So I decided to do something different today in this space. I do well on paralays overall in the SportsLine Newsletter, but I seem to be burning in the legs to add to the money line to bring in more money. Maybe I’m reaching for player points or something. On all sides there is no difficulty in winning. So I’m going to go with what I know: Simple two leggers and I just focus on one game with the other one essentially soccer but much more confident about. And tonight, that main game is Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State. Say the best Kalshi promo code CBSSPORTS55, trade $25, and get this $55 bonus:
Over the past eight NBA seasons, sometimes the Warriors and Lakers have faced off as must-see TV because of Stephen Curry versus LeBron James, arguably the two greatest and most important players of their generation. Alas, LeBron is now in Philadelphia so tonight’s matchup between Pacific Division rivals in San Francisco isn’t exactly the same, but maybe it gives me a sense of Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg — and it also gives the start of the NBA Cup playgroup.
This is the second NBA game in a Prime Video doubleheader (the good Knicks vs. 76ers matchup is the first) with a 10 ET tip. At -3.5, scores take about 70% of the tickets and 75% of the money. The sum of 234.5 is more than based. What I am laughing at is that five years ago 234.5 would not even be in the discussion. The NBA is changing, and now it’s pure offense.
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NBA talk for Friday
DraftKings: SGP price: -101 (subject to change)
The clubs opened the season against each other on October 21 in Los Angeles and Los Angeles rolled to a 127-105 victory behind 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists from Luka Doncic, who did not play the fourth quarter without a shot. However, he was upstaged by big man Walker Kessler in his Lakers debut as the 7-footer was 12-for-12 from the field to go with 26 points and nine boards. Those were the first no-hitters in Jets history, trailing only a 14-for-14 performance by Wilt Chamberlain in March 1969.
Curry led the Warriors with 23 points, while Lendeborg had a fairly quiet 12 points and three boards in his debut, but No. 11 overall since he dominated national champion Michigan. Scouts were mixed on Lendeborg because he was so old out of college (he was 23. He was now 24) and had played power conference basketball one season after transferring from UAB.
If Kristaps Porzingis and Jimmy Butler were healthy, Lendeborg might not even be a starter. But now he’s averaging 22.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game and has climbed to +280 as the second favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year behind the Grizzlies’ Cameron Boozer (+240), the No. 3 overall range. No player received more ROY action this past week at DraftKings than Lendeborg, however. +2800 after the draft and 1800 with the time prefixed.
He has now become the first rookie since Curry in February 2010 with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a game. It took Curry 51 games to finish. While the Warriors are five games in, Lendeborg joined future Hall of Famers Patrick Ewing, David Robinson and Shaquille O’Neal as the only NBA players with at least 85 points and 35 rebounds in their first four career games in the draft lottery era (from 1985-86). Finally, Lendeborg Victor Wembanyama joined the only rookies since 1993 to score 100 or more points and 40 or more rebounds in their first five career games.
“His motivation. I mean, he’s just gone from the playoffs,” Curry said of Lendeborg this week. “He’s just composed, you feel it. Size is on the court; it’s a matchup problem. He never really rushes and starts to see pictures really well. Distributing, aggressive, getting to the free throw line, offensive rebounding.”
Lendeborg is the first Warriors rookie with three consecutive 20-point games since Klay Thompson had three in 2011-12. With Butler recovering from a torn ACL, the Warriors just didn’t name any Steph Curry who could create offense. The 6-foot-9, 241-pound rookie can. Tonight, his PRA is set at 29.5. The SportsLine props model has it projected at 27.8.
“The addition of Yaxel,” coach Steve Kerr said, “and the ability to do the kind of things that Jimmy does — slow play, foul, create shots for himself or others — it’s a game changer for us.”
Remember the one-touted “second timeline” the Warriors thought they could turn into essentially a rebuilding championship team on the fly? That never happened, in large part because 2 overall no. Maybe Lendeborg at No. 11 is tied with Curry going down to No. 7 in 2009. He’s coming off a season-high 44 points in Wednesday’s win over the Wolves. Curry made all 16 of his free throw attempts, a one-game sweep for him. Bet on NBA futures with Caesars Sportsbook promo code CBSSPORTSBR250 and get up to $250 in bonuses:
In this series, they have lost four straight games overall and four straight at the Chase Center. Doncic will play after sitting out Wednesday at the Clippers. Im so lucky he doesnt hurt because the NBA had a really rough week in terms of star players going down in the likes of Anthony Edwards, Jalen Williams, Paolo Banchero, Kawhi Leonard, Jaren Jackson and Tyrese Haliburton all picked up injuries.
Doncic leads the NBA in scoring with 36.0 PPG. Edwards second at 33.3 and no one else in the 30s. With Doncic on the line, the Jets have scored at least 125 points in each of their first four games for the first time in franchise history. His O/U is 34.5 points. Doncic and Curry are now 9-9 in the regular season all-time.
I don’t get too much into the NBA Cup because I don’t care much, but these two are pretty tough in Group C with San Antonio, rising Portland and the weak link to Sacramento. The Spurs are -110 favorites to win the group while the Jets are +340 and the Warriors are +1400. To put it simply, LA is +185, and Golden State is +650. Each of the six group winners and the second place team with the best group stage record in each conference receives an undrafted place card.
As for Miami Indiana, the Pacers are clearly not without Tyrese Haliburtoun, and Ivica Zubac and a few others. Check out other expert reads in the SportsLine daily newsletter.