NBA First Basket Scorer Odds, Picks & Predictions: Saturday (1/20)

Saturday provides a limited NBA slate that is packed with potential. Good matchups are on the board but as far as I'm concerned, there are a few really advantageous First Basket matchups. Let's take a deeper look at a few of my favorites for Saturday.

Saturday's Best NBA First Basket Scorer Bets

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets

Both of these teams are on the second night of a back-to-back. Charlotte has been really good to fade when it comes to First Baskets and Philadelphia has the player that led the league in these last year, Joel Embiid. Unfortunately given the nature of the schedule, there is a chance Embiid rests. If he's in the lineup, he's the play here at anything +250 or better. If Embiid isn't in the lineup there is another matchup I still really like.

Charlotte is giving up over 40% of their opponents’ first scores to forwards. This is a step below what they give up to centers, but Philadelphia has some pretty good forwards. One that I'm targeting in particular for this matchup is Kelly Oubre Jr.

Oubre missed a lot of games earlier this season due to an unfortunate non-basketball-related injury. He's now back in the lineup and plugging right back into the offense. Since Oubre has only started 18 games this year, his sheer First Basket numbers are down, with only two on the season. He has, however, scored the first points for the 76ers in six of those games. If Embiid is resting due to the back-to-back, Oubre is my favorite pick for the game.

Pick: Kelly Oubre Jr. (+800)

Memphis Grizzlies at Chicago Bulls

The lineup for the Grizzlies has been in flux all season due to suspension and injuries. There has really only been one steady force, Jaren Jackson Jr. That's shown to be the case too when it comes to First Baskets. It's no surprise, given the injuries, that Jackson leads the team in cashing this prop, but his numbers are staggering. He has already secured 10 First Baskets this season and scored first for the Grizzlies in 14. Going up against the Bulls on Saturday is a great spot for him as well.

Chicago is a below-average team when it comes to First Baskets and they are well under the average threshold of 50%. They're particularly bad when it comes to power forwards and centers. Jackson is sort of a hybrid of those roles, but he would stand to benefit from a team giving up opponent first scores to those positions in almost 45% of the games they play.

Jackson has been one of my favorite players to play for First Baskets for the last two years now. As long as he continues to cash these props, I'm going to keep backing him as well. Memphis is searching for answers on offense and no one has been steadier for them than Jackson. I'm more than happy to back him again.

Pick: Jaren Jackson Jr. (+360)

Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets

The Jazz are on the Saturday night schedule so I'm fading the Jazz on First Basket again. This time they take on the Houston Rockets. The Rockets haven't been particularly great at securing these First Baskets, but they're just a bit below average on the season. This is a far cry better than what the Jazz have done, even though their final score results have been positive as of late.

Diving into the data, the Jazz are fairly indiscriminate about what positions they tend to have weak spots again. Nearly every position on the court is a threat to score first, so long as they aren't wearing a Utah Jazz jersey. For a matchup like this, I'll ride with the Rocket player who has had the most success with this prop.

Alperen Sengun has had his fair share of success. With seven First Baskets on the season already, he paces the rest of his teammates pretty comfortably. He's really breaking out this season as a player the Rockets can rely on. Given his success and the Utah failures, he is one of my favorite plays for First Basket on Saturday night.

Pick: Alperen Sengun (+400)

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