Saturday provides a small slate of games. With many of the NBA's biggest stars in action, there are plenty of great opportunities for prop edges. Perhaps no prop is as exciting as the First Basket.
Here are a few of my favorite plays for Saturday, April 6.
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Saturday’s Best NBA First Basket Player Prop Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers host the Cavaliers as they wind down a West Coast road trip. The Lakers will be looking to notch another victory to try to clinch a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Cleveland also needs a good start as its regular season winds down. There will be plenty of intrigue around the First Basket.
Both teams are above average when it comes to scoring first, but I think Cleveland has a small edge. They mainly have a matchup edge that I like. The Lakers have had some difficulty against opposing wings early in games, and the Cavs have someone who can exploit that.
Max Strus is a hot shooter who will look to get into rhythm early. His First-Basket numbers aren't extremely impressive, but he's managed to score first for Cleveland 10 times this season, translating to seven First-Basket wins. I'm playing the matchup here and riding with Strus to come through.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Memphis Grizzlies
Philadelphia welcomed back superstar center Joel Embiid on Tuesday to great results. The reigning MVP missed a large chunk of the season but has returned at the right time for a Philadelphia squad hoping to work their way out of the Play-In Tournament. Their opponent, Memphis, on Saturday, should be one they can get off to a hot start against.
Philadelphia’s First-Basket numbers haven't been as strong this year as they have in the past few. This makes sense, with Embiid missing so much of the season. With him back now, though, I expect them to get back on track, and there's no one I expect to get them there more than Embiid.
He's only started 36 games this season, but he's still put up numbers that are better than most players over an entire season. Fourteen first-team baskets and 10 First Baskets in only 36 starts is an incredible rate. Against a Memphis team that gives up more first scores to opposing centers than any other position, this is a great spot for Embiid, and I'll be backing him.
Bet: Joel Embiid (+390)
Atlanta Hawks @ Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets are looking to secure the first seed in the Western Conference, and they'll host the Hawks on Saturday. Atlanta has clinched a Play-In spot but will want to host the first game. Both teams will be looking to score first, but there is one matchup that sticks out over any others.
Atlanta's results this year show that they're a solid First Basket team. However, they do have one weakness: opposing centers. Unfortunately for them, they'll be going up against the best center in the league. Nikola Jokic will look to add to an eye-popping total for First-Basket winners.
Jokic is the engine of the Denver offense. He can dish the ball, but he can also score like few others in the league. His First-Basket scores indicate that. Seventeen on the season is one of the league’s best marks, and I like him to add to that Saturday against Atlanta.
Bet: Nikola Jokic (+310)
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