The NBA season is officially back. Sportsbooks, including DraftKings and FanDuel, are offering promos for bettors.
Of course, if you live in Illinois, BetRivers is your only mobile sports betting option. But if you cross the Indiana border, you can bet on NBA games legally at DraftKings and FanDuel sportsbooks.
The Jazz are taking on the Pelicans in the Orlando “bubble” on Thursday, July 30, at 5:30 p.m. CT. The main event is the Lakers facing the Clippers at 8 p.m. CT (both games are on TNT).
Here are some offers you can take advantage of for the NBA’s return.
FanDuel one-game limited offer
FanDuel’s “Spread The Love” promotion only applies to the Lakers-Clippers game. The terms:
- Available for new and existing FanDuel users.
- The line moves +1 in the Lakers’ favor for every 2,500 customers who bet the market.
- For example, if 20,000 bets are placed, the line will move 8 points and close at Lakers +4.
- Bettors will receive the odds that appear when the market closes, regardless of when they placed their bet.
- The promotion is available in Indiana and runs up until tipoff.
DraftKings ‘Bet $20, win $100’ offer
DraftKings’ offering is more expansive, as you can choose any game on Thursday, Friday or Saturday. If you boost the game and win, you can earn $100 from a $20 bet. The terms:
- Maximum bet of $20.
- One bet per user.
- You’ll be issued a single-use odds boost of +500 for any team in any game.
- Offer excludes live bets, parlays, cash-out bets, bonus bets and voided bets.
- You must be in Indiana.
Let’s take a quick glance at both of the games set for Thursday.
Jazz-Pelicans preview
The Pelicans (-2.5, 224) are favored by the same amount at FanDuel and DraftKings as of Thursday morning.
The line stands out, considering the Jazz are 13 games ahead of the Pelicans in the standings and Zion Williamson is considered a game-time decision (more on that soon).
But a few things to remember: the Jazz will be without Bojan Bogdanovic for the remainder of the season, and they were 2-8 against the spread in their 10 games heading into the pause. Bogdanovic averaged 20.2 points per game this season, and Utah doesn’t have an obvious replacement for him on the wing.
Outside of Donovan Mitchell, who will create offense? If Mike Conley Jr. doesn’t return to his Memphis form in a hurry, the Jazz could be in trouble.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, had covered seven of their last 12 lines going into the shutdown. Of course, Williamson’s status is a huge factor here. Head coach Alvin Gentry said Williamson will play if he’s ready, and Williamson has indicated that he’s interested.
New Orleans is 28-36 straight-up on the year, but holds a steady 11-9 mark with Williamson in the lineup.
Lakers-Clippers preview
The Lakers (-4) are favored over the Clippers by the same number at both books. However, the total is a tad higher at FanDuel (217.5) than DraftKings (216).
Both teams will be missing key role guys, but it’s fair to say that the Clippers’ absences sting more. Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell are officially listed as out, while Patrick Beverley is questionable. On the Lakers side, Avery Bradley opted out of the bubble and Rajon Rondo is out with a thumb injury.
These are two of the three best teams in the NBA, in addition to the Bucks. The last time they met feels like forever ago — it was March 8.
The Lakers won that game 112-103, and Bradley, Harrell and Williams combined to score 51 points. While the stars are all expected to go on Thursday, we can’t underestimate the importance of depth for both teams.
The Lakers are more intact than the Clippers and hold a 5.5-game Western Conference lead, so you can see why the line has landed here. Where might it end up with the FanDuel promotion we discussed above? Tough to say, but LeBron James returning from months of rest and knowing the whole basketball world will be watching is a scary, scary thought.
