It's only Day 1 of the 2018-19 NBA season, but we already have some major news for bettors and DFS players.
Thunder star point guard Russell Westbrook is nursing a knee injury and will miss OKC's game against the Golden State Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET on TNT).
Russell Westbrook (knee) ruled out Tuesday. https://t.co/NrMTn7qKRP
— FantasyLabs NBA (@FantasyLabsNBA) October 16, 2018
The Warriors opened as 11.5-point favorites on Sunday with Westbrook listed as questionable, but had moved to -12 by Monday afternoon. Then on Tuesday, the line moved even further to -13 (see live data here).
Westbrook's absence is also caused the over/under to drop. After opening at 223.5 and rising to 224, the total has since fallen to 220.5.
The Action Network's Betting Power Rankings, which can be used to create point spreads for potential matchups, currently have a 6.3-point gap between the Warriors and Thunder. When you add in the home-court advantage factor of about 2.75 points, you could expect the Warriors to be around a 9-point favorite.
With Westbrook considered a Tier 2 player in the eyes of oddsmakers — which means he's worth about four points to the spread — it's understandable how this spread is at 13 points.
For the latest injury news, be sure to follow @FantasyLabsNBA.
