Navigate

NBA First Basket Scorer Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (1/6)

by |

Let's take a look at Friday's NBA action to find some First Basket prop winners.

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

NBA First Basket Scorer Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (1/6)

Washington Wizards at Oklahoma City Thunder

The Washington Wizards have been really hot when it comes to cashing in on First Basket props recently. I love them to cash again here and there are two players that I'm targeting, Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford.

Porzingis is a common go-to for the Wizards because he keeps cashing this prop. He leads all Wizards in first team field goals with 12 in his 35 starts on the season. He gets a lot of attempts and likes to cash in on them. OKC provides a good matchup as well because they give up 54% of their First Baskets to bigs.

The fact that OKC gives up a lot of First Baskets to the frontcourt is one reason I also want to sprinkle some on Daniel Gafford as well. He's been really good at cashing these recently too, doing so twice in his last five starts. I'll ride the hot hand with a great matchup here for some additional stake in this game.

Pick: Kristaps Porzingis (+440) & Daniel Gafford (+1000)

Miami Heat at Phoenix Suns

These two teams seem to be headed in opposite directions but this matchup is intriguing from a First Basket perspective. Deandre Ayton has been scorching hot recently with First Baskets. With Devin Booker out of the lineup, Ayton is being found early and often in this Suns' lineup. Of the first three shot attempts by the Suns, Ayton is attempting 1.22 per game in his last nine starts and 1.40 in his last five, nearly half of the team attempts. With this kind of volume, he's someone you have to look at.

The Heat give up 53% of their First Baskets to the opposition frontcourt. This means it is a matchup Ayton can feast on and I expect him to do so. I love Ayton in this spot and he's my favorite pick of the night.

Pick: Deandre Ayton (+470)

Atlanta Hawks at Los Angeles Lakers

The Hawks continue a West Coast road trip Friday night with a stop in Los Angeles to take on the Lakers. On the season, both these teams have been about average as far as cashing the First Basket prop, but the Hawks have fallen off as of late during their rough slide. They've only scored the first field goal in three of their last ten games and have been averaging nearly three field goal attempts to reach their first make. With this in mind, I'm targeting the Lakers.

One particular Laker matchup I like is LeBron James. He sat out Wednesday's game but is expected back in the lineup tonight for this matchup. Lebron has been one of the better bets for the Lakers when it comes to First Basket props. He has picked up a lot of the scoring burden with Anthony Davis out and that includes First Baskets. He's scored the Lakers' first field goal in three of his last eight starts and is putting up a lot of the team's first field goal attempts.

With the all-time scoring title in sight and a matchup against a Hawks team that is giving up 30% of their first field goals to 4's, I love to put some stake on LeBron for First Basket.

Pick: LeBron James (+400)

Whether you're new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section - including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners - or head to more advanced strategy - like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread - to learn more.

Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>


Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts

Try Premium for FREE in our mobile app

BettingPros App