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NBA First Basket Scorer Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (12/23)

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With the Christmas NBA schedule on Monday and a league-wide day off on Sunday, we're getting a jam-packed 13-game slate on Saturday. That means plenty of opportunities for sides, totals, and prop bets. To get your Saturday off on the right foot, here are a few of my favorite First Basket plays for the day.

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Saturday's Best NBA First Basket Player Prop Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Clippers

This game should have a ton of intrigue from an entertainment value. Boston has been perhaps the best team in the league all year and the Clippers are surging as James Harden has found his rhythm again. The Celtics have been exciting for many reasons, but one of the biggest ones for bettors is their ability to cash First Baskets.

Boston has been one of the best teams in the league when it comes to First Baskets for the better part of two seasons. The impressiveness of this feat comes primarily from the fact that they share the ball so well, even in early-game situations. Everyone in the lineup is capable and willing to score so often finding the right matchup will find you value.

Against the Clippers, that matchup is Jaylen Brown. Los Angeles gives up nearly half of their opponents’ first scores to forwards and that points to Brown. In addition, he's perhaps the most efficient Celtic when it comes to this prop. He's already cashed this in about a quarter of his chances so look for him to do it again here.

Pick: Jaylen Brown (+650)

Detroit Pistons at Brooklyn Nets

The Pistons can make history on Saturday night. They're set up to tie the NBA record for consecutive losses at 26. With this kind of ineptitude on the court it might be surprising to hear that they've been pretty impressive this season as far as First Baskets go. Detroit is scoring first in nearly 60% of games they've played this season.

They have a good matchup against a Brooklyn team that has relinquished First Baskets to opponents pretty often this season. One particular weak spot is against opposing bigs who are hitting the first score at nearly a 50% rate. Detroit has had some injuries in their frontcourt, but one player who matches up well here is Bojan Bogdanovic.

Bogdanovic has been a small bright spot in the Pistons' lineup since rejoining after an injury, with his ability to shoot. He isn't a traditional big, but in many of the lineups the Pistons throw out there he plays a similar role to the power forward. Given the fact the Nets played last night, there's a chance they could rest some starters, which would make this play even better. Perhaps the Pistons lose their 26th in a row but they could still score first.

Pick: Bojan Bogdanovic (+800)

Utah Jazz at Toronto Raptors

This is perhaps one of the biggest mismatches for First Basket on the schedule for Saturday. Utah sits as one of the worst first-scoring teams in the league while Toronto is one of the best. With so wide of a margin, targeting the Raptors is the best bet in this game.

One area where the Jazz struggle most is defending against first scores is the forward position. Over half of the first buckets they've allowed have been at the hands of forwards. This a really good matchup for Pascal Siakam.

Siakam trails only Scottie Barnes in this prop for Toronto and he's an excellent scorer who can get buckets at any spot on the floor. Utah should be gassed from playing their fourth game in six nights and all the travel they've endured. This opportunity gives me more faith in Siakam to pull one out here to round out Saturday’s card.

Pick: Pascal Siakam (+650)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Saturday:


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