There is a small slate of NBA games on Saturday. With only five games on the schedule, you might be looking for some spots for good value bets. When it comes to first baskets, there are plenty of opportunities. Here are a couple of my favorite picks for the prop.
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Saturday’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.
Memphis Grizzlies at Detroit Pistons
Both of these teams are coming off emotional wins. Memphis was propelled by a buzzer-beating Ja Morant jumper to a win over Miami on Thursday night. Detroit had its own big win over Toronto that clinched its first playoff appearance since 2019. How will both of these teams follow up on Saturday?
This is a pretty even matchup when it comes to first baskets. Both squads sit around a 60% success rate, propelled by two good centers when it comes to the opening tips. However, Zach Edey and Memphis have a slight advantage at around 70%. If the big man wins the tip here, I like Memphis to look back his way on those early possessions. Detroit gives up more first scores to centers than any other position. With the tip advantage and the matchup, I like Edey to add to his first basket total.
Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat
It's easy when the Milwaukee Bucks are playing to just close your eyes and take Giannis Antetokounmpo to score the first basket. I like to dig deeper into the matchups than that, but I would be remiss not to acknowledge Antetokounmpo is the best value pick even at these odds.
On Thursday, Giannis picked up a team-leading 20th first-team score. This didn't result in a first basket since the 76ers put up the first points in the game, but it's a trend that continues for one of the best scorers in the NBA. Without Damian Lillard as a running mate for the rest of this season, Antetokounmpo becomes more important to the offense. He'll have a nice matchup against a Miami team that gives up nearly one-third of first scores to power forwards. I expect him to take advantage and take control from the tip.
Pick: (+460)
