BIG3 Basketball Betting: Best Bets for Week 1
BIG3 Basketball returns for its eighth season with plenty of new notable names and a few twists to the traditional format that could make it the league's best season yet.
For the first time in BIG3 history, teams are now tied into specific cities. Plenty of last year's luminaries return, while new incoming stars like Dwight Howard, Montrezl Harrell and potentially Kemba Walker (if he can overcome some lingering knee issues) enhance an already impressive talent pool that also includes former NBA luminaries such as Jeff Teague, Michael Beasley, Joe Johnson, Greg Monroe and Paul Millsap, among others.
This season, RotoWire will once again have quick-hit betting picks for all four clashes each week using DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbook odds, beginning with Saturday's four-game slate at Allstate Arena in Chicago.
2024 Season Final BIG3 Basketball Betting Record: 28-14
LA Riot vs. Miami 305 (Saturday, June 14, 3:00 p.m. ET)
This game could easily prove to be the most entertaining of the season-opening slate, given the talent on either side. The Dwight Howard-led Riot also boasts 2023 BIG3 champion Jordan Crawford, Elijah Stewart and 10-year NBA veteran Wesley Johnson.
Miami 305 is right there with LA's star-laden roster, however, with Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley once again set to form the core of a team. Intriguing newcomer Lance Stephenson should make for an electric addition as well, while Reggie Evans will give Michael Cooper's squad an outstanding rebounding presence down low.
The individual battles in this game will be intriguing, but I see the continuity of the Chalmers-Beasley duo – not to mention the latter's prolific scoring ability – being enough to give Miami a very narrow win in a game that will exceed offensive expectations.
BIG3 Picks for Riot vs. 305
- Miami 305 moneyline (-134 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Over 93.5 points (-112 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Detroit Amps at Chicago Triplets (Saturday, June 14, 4:00 p.m. ET)
The Amps, led by Hall of Famer George Gervin, have a combined 23 seasons of NBA experience in their Joe Johnson-Jeremy Pargo-Darnell Jackson core, with Johnson naturally contributing the bulk courtesy of his whopping 17 campaigns at the highest level.
The Triplets, which originally were slated to field Walker as part of their squad, are still quite a seasoned team in their own right. With Harrell, Jason Richardson and Amir Johnson, Chicago is sitting on 36 seasons of NBA experience, and it's all overseen by another Hall of Famer in Julius Erving.
The two teams should play a cohesive game right out of the gate, and while Johnson is always a threat to take over a game with his signature offense, I see the Triplets enjoying a significant rebounding advantage with the likes of Harrell and Richardson down low.
Joe Johnson will likely help the Amps stay close enough to make me stray away from a Triplets cover, but I'll go with an outright Chicago win in front of its home crowd.
BIG3 Picks for Amps at Triplets
- Triplets moneyline (-134 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Houston Rig Hands vs. DMV Trilogy Best Bets (Saturday, June 14, 5:00 p.m. ET)
Calvin Murphy joins the BIG3 coaching ranks in the city where he mostly built his Hall of Fame career, Houston. He'll oversee a roster led by the capable Corey Brewer, who complements an outstanding defensive profile with equally impressive offensive contributions, as evidenced by his 18.4 points, 1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks a year ago.
Brewer is joined by Garlon Green, who went for 14.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest for the 2024 champion Bivouac, and Brandon Moss, who supplied 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in his own right during the 2024 campaign.
DMV counters with 2024 scoring leader Isaiah Briscoe (21.4 PPG) and a pair of towering big men in Earl Clark and Isaiah Austin. DaJuan Summers, who has four seasons of NBA experience and was a solid complementary player last year with 8.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists for the Ball Hogs, offers quality depth.
These two teams appear very evenly matched on paper, so I'll go with Trilogy keeping matters very close in what could be a wire-to-wire battle.
BIG3 Picks for Rig Hands vs. Trilogy
- Trilogy +2.5 (-110 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Boston Ball Hogs vs. Dallas Power Best Bets (Saturday, June 14, 6:00 p.m. ET)
The final game of the opening week features a Ball Hogs squad led by reigning 2024 BIG3 title-winning coach Gary Payton, who led Bivouac to its first-ever championship.
Payton is working with a new crop of players after seeing Corey Brewer, Garlon Green and Gerald Green all spearhead his championship squad last season. This year, BIG3 vets like Kevin Murphy, Jonathon Simmons and Chris Johnson will carry out his defensive-minded attack.
Nancy Lieberman's Power is loaded, as the top three consists of Greg Monroe, Paul Millsap and Glen Rice Jr. That trio could prove to be among the league's best as the season unfolds, and while Millsap was injured very early in his first BIG3 season in 2024, Monroe (9.7 points, 6.7 rebounds) and Rice (17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game) were both key contributors last season.
John Millsap and T.J. Cline provide solid depth for Dallas as well, and there's a case to be made for the more well-rounded Power to eventually pull away in this season-opening clash.
BIG3 Picks for Ball Hogs vs. Power
- Power -3.5 (-110 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
BIG3 Week 1 Best Bets Recap
- Miami 305 moneyline (-134 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Riot-305 Over 93.5 points (-112 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Triplets moneyline (-134 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Trilogy +2.5 (-110 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Power -3.5 (-110 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
