NBA First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks: Saturday (1/4)
Saturday provides a full slate of NBA action. With games going off all evening, there is plenty to whet any fan or bettor's appetite. Here are a few strong first basket plays to get in on the NBA weekend action.
Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>
Saturday’s Best NBA First Basket Scorer Prop Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
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.
Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets
The 76ers have been an interesting team all year. Their success scoring first baskets has correlated quite a bit with their overall success on the court. A rough start to the season saw them struggle with the prop but a recent run of first-basket scores has propelled them to a host of wins. Against a Brooklyn team they're better than, I like the 76ers to score first.
One player I like in particular is Paul George. The former Clipper has done pretty well with this prop all season. One reason he's had so much success is because of the volume of attempts. George has started 22 games this year and took the first shot for Philadelphia 10 times.
George only has five first baskets to his name this year, but due to his opportunities to score early, he's a great play. I'll take the odds against a Brooklyn team that should struggle to defend him and back him to score first.
Pick: Paul George (+550)
Phoenix Suns at Indiana Pacers
It's no secret the Suns need to turn things around quickly. For a team as talented as they are, sitting 11th in the Western Conference is a tough pill to swallow. They should be looking to get off to a hot start on Saturday against the Pacers.
Indiana is a team that has struggled on defense and when it comes to early scores. They've been particularly poor against opposing guards. The Suns have one of the best scoring guards in the league in Devin Booker.
Even on a team with plenty of great scorers, Booker is taking the first team shot in almost 40% of his starts. He's only cashed four first baskets on the season, but I like the matchup for Booker and will be backing him on Saturday.
Pick: Devin Booker (+500)
Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
The Grizzlies continue to be red-hot and the best team in the NBA when it comes to first baskets. Memphis has scored first in three-quarters of the games they've played this season. To bet on a player on any other team when Memphis is playing seems like an exercise in futility.
Scouring the Memphis lineup provides quite a few good options for first baskets. Desmond Bane has led the Grizzlies in first baskets while Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells have been excellent options in their starts, too. However, I'm going with Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jackson has been one of the better first-basket scorers in the league in the last few seasons. Even though he got off to a bit of a slow start this season, he's come on strong recently. His first basket total on the season is up to five with three additional first-team scores. I like him to add to his total Saturday against the Warriors.
Pick: Jaren Jackson Jr. (+460)