It’s always nice to have a little something extra to play for. The NBA Cup has brought new relevance to these early-season games – and better performances from the players themselves. This is great for fans and bettors alike; the more competitive the matchups, the easier they are to handicap and place sharp bets on.

But you have to stay on your toes with this particular tournament. This isn’t soccer’s World Cup, where you have roughly one week between the Group Stage matches. NBA Cup games are coming at us twice weekly, including the eight designated matchups on Friday’s schedule. Those results might give the NBA Cup odds we’re using here a bit of a jolt.

In any event, the New York Knicks have already taken the lead at Bet365, winning their first two games in East Group A to sit as +500 Cup favorites on the NBA odds board. The defending World Champion Boston Celtics (1-1 in East Group C) are next at +700; the inaugural Cup champions, the Los Angeles Lakers (2-0 in West Group B), are in the middle of the pack at +1400.

Will the Knicks Win the NBA Cup?

You have to at least like their chances of reaching the knockout phase. They’re the biggest chalk to advance at -425, having already won two of their four Group Stage games; the remaining two are November 29 versus the 0-2 Charlotte Hornets, and December 3 versus the 2-0 Orlando Magic.

The winner of each five-team Group will advance, plus the best runner-up from each conference. The only other 2-0 teams in the East are first-place teams: the Detroit Pistons (Group B) and the Atlanta Hawks (Group C). As long as the Knicks take care of business against Charlotte, they should be in good shape no matter what happens versus Orlando.

Nothing’s ever that easy. That Hornets game is in Charlotte, and it’s a noon ET start, the first of an early NBA Cup triple-header on NBA-TV. And while the Hornets (5-9 SU, 8-6 ATS) might not be Cup material, they do have one of the league’s most exciting players in PG LaMelo Ball (30.8 points, 7.1 assists, 5.2 rebounds per 36 minutes).

Having said that, the Knicks (9-6 SU, 7-7 ATS) will have the best player on the court in center Karl-Anthony Towns (29.2 points, 13.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists/36), who’s been an absolute godsend in the absence of injured big man Mitchell Robinson. But there’s a significant drop-off from Towns to his current backup, Jericho Sims, and there isn’t much beef to go around in New York after that.

Will the Lakers Win the NBA Cup?

They look even better than they did last year – and they’re the only 2-0 team in West Group B. But nothing is guaranteed here; the Lakers (10-4 SU, 7-7 ATS) are -120 to advance at Bet365, with the 1-1 Oklahoma City Thunder and 1-1 Phoenix Suns still very much in the mix.

They do seem intent on defending their crown, though. LeBron James (24.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.6 assists/36) may be on the cusp of retirement as he nears age 40, but he’s still playing at an All-Star level while Anthony Davis (31.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1.9 blocks/36) takes over as their team MVP.

That L.A. bench is also more impressive than last year’s. It’s mostly thanks to rookie SF Dalton Knecht, who’s hitting 46.4% of his threes and 92.3% from the free-throw line. LeBron’s son Bronny James was the talk of the NBA betting world this offseason, but Knecht may be the missing piece that wins the Lakers not just the NBA Cup, but the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy as well.

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*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.