NBA First Basket Scorer Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (3/25)
Tuesday’s NBA slate is jam-packed with eight games on the schedule. There are plenty of ways to go for our first-basket scorer picks, so let’s dive right in. Our first basket predictions today feature the Cavaliers vs. Trail Blazers and the Spurs vs. Pistons matchups.
NBA first-basket bets are quick and easy ways to place wagers with bigger payouts – and you'll know if they cash right away. Let's try to find some winners for a pair of games on Tuesday night.
Note that all betting lines are accurate as of writing, but shop around for the best odds. Enjoy these NBA first-basket picks and predictions for Tuesday, March 25.
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Tuesday’s Best NBA First Basket Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Cleveland Cavaliers at Portland Trail Blazers
Cleveland recently dropped four games in a row after previously winning 16 straight. Despite their recent struggles overall, the Cavaliers are still a very profitable team to back in the first basket scorer props. Let's do it again tonight on the road at Portland.
The Cavaliers boast a league-best 77.5% win rate on opening tip-offs this season. Jarrett Allen is excellent on jump balls despite being a slightly undersized center at 6-foot-9. The Cavs also lead the NBA in made first baskets as a team this year (44).
Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers have a below-average 45.8% win rate on opening tips. The percentage drops even further when rookie center Donovan Clingan starts. Clingan has just a 3-11 record on tip-offs (21.4%) over his past 14 starts and he's only 6-21 on the season (22.2%).
In their only head-to-head matchup this year, Allen bested Clingan on the opening tip - which came earlier this month. Plus, the Trail Blazers have scored only 28 first baskets, which is the third-lowest in the league.
As for Cleveland, let's take a shot on Max Strus to score first. He leads the team in first shot attempt rate (19.5%) but only has five made first baskets - the lowest among Cleveland's starters. However, there's some positive regression coming for Strus as the first basket scorer since he's only started 29 games thus far. Plus, Donovan Mitchell's absence puts Strus in a bigger offensive role.
San Antonio Spurs at Detroit Pistons
Tonight's Spurs vs. Pistons game features two teams heading in opposite directions. Detroit is playoff-bound as the current sixth seed in the Eastern Conference while San Antonio has the third-worst record in the West. Though it shouldn't impact our first basket scorer pick, it's hard to ignore the trajectory of both teams heading into this matchup.
On the Spurs' side of things, veteran journeyman Bismack Biyombo is their starting center with Victor Wembanyama sidelined. This immediately points us to the opposing team scoring first. Biyombo has a decent 9-6 record on opening tip-offs this season, but he's obviously a big downgrade from Wemby at the center spot.
San Antonio's 72.9% win rate on opening tips this year is misleading. For one, Wemby was dominant on jump balls and is responsible for a majority of that high percentage. Plus, the Spurs have only scored the first basket in only 32-of-70 games (45.7%).
As for Detroit, its 48.6% win rate on opening tips is just average. Yet, the Pistons have 41 made first baskets on the season, which is tied for the fourth-most in the NBA. Notably, too, center Jalen Duren won the tip-off vs. Biyombo when Detroit faced San Antonio last month.
Let's roll with Tobias Harris to cash in as the first basket scorer. He leads the Pistons in made first baskets (11), first baskets per game started (16.4%), and first shot percentage (10.4%). Even so, we're getting him at 7-to-1 odds to score the first points.
Pick: Tobias Harris (+700)