NBA First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks: Saturday (12/28)
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.
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Saturday’s Best NBA First Basket Scorer Prop Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings 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.
New York Knicks at Washington Wizards
It's certainly been a season to forget for the Wizards. Sporting the Eastern Conference's worst record, it's no surprise they've been bad in nearly every aspect of the game, including first baskets. In 28 games this season, the Wizards have scored first only nine times. It's clear to see New York has an advantage here.
The Knicks have had a very solid offense this season led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. However, OG Anunoby has been quietly putting up numbers himself. With 16.8 points per game (PPG) and 5.0 rebounds per game (RPG), he's been a force for New York. His strong play as the fourth option on offense makes him a good matchup against a Washington team that doesn't defend forwards very well to begin with.
Anunoby only has two first baskets this season, but he's scored the Knicks’ first points in eight games. With a strong team matchup as well as a favorable individual matchup, I like Anunoby as a bit of a longshot to cash the first basket here.
Pick: OG Anunoby (+850)
Milwaukee Bucks at Chicago Bulls
I've made it a bit of a habit to fade the Bulls when it comes to first baskets. They've been the worst team in the league and continue to remain ice-cold. On Saturday, they'll host a strong Milwaukee offense that excels at first baskets.
The Bucks have been phenomenal, scoring first in nearly two-thirds of their games. Led predominantly by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, the Bucks have a whole team of strong scorers in the starting lineup. When you look at the Chicago side you see they give up first scores to centers at nearly a 50% clip.
While Milwaukee center Brook Lopez only has five first baskets this season, the matchup is too good to pass up. The Bucks have played the Bulls three times this season - Lopez cashed one of his first baskets in those matchups. I'll back the numbers and take Lopez against Chicago.
Pick: Brook Lopez (+950)
Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers
With Luka Doncic going down with an injury on Christmas, Dallas will need others to step up. Luckily, the Mavericks made a big splash in the offseason by bringing in Klay Thompson to add shooting on the offensive side. So far this has worked out well for Dallas, who sit near the top of the Western Conference standings while Thompson has shot nearly 40% from deep.
Thompson has performed well when it comes to first baskets, too. His four first baskets this season don't seem that impressive on the surface, but it’s not so bad when sharing a court with Doncic and Kyrie Irving. He also has scored a first-team basket in nearly a quarter of his starts.
Thompson will be asked to do a bit more than be the third scoring option with Doncic sidelined. Now with Irving facilitating the offense, shooters will be getting more looks and Thompson is poised to take advantage of that. Against a weak first-basket team like Portland, I like Thompson to add to his total.
Pick: Klay Thompson (+850)