The Charlotte Hornets will visit the Los Angeles Lakers for a standalone NBA matchup at the Crypto.com Arena.
This game was originally scheduled for January 9th. However, due to the L.A. fires, the NBA moved it to tonight.
Therefore, we’ve got one game on the slate. Let’s nail the first basket scorer.
Follow along and make sure to check out our NBA First Basket Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for help identifying all of today’s best prop bets.
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Wednesday’s Best NBA First Basket Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel 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.
Charlotte Hornets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron James decided to sit out of the All-Star Game due to ankle soreness. Now, there’s real potential he’ll sit out the next two games before playing again. This has yet to be confirmed. However, Shams Charnia recently reported the Lakers are considering sitting James in this game.
On the other hand, more reports surfaced that the Lakers won’t limit Luka Doncic’s minutes. In addition, it looks like Dalton Knecht will play a larger role for the Lakers moving forward.
Meanwhile, Mark Williams is also expected to be active in tonight’s game for the Hornets. Knecht and Williams were involved in a blockbuster trade at the NBA deadline. But Williams didn’t pass his physical, so the Lakers scratched the deal.
Williams will likely start and participate in the opening tip against Jaxson Hayes of the Lakers. Williams and the Hornets have won the tip nearly 58% of the time and have scored the first basket in 25 games this season. Conversely, the Lakers have won the tip in nearly 60% of games and have scored the first basket in 31 games this season.
The Lakers have been more consistent and now have one of the best scorers in the NBA on their side.
Doncic has started two games with the Lakers but hasn’t scored the first basket yet. Still, he took the first shot in one of those two games. If James isn’t 100%, I’d expect Doncic to lead the Lakers with a massive scoring performance. He’ll want to start on the right foot.
Let’s back Doncic to score first in tonight’s game.
Pick: Luka Doncic (+700)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday:
- NBA PrizePicks Player Predictions
- 2025 Mexico Open Picks & Predictions
- NBA Player Prop Bets, Picks & Predictions
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