This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Slate Overview
LAL at DEN: Lakers, Nuggets went 2-2 in 2022/23 season series.
PHX at GSW: Suns won season series 3-1 against Warriors last year.
For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.
Injuries to Monitor
For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.
LAL - Jarred Vanderbilt (heel): OUT
Look for Christian Wood, Jaxson Hayes and Taurean Prince to pick up added opportunity.
PHX - Devin Booker (toe): Questionable, Bradley Beal (back): Doubtful
Jordan Goodwin, Grayson Allen, Eric Gordon and Keon Johnson are all potential backups.
GSW - Draymond Green (ankle): OUT
Kevon Looney, Dario Saric and Jonathan Kuminga could see more minutes
Elite Players
Guards
Jamal Murray, Nuggets 
($7,500) vs. Lakers
Hot off an NBA Championship, Murray has all the reason to walk into the season with confidence and a sense of comfort to his game. He is likely to establish an advantage against the Lakers' backcourt defense and has a good chance to find an early groove on home court. Murray averaged 22.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals in four games against the Lakers last season.
Stephen Curry, Warriors 
($9,200) vs. Suns
Curry is coming off the third-highest scoring year of his career, showing that he is still one of the league's top offensive threats. He averaged 29.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists across four meetings with the Suns last season, including one game with 50 points. He benefits from home-court advantage against a Suns team that will be adjusting to a new and unique situation in the backcourt.
Forwards/Centers
LeBron James, Lakers 
($9,300) at Nuggets
James has shown few signs of slowing down, averaging 24.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks through 16 postseason games to close out the 2022-23 campaign. With a full summer of rest, James should be ready to come out strong and help his team establish a winning mentality early in the season. He averaged 25.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.3 steals over three encounters with the Nuggets last season.
Kevin Durant, Suns 
($8,400) at Warriors
Durant averaged 29.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.4 blocks through 11 postseason games to finish off the 2022-23 campaign. He only got to experience a small sample with the Suns, after coming over in a trade, but he looked to be a seamless fit and should be ready to lead another push for the top. There is a lot of talent on the Suns' newly bolstered roster, but Durant may also have an added personal drive to shine against his former squad.
Jusuf Nurkic, Suns ($6,300) at Warriors
Nurkic was closed down early with a knee injury last season, but the big man averaged 13.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 52 games played. He is up for a fresh new start with the Suns and ideally, should be a great fit as a strong presence down low to counter-balance their abundance of outside-scoring talent.
Expected Chalk
Nikola Jokic, Nuggets ($10,000) vs. Lakers
Jokic plays his first home game since winning the NBA Championship in June. He was already dominant, averaging 23.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 9.8 assists and 2.3 steals through four meetings with the Lakers last season, but he is likely to have an extra swagger and look to reinforce his point to the high-aspiring team from L.A..
Value Picks
Chris Paul, Warriors ($5,600) vs. Suns
Paul averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.5 steals in 32 minutes per game through 59 appearances for the Suns last season. The veteran point guard is set to open a new chapter in his career, with his first game as a member of the Warriors. Paul has a great opportunity to help facilitate an offense filled with scorers, and he is in position to benefit by picking up easy assists and open shot opportunities.
Gabe Vincent, Lakers ($4,500) at Nuggets
Vincent is set for his debut with the Lakers, after he averaged 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists and went to the NBA Finals with the Heat last season. He is expected to fit in as backup to D'Angelo Russell, but Vincent has shown that he can step up as a scorer and could end up in a sixth-man role, as well.
Taurean Prince, Lakers ($3,500) at Nuggets
Prince will be playing on his fourth team in four years, but he has been able to display good potential and come up with some key plays at every stop along the way. He is expected to come off the bench as a backup for LeBron James and can earn added floor time with his solid three-point shooting.
Andrew Wiggins, Warriors ($5,500) vs. Suns
Wiggins averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals in 32.2 minutes per game last season. Now entering his fifth year with the Warriors, Wiggins has the opportunity to continue to shine as a top offensive option for the squad, especially with guys like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson moving towards the latter part of their prime.
Dario Saric, Warriors ($3,400) vs. Suns
Saric joined the Warriors in the offseason, and his play-making presence from the big-man position should fit nicely with the Warriors dynamic. Saric is in line for added minutes while Draymond Green (ankle) is listed as out.
