NBA First Basket Betting Picks & Predictions for Thursday: Bucks vs. 76ers (2022)

We’ve got another two-game slate in the NBA. The Milwaukee Bucks will debut against the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Los Angeles Clippers will start their season against the Los Angeles Lakers.

We’ll look to identify the two first scorers in each game. I’ve got options for both games. Read below to find out where the value is in tonight’s First Basket market for Bucks vs. 76ers.

Top NBA First Basket Odds, Picks & Predictions: Bucks vs. 76ers

Joel Embiid

Last year, Joel Embiid took Philadelphia’s first shot attempt 47% of the time. He was also top 10 in 1st three field goal attempts frequency and made 24 of 66 of the 76ers’ first field goal basket.

Embiid converted the first field goal made 13 of 66 times, giving him a conversion rate of 20% to make the first basket.

On Tuesday, Embiid took the first shot for the 76ers, but Celtics guard Jaylen Brown blocked it. Philadelphia tends to allow Embiid the chance of scoring the first play to start games. Take a chance on him tonight.

On the other hand, Milwaukee was more random with their first basket scorer. You’d think Giannis Antetookounmpo would be near the top of the list, but he didn’t even convert on many first baskets last year. We don’t have data for this year, but if you want to gamble on a third or the fourth option for Milwaukee, that’s fine.

Bet: Joel Embiid (+460 at FanDuel)

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