NBA First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks: Monday (11/11)
We’ve got five games, all starting at 8:00 p.m. ET. The first baskets will start and finish at the same time. It’s going to be majestic!
Below, I’ve added my favorite two first basket bets for tonight’s slate.
Make sure to check out our NBA First Basket Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for help identifying all of today’s best prop bets.
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Monday’s Best NBA First Basket Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel SportsbookFanDuel)
Who will score the first basket in today’s NBA games? We compare historical first basket stats to prop bet odds to help identify today’s best bets. View first-basket odds across sportsbooks here.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls
Jarrett Allen will be the tip-man for the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. He’s won the tip in 82% of games this season and has helped the Cavaliers to the first score in 55% of games.
Meanwhile, he’ll go up against Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic has participated in ten tips and has only won one of them. As a result, the Bulls have also scored the first basket in just one game this season.
Therefore, Allen and the Cavaliers are more likely to win the tip and get the first opportunity to score.
Chicago has allowed the first basket to centers 33% of the time. However, every position has scored at least once, with small forwards and shooting guards scoring first 22% of the time. Every position for the Cavaliers has a chance at scoring first.
Heading into tonight’s game, Donovan Mitchell has scored the team’s first basket in 36% of games. He’s also attempted the team’s first field goal in 27% of games. In addition, Mitchell has scored the first basket twice in 11 games this season.
Let’s give Mitchell a chance at +430 odds.
Pick: Donovan Mitchell (+430+800)
Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs will have Victor Wembanyama for the opening tip. He’s been involved in nine opening tips this season and has won 67% of them. While the Spurs have only scored first in 30% of games this season, it’s more likely that San Antonio will get the first chance to score.
After all, Wembanyama will take on Domantas Sabonis, who has won the tip in only 30% of games this season. Sabonis and the Kings have scored first in 50% of games. But if Sabonis continues to lose the tip battle, that number will gradually regress.
So far this season, the Kings have allowed the shooting guard to score the first basket in 60% of games. That would be Kevin Huerter, who has +1700 odds of scoring first.
Huerter has taken the team’s first field goal attempt in 25% of games through eight games as a starter. That means he’s literally attempted the first basket for the Kings in two of the eight games. So at +1700, there’s plenty of value for Huerter to score the first basket.
Pick: Kevin Huerter (+1700)