The second night of the 2026-27 NBA season is a big one for Australian viewers. Giannis Antetokounmpo makes his Miami debut against Minnesota at 10:30am AEDT, Dallas visit Houston at 11:30am, and the Lakers host Golden State at 1:00pm. Our best bet comes from the Dallas game, which all the previews we read agree on.
Best Bet
Dallas Mavericks +8.5 at $1.90. Houston deserve to be favourites at home, but 8.5 points is a big start to give a Dallas side that now has Kyrie Irving back alongside Cooper Flagg. Every preview we read sides with Dallas, either with the start or to win outright, and we rate this as our strongest bet of the day.
The reasoning
Houston won 52 games last season and have a deep, athletic roster built around Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson. As home favourites, though, they were poor against the line, covering in only 17 of 41 games at home. There are also reports that Ime Udoka plans to limit his starters’ minutes early in the season and use a ten-man rotation. That makes a big winning margin less likely.
Dallas look much better than the team that struggled last season. Irving missed the whole of 2025-26 with injury but looked sharp in the preseason, scoring 17 points when Dallas beat Houston 132-115 in China. Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year, had 14 points and seven assists in that game. With Irving sharing the ball-handling, Flagg should get easier looks. P.J. Washington has scored 15 or more in three of his last five games.
The risk is that Houston’s depth wears Dallas down in the second half and turns a close game into a ten-point win. That is the danger, but it would take a strong Rockets performance to beat this line.
Same Game Multi (SGM)
SGM (3 legs):
- Dallas Mavericks +8.5 - our Best Bet, built on Irving’s return and Houston’s poor home record against the line.
- Cooper Flagg 20+ points - with Irving taking some of the defensive attention, Flagg should get good looks, and previews expect him to make an early statement.
- Under 230.5 total points - Houston can be slow to start, and limited starter minutes in game one point to a scrappier game than the total suggests.
Combined price: $6.80
Other picks on the slate
- Los Angeles Lakers -6.5 ($1.90) v Golden State. Golden State start the season with injuries. Kristaps Porzingis is out, Stephen Curry is probable after an ankle scare, and Brandin Podziemski is questionable. With Draymond Green likely to play at centre, Luka Doncic and Walker Kessler can attack the Warriors inside. The previews we read back the Lakers, both with the start and to win.
- Miami Heat -1.5 ($1.90) v Minnesota. This one is close. Two of our three sources lean to Miami at home, with Giannis and Bam Adebayo able to protect the paint against Anthony Edwards and new arrival LaMelo Ball. The third prefers Minnesota at about $1.99. With the previews split, we rate this a small bet.
- Brooklyn v Charlotte is a pass for us. One preview backs the Nets at the line, while another thinks Brandon Miller can carry a short-handed Hornets side without Kon Knueppel and Coby White.
How we’d play it
Mavericks +8.5 is the main bet at a normal stake. The Lakers line is a solid second bet. Keep the Heat bet small because the previews disagree. Put only a small stake on the SGM, and check that Irving and Flagg are both playing before tip-off at 11:30am AEDT.
