NBA First Basket Scorer Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (1/5)
Friday's NBA slate is loaded. A lot of great matchups up and down the board and it's bound to be an exciting weekend of action overall. A great way to get your NBA weekend card started is First Baskets. Here are a few of my favorite plays for Friday night.
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Friday's Best NBA First Basket Player Prop Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Utah Jazz at Boston Celtics
I've been fading the Jazz a lot this season with success. This roster and lineup construction just aren't able to get into a rhythm early and they have scored first in just a little over 20% of their games. Meanwhile, Boston continues to be really strong play for First Baskets. This kind of discrepancy between teams is exactly what I'm looking for in these matchups.
Boston has one strong mismatch that I'm going to target in this game. Utah has given up first field goals to opposing forwards in just under half of their games this year. Boston has two very strong scoring forwards in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. I like Brown in this game because of his individual success in this prop.
Brown is one of the best First Basket prop plays in the entire league, having cashed this prop nine times already. Look for him to make it an even ten on Friday night.
Pick: Jaylen Brown (+420)
Los Angeles Clippers at New Orleans Pelicans
The Clippers have been one of the hottest teams in the league and they'll take on a Pelican team that has been fairly hot in their own right. Although the Clippers have been playing better of late, they still have been a poor team when it comes to First Baskets. The Pelicans sit around the middle of the league, but the discrepancy is stark enough that the Pelicans are the team I'm looking at when it comes to this prop.
Diving deeper into the numbers, the Clippers give up nearly half of their opponents’ first scores to wings. The Pelicans are rich with wings, but one who has stood out amongst the others when it comes to First Baskets is Brandon Ingram.
Ingram has already hit this prop seven times this season in only 32 starts. His being a crucial part of the New Orleans offense is key along with his ability to score anywhere on the floor makes him a very attractive play in what is sure to be one of the best games of the night on Friday.
Pick: Brandon Ingram (+470)
Orlando Magic at Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets are going to be on the second night of a back-to-back, hosting the Magic. The Magic were fairly successful last season when it came to First Baskets, but they haven't had the same success this year. For Denver, they are picking up right where they left off and you won't be surprised who is leading the way.
Nikola Jokic scores early and he scores often. He's cashed a First Basket prop 10 times this season and will look to add to that number on Friday. For him, he has a great matchup with the Magic as they've allowed first scores to opposing centers more than any other position. In nearly a quarter of their games, the opponent’s big man has scored the first bucket. Jokic is almost always a must-play for First Baskets so when he has a matchup like this I never hesitate.
Pick: Nikola Jokic (+350)
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