizePicks NBA Picks Today, 10/22: Opening Night DFS Picks & Projections
The 2024-25 NBA Season tips off today - Tuesday, October 21, 2024 - and oh what a terrific season it should be.
The field is as open, and the superstar power is as strong as it has ever been. We should see an entertaining, hyper-competitive season from Opening Night all the way through the NBA Finals Championship parade in June.
We can get into the team and season previews later. Right now, you should be focused on one thing and one thing only: winning some cold hard cash on Opening Night at PrizePicks.
Below are our PrizePicks NBA picks for today, plus not one, but two PrizePicks promos you should take advantage of when you play. Follow us here every day this season and let’s make this your most profitable PrizePicks NBA season yet!
NBA DFS Projections - Anthony Edwards Set At 0.5 Points At PrizePicks
PrizePicks is giving new and existing customers alike a free square for Opening Night. This comes by way of Anthony Edwards having his NBA DFS projections being discounted all the way down to 0.5 points!
Simply go to the PrizePicks NBA Lobby, make your picks, and build your entry as you normally would. You’ll see Anthony Edwards with his NBA DFS points projection slashed all the way down to 0.5 Select that square and submit your lineup. Just like that, you’ll have your first PrizePicks NBA pick of the night be a guaranteed winner!
If you’re new to PrizePicks, join now using PrizePicks promo code ALARM and you can pick up an instant $50 bonus with your first entry. This promo is included in addition to the Anthony Edwards free square, so your promotional perks will be piling up before the first NBA game of the season is even played.
Click here to claim your pair of PrizePicks promos now. If you’re signing up for the first time, be sure to use PrizePicks promo code: ALARM.
PrizePicks NBA Pick: Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks - More Than 14.5 Points
The Knicks didn’t trade five first-round picks for Bridges to have him be a secondary piece in their offense. Some might simply think he’ll replace Donte DiVincenzo’s role, but that’s a gross understatement. He’ll be the clear-cut #3 option behind Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. This will not only give him loads of looks each night, but should also significantly improve his efficiency compared to last year.
With Brooklyn, Bridges was asked to create far more than he was comfortable with. The 3-and-D specialist now can step back into the role that served him best during his breakout seasons with Phoenix. The more that teams scheme to slow down Brunson and KAT, the better the looks that Bridges will see.
Bridges will be playing big minutes, too. Tom Thibodeau is well-known for running extremely tight rotations. Bridges has earned a reputation for being equally durable, so he won’t just survive this season’s surge in minutes - he’ll thrive.
Our NBA DFS Projections peg Bridges to score 19.0 points tonight. That’s significantly higher than his current projection at PrizePicks, and cements his status as a top play there today. Whether he soars or scuffles, the sheer minutes and scoring opportunities will ensure that he scores more than 14.5 points against the Celtics on Opening Night.
PrizePicks NBA Pick: OG Anunoby, New York Knicks - More Than 1.5 3-Pointers Made
Anunoby will team with Bridges to form one of the most devastating defensive duos in the NBA. Both bring far more value to the table than their 3-and-D labels gives them credit for. That said, for the purposes of this PrizePicks NBA pick, we can happily lean into these labels.
Since 2021, Anunoby has averaged 2.2 3pm on 5.8 attempts per game. He also averaged 34.9 mpg during this time. He should see comparable minutes and opportunities tonight, meaning we’re quite literally hoping for Anunoby to only have his usual, average showing for this PrizePicks NBA pick to hit.
Our NBA DFS Projections peg Anunoby to hit 2.2 3pms over 37 minutes of gametime. With Precious Achiuwa injured, those minutes are all but guaranteed, so the adage that minutes = money plays perfectly here. One of your PrizePicks NBA picks today should be Anunoby to tickle the twine on more than 1.5 3-pointers.
PrizePicks NBA Pick: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves - More Than 5 Assists
You obviously won’t be able to pair this pick with his discounted projection, but it should find its way into one of your lineups today, nonetheless.
With KAT gone, Ant is now THE man in Minnesota. Many would argue that this already was the case - which actually makes this pick all the stronger. He’ll lead this team in usage rate by a country mile, and that will translate to an increase in assist rate as well. In 2023, his 24.1% ast% was the second-highest on the team, behind only Mike Conley’s 29.0%. I wouldn’t be shocked if these numbers flip-flopped in 2024-25.
Overall, Ant accumulated an average of 5.1 assists per game last year. In a small 4-game sample against the Lakers, that figure creeped up to a 5.8 average. We know he shines when the spotlight is brightest, and the spotlight certainly will be on him tonight in this nationally televised opener on TNT.
I hate the push possibility, but I love absolutely everything else about this PrizePicks NBA pick today. Once you’ve exhausted his 0.5-point free square, lock Ant’s assist projection into your next PrizePicks lineup.
Also Consider These PrizePicks NBA Picks Today:
- Naz Reid, more than 12 points
- Donte DiVincenzo, more than 12.5 points
- Karl-Anthony Towns, more than 1.5 3pm (GOBLIN)