NBA First Basket Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions for Tuesday, October 18 (2022)

The start of the NBA season is finally here, and there is no quicker way to get back into the action than first-basket betting. Betting the first basket is one of the most simple bets in sports betting. Pick the player to score the first basket of the basketball game to win.

Let’s look into tonight’s matchups to find the best first-basket bets. Don’t blink, or you might miss it. 

NBA First Basket Prop Bet Odds, Picks & Predictions for Tuesday

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics 

This game is a tough matchup to predict with the scoring power available to both teams. The trick to first-basket betting is who will get the ball first and what team can consistently score. Boston has the advantage of getting the ball first. Last year both Celtics centers, Al Horford & Robert Williams, won the tip-off about 60% of the time. 

The Celtics have plenty of scorers on the team. When it comes to the beginning of the game, the Celtics love to get the ball to Jaylen Brown. During preseason Brown scored their first bucket in two of the four games. Teams typically guard Jayson Tatum heavily early on in the game. That makes Jaylen Brown the perfect option for the first basket of the NBA season.

First Basket: Jaylen Brown +400 at Draftkings Sportsbook

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors 

Both of these teams are typically bad at first basket props. Golden State scored first roughly 40% of the time last year. The Warriors have one of the smaller frontcourts in the league. Anthony Davis being healthy gives the Lakers an advantage in getting the ball first. 

The Lakers have two consistent scorers; Anthony Davis and LeBron James. That narrows down the choices for the first basket scorer, and with both players missing significant time last season, they will be excited to get started this year. LeBron is out to prove something this year and will be demanding the ball early on. That will make him the prime target to score first in this battle for the sunshine state. 

First Basket: LeBron James +550 at Draftkings Sportsbook

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Cameron Lynch is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Cameron, check out his archive and follow him @captron26.