By the end of the weekend, the Detroit Pistons season will come to a close. For fans, that’s a good and bad thing.
Luckily, it means we’re one step closer to the NBA Playoffs — where the NBA shifts into high gear — and the NBA Draft Lottery, where the Pistons’ rebuild will hopefully shift into high gear as well.
But if you follow my stuff here, you know I’m the Gambling Guy, so let’s take a look at some worthwhile wagers on DraftKings for the playoffs and NBA Draft.
THE PLAYOFFS
Betting on playoff basketball is a lot of fun, but betting on futures is my personal favorite.
The NBA champion, unlike the NCAA champ, normally is one of the usual suspects. The favorites are the favorites for a reason and their odds reflect it. I could tell you to bet on the favorites — teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies — but that’s not fun!
Though it could be profitable.
My favorite futures bet for the playoffs isn’t quite as juicy, but it’s interesting. If you’re of the thinking that Suns (+450), Nuggets (+800) or Grizzlies (1600) can win it all… or have a hunch that Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the Clippers (+2200) can figure their crap out, I have a nice value bet for you.
DraftKings lists Conference to Win the NBA Finals as East at -135 and West at +110. Those odds are fine, but if you think one of those three West teams can pull it off, mosey on down to the Will There Be a First-Time Champion option. There, you can get all four of those teams + upstarts like the Timberwolves, Pelicans, Suns and Nets at +170.
It’s all about what you’re willing to risk, but an interesting way to play the Finals markets.
THE DRAFT
Welcome to the Pistons’ portion of our programming.
The draft market is a bit dry right now. Part of that is the stranglehold that Victor Wembanyama has over the No. 1 overall pick, but also the uncertainty surrounding who is in and who is out when it comes to declaring for the draft. I’ll have more on best draft bets as we get closer, but today I do see one interesting angle.
DraftKings currently has Alabama’s Brandon Miller as the favorite (+140) to be selected third overall. I think if the Pistons land the second overall pick, there’s a chance they take him there. Whether that’s right or wrong is another discussion.
However, that means there might be a little value on taking the G League’s Scoot Henderson at +200 to be selected 3rd overall. Detroit could very well select Scoot if they pick second, but surprises happen. Could Portland fade Scoot in favor of Miller? Could Dallas, if miracles exist, do the same if they land the No. 2 pick?
There’s a market for the No. 2 pick as well. If you think Scoot goes third and Miller goes second, you get get Miller at +180 to go 2nd overall as well. Correlating picks like that is smart, especially in the draft.
I’ll definitely be monitoring this market as we get closer to the draft.
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