NBA First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks: Saturday (10/26)
The NBA season is firing back up. With the first weekend of the season upon us, there is no better way to get into the action than with a first-basket play. Let's take a look at some of my favorites from the Saturday slate.
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NBA First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
NBA First Basket Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
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.
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets
A heavyweight tilt in the Western Conference takes place on Saturday afternoon in Denver. Both of these teams will look to get out to a hot start but only one player can score the first basket. Looking at the matchup, you have to like Denver here.
The Clippers were one of the worst teams in the league last year when it came to first baskets. They managed to score first in about 35% of games last year. Denver, on the other hand, was a little better than average, scoring first in 54% of their games.
The matchup here favors perennial MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. First off, Jokic had 19 first baskets between the regular season and the playoffs. He's a phenomenal scorer and a matchup nightmare. Throw in the fact that the Clippers gave up first scores to opposing centers more than any other position and he's an easy play for Saturday.
Pick: Nikola Jokic (+370)
Miami Heat at Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte is hosting Miami in what will be the second game of a back-to-back for the Hornets. For Miami, they haven't played since Wednesday and will look to shake off a loss to the Magic. They'll want to get off to a hot start. Because of that, I like them for the first score.
Charlotte's roster was in flux for much of last year with a myriad of injuries. As they attempt to gel this roster together, Miami is pretty comfortable with what they have in the starting lineup. This includes do-it-all big man Bam Adebayo.
Adebayo cashed in on this prop 14 times last year and added another on opening night. He attempts the first shot for Miami in nearly one-third of the games he starts, so this success should be of no surprise. He's got a great matchup against a Charlotte team that loves to give up first scores to centers. All of this adds up to Adebayo being a great play.
Pick: Bam Adebayo (+600)
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs
These two Texas rivals have high hopes for this season. Although it's an early season game, both teams are looking to get into the win column. A quick start will be crucial. San Antonio had a lot of success with quick starts last year and scored first in 56% of their games. Given this matchup, I'll be targeting them again.
When you look at the numbers, Houston struggled mightily against centers when it came to first baskets. Unfortunately for them, they're going up against one of the most talented big-man scorers in the game in Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama stuffed the stat sheet, including first baskets, last season. He cashed this prop 15 times. I like him to do it again here in this matchup. He's one of my favorite plays of the slate.
Pick: Victor Wembanyama (+340)