Denver Nuggets vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Denver NuggetsAndre Iguodala returns to Philadelphia after they somewhat surprisingly shipped him off to Denver in the offseason. The deal was part of the Dwight Howard-Andrew Bynum four-team swap, but the 76ers will be missing their main prize as Bynum is out. 
I know the 76ers had an excellent preseason without Bynum, going 6-1, but I don’t feel like they played anyone too challenging. They beat up on the Knicks, Cavaliers, Magic, Celtics and Nets. The Nuggets should be able to pose some problems for them as they are a high-flying, high-scoring team. 
The Nuggets led the NBA with 104.1 points per game last season and if this is a shootout, that could be a problem for the 76ers, who prefer a slower, half-court pace. They’ve won five of seven road matchups in this series, so I’ll take them as a road dog.
NBA Pick: Nugget +1.5 ---

Sacramento Kings vs. Chicago Bulls
Maybe this is the craziest play in my NBA picks for tonight, but I kind of like the Sacramento Kings as seven-point underdog in this spot. Yes, I know they were awful on the road last season (6-27) but this is more of a bet against the Chicago Bulls than it is a vote of confidence for the Kings. 
I think a lot of assumptions are being made about the Bulls that they are good enough to hang with the elite teams in the standings until Derrick Rose is back. And once he’s back, they’ll be title contenders once again. I think that’s a lot to ask of a team that’s lost so much.
For starters, the Chicago Bulls are without Rose. Secondly, Luol Deng has a wrist issue which he’s played through and insists isn’t a problem, but you never know. Also, when Rose went down last season, the Bulls bench stepped up to carry the load. Well, that bench has lost Omer Asik, C.J Watson, Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver. Even if the new bench is as good, it might take them some time to adjust.
The Kings have talked all offseason about the importance of playing better on the road. I think we’ll see them fight in this game and keep it close.
NBA Pick: Kings +7 +++
Houston Rockets vs. Detroit Pistons
Detroit PistonsI’m going to take a shot with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night as home-court advantaged proved to be very important to them in the preseason. I’m expecting that to carry over. 
In the preseason, they were 0-4 on the road and scored just 80 points per game. At home, they were 4-0 and averaged 100.5 points per game. For such a young team, I expect home-court advantage to be important.
This is also partially a bet-against Houston in this spot as they just acquired a foundational player four days ago. They shook up their roster by trading away Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb to get James Harden. That’s just the latest move on a roster that was completely overhauled in the offseason. We don’t really know how quickly they’ll gel and how effective they’ll be when they do.
With that in mind, I’m taking the Pistons. 
NBA Pick: Pistons -3.5 ---