NBA Playoffs First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks: Monday (4/29)
Starting the game off right will be pivotal in tonight’s NBA Playoffs matchups.
The New Orleans Pelicans and Los Angeles Lakers are in danger of being sent home from the playoffs tonight. Will those two teams get out to an early lead and score the first basket to add momentum?
We’ve got a couple of first-basket bets that you’ll want to consider for tonight’s NBA three-game slate.
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Monday’s Best NBA First Basket Player Prop Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings)
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans have won the tip in two of the first three games against the Thunder. It will likely be a matchup between Jonas Valanciunas and Chet Holmgren again. Including the Play-In Tournament, the Pelicans have scored the first basket in 60% of games in the playoffs.
The Thunder have only scored first in one of the three playoff games against the Pelicans, however the Thunder won the tip 59% of the time with Chet Holmgren in the regular season, while the Pelicans only won the tip in 50% of games this season with Valanciunas.
It’s likely that the Thunder, even out of the tips, will win and have the first chance at scoring in tonight’s game.
Additionally, the Pelicans have allowed the center to score twice in the playoffs/Play-In Tournament and allowed centers to score first 33% of the time in the regular season.
Let’s give Chet Holmgren a shot tonight. In the playoffs, Holmgren scored one first basket, and the team’s first basket in two of the three games so far.
Bet: Chet Holmgren (+600)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets won the tip 61% of the time when Nikola Jokic started, which ultimately helped the Nuggets score first in 54% of games this season.
On the other hand, the Lakers only won the tip 58% of the time, with Anthony Davis as the tip-man. Therefore, the Lakers only scored first 51% of the time this season.
Furthermore, Jokic beat Davis 2-1 in the regular season when competing for the tip. In the playoffs, Davis and Jokic both won the tip twice head-to-head, and both teams scored the first basket twice.
However, the Lakers had to compete in a Play-In Game, and although they won the tip in that game, they didn’t score first.
The edge sits with the Nuggets. The Lakers are typically poor against point guards early in the game. This season, point guards have scored 30% of the first baskets against the Lakers. Therefore, we’ll try Jamal Murray at +750. He scored the team’s first basket in 22% of games and has attempted the team’s first basket in 19% of games. While he only has six first baskets this season, he also played just 59 games.
This is a good matchup for Murray.
Bet: Jamal Murray (+750)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Monday: