NBA Finals First Basket Scorers & Picks: Thursday (Thunder vs. Pacers)
We’re headed to Game 6 of the NBA Finals tonight, featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers. The Thunder are 6.5-point favorites on the road and are only one game away from winning it all.
In addition, the Pacers aren’t even sure if Tyrese Haliburton will be available due to a calf strain suffered in Game 5.
If Indiana doesn’t have its closer, they’ll surely want to get ahead early. But will they?
I’ve added a first basket wager to consider for tonight’s Game 6 matchup below.
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.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Thursday’s Best NBA First Basket Scorers Picks & Predictions
(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.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers
Myles Turner and the Indiana Pacers won the opening tip for the first time in this series in Game 5. However, despite winning the tip, it was the Thunder who scored first.
The Thunder went big and had Isaiah Hartenstein in the starting lineup in Game 5. However, Chet Holmgren was still the tip-man to start the game. In the regular season, the Pacers won the tip in nearly 60% of games. The Pacers earned the tip in a little over 40% of games.
Ultimately, Hartenstein scored the first basket for the Thunder in Game 5. I acknowledged that the Pacers have allowed centers to score the first basket at a high rate this season, and grabbed Holmgren to score first in Game 5. However, once Hartenstein was in the starting lineup, he became the center and scored the first basket as predicted.
Hartenstein will likely start for the Thunder in Game 6, especially after the Thunder won Game 5. Hartenstein only scored four points, but he contributed eight rebounds and four assists along with his four points. At the end of the day, the Pacers have allowed the center position to score the first basket in 25% of games this season.
Let’s give Hartenstein a look, especially at +750 odds. The Thunder have destroyed the opening tip in this series, and the Pacers have struggled to defend centers to start games all year long.
Pick: Isaiah Hartenstein (+750)