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NBA First Basket Scorer Odds, Picks & Predictions: Friday (2/2)

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Friday has a solid slate of NBA games. A lot of great matchups up and down the board and it's bound to be an exciting weekend of action overall. A great way to get your NBA weekend card started is First Baskets. Here are a few of my favorite plays for Friday night.

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Friday’s Best NBA First Basket Player Prop Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Los Angeles Clippers at Detroit Pistons

The Clippers travel to Detroit to take on a Detroit team where there is little question of which team will win. However, that's not what we're worried about here with First Baskets. Detroit might be the worst team in the NBA by record, but they're one of the best teams in the league at scoring first.

Detroit has scored first in more than 60% of the games they've played this season and with Jalen Duren at center, they're winning the opening tip at a nearly identical rate. It seems counterintuitive for a team that struggles so much offensively, but they're very capable of scoring first. Even with all of the offensive firepower on the Clippers, they've often gotten off to slow starts, allowing their opponents to score first. Because of this, I'm targeting the Pistons here.

One Piston in particular that I like is Bojan Bogdanovic. He missed the first handful of games for Detroit, but since his return, he's been on a tear offensively. Bojan is second on the Pistons in scoring and has scored first for Detroit eight times. This has resulted in four First Baskets on the season already and I like him to pick up a fifth on Friday night.

Pick: Bojan Bogdanovic (+700)

Toronto Raptors at Houston Rockets

These are two teams headed in opposite directions. Toronto has decided to hit the reset button and build around a younger roster while Houston is ready to speed up their rebuild and add more veterans. One of the biggest beneficiaries of this youth movement in Toronto has been Scottie Barnes.

Barnes has had a nice breakout season and is showcasing his wide ranging abilities on the court. Coincidentally, one area he's been excelling at is First Basket scores. Barnes has been fantastic in this sense. He's scored the first field goal for Toronto in 15 contests already - nearly a third of his starts. Those 15 field goals have helped him cash nine First Basket props, one of the best marks in the NBA.

I like Barnes again on Friday because of the matchup with Houston. The Rockets have allowed opposing bigs to score in well over half of the games they've played this season. Not only does Barnes fit this role, but he runs the offense more than a normal big which makes him even more dangerous on offense. It's another great spot for Barnes to cash a First Basket.

Pick: Scottie Barnes (+550)

Charlotte Hornets at Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City has been an incredible story this season. The young team has gotten on a role and are within a real shot of finishing with the best record in the Western Conference. On Friday they'll host a Charlotte team that isn't nearly on the same level. This is also true when it comes to First Baskets.

Charlotte has been one of the worst teams in the league when it comes to scoring first. The area they struggle the most is containing centers. They've given up more first opponent scores to centers than any other position and it's not particularly close. Thankfully for Oklahoma City, they have a pretty impressive young center that's starting to come into his own.

Chet Holmgren missed all of this past season with a foot injury but is now in a close battle with Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year. Holmgren has excelled in many areas and First Baskets is one of them. He's cashed this prop nine times already and in a matchup with Charlotte he has a great chance for a 10th.

Pick: Chet Holmgren (+410)

Make sure to check out our other best bets for Friday:

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