NBA First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks: Sunday (3/23)
First baskets are complex props to analyze, but the reward could be substantial. Let's look at two players who could score the first points today in the NBA.
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.
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Sunday's Best NBA First Basket Scorer Props
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Utah Jazz
The Cavs have hit a rough patch by losing a season-high four straight. They are still playing well offensively, averaging 117.8 points per game, but the defense has been awful, averaging 121.5 points.
The score doesn't favor them at the end, but they have seven straight games with the first basket. They will face off against the awful Jazz, who have surrendered four first baskets in their last seven games. Strus has been playing well recently and even put up a 24-point performance against the Clippers. He also has three of the Cavs' last seven first baskets, and the Jazz allow the second-most first baskets to shooting guards.
Denver Nuggets at Houston Rockets
The Rockets are the hottest team by riding a nine-game winning streak, which has propelled them to the No. 2 seed in a tight Western Conference playoff race. Capturing that first basket is important to a winning streak like this, and they've done so in seven of those nine wins.
They could be a tough matchup against the Nuggets, but it depends on their lineup. Denver could be short-handed, with Nikola Jokic expected to miss the game with Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon being game-time decisions. No Jokic in the lineup will be significant for Houston's big man Alperen Sengun, who has three of the last seven first baskets.
Pick: Alperen Sengun (+490)