The NBA Is Upside Down

If the NBA season ended today, the Warriors, Clippers, Lakers, Nets and Heat would all miss the playoffs, without even a chance to make it in via the play-in. Not one of them is .500, and together, they've combined for a putrid 10-23 start. People are noticing 😮

Luckily for them, they all have at least 65 more games to go, which is, of course, more than enough time to overcome any sluggish start to the season. However, what's been most surprising is the teams at the top of the table who were expected to phone in the season in attempts to tank for a chance at one of the top talents in this year's loaded draft class 📈

Here's a few of the league's biggest positive surprises through two weeks of play 👇

• Portland Trail Blazers: 5-1

• Utah Jazz: 6-2

• San Antonio Spurs: 5-2

• Thunder (no Chet or Giddey): 3-3

• Hornets (no LaMelo or Rozier): 3-4

Although things will certainly start to even out, it's been fun seeing a few of these supposedly lesser teams turn the tables on some of the league's presumptive favorites 💪

Bulls @ Nets

For their second home game in as many days, the Nets have a chance to eke towards .500 with a game against the Bulls tonight at 7:30PM EST. Although the Nets are the clear losers of the NBA's early season, the Bulls too have fallen short of where they'd hoped to be by now 📉

• Nets: 3-5

• Bulls: 3-4

While the Nets' loudest obstructions so far seem mostly unrelated to the game of basketball, the Bulls' issues have had much more to do with the health of their starting backcourt 🏥

• Zach LaVine's missed three games as he's continues to manage a knee injury

• Lonzo Ball has missed every game so far, and is still experiencing pain from a bone bruise that predated the torn meniscus he had surgically repaired in January

Although LaVine should be intermittently available as the season moves along, Ball will be out for at least the next couple of months, as he can't run or jump. Here's how the two teams looking to turn it around stack up going into tonight's matchup 👇

Bulls vs. Nets Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: Nets -2.5

• Moneyline: Nets -136 (bet $136, win $100), Bulls +116 (bet $100, win $116)

• Total: N/A

Warriors @ Heat

On the subject of struggling teams, the Warriors and Heat have looked far off from where they last left things...champions and a shot away from meeting the Warriors in the Finals 😏

The Warriors look a little out of sorts as they've bet big on their youth movement to step up and fill the shoes of departed veterans like Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. So far, youngsters Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman have been among the team's weakest links, with the team playing significantly worse when any of the three have been on the floor 👎

• And yet, Steph's entered the season like a bat out of hell, scoring 31 PPG on nearly 64% true shooting. When he goes, the Warriors go. And since Steph looks more than fine, the Warriors should feel under no pressure to figure out their new rotation

• Meanwhile, the Heat have a bottom-10 offense and defense, and look to be a step behind the younger teams gunning to make their mark on the new Eastern Conference

• The team's regulars have been as advertised, even considering a somewhat slow start from Kyle Lowry, but they're not getting as much out of their next-man-up rotation made up of former G League standouts as they did last season 🏀

Tonight's contest in Miami should be a good temperature check for where both teams are at in the season's earliest stages 🔥

Heat vs. Warriors Betting Preview

• Spread: Heat -.5

• Moneyline: Heat -108, Warriors -108

• Total: 227

For My Parlay Gurus

As two of the most popular teams in the league to bet on, lines might be a little juiced tonight. Still, the Nets need a dub, and the Dubs are simply too good to be this bad. I've got desperation triumphing in this early-season action, take a look 👇

• Nets -2.5 vs. Bulls: -108

• Warriors ML @ Heat: -108

$100 on this bet would win you $271 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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