NBA First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks: Saturday (2/8)
Saturday's NBA action is a jam-packed slate with nearly every team in action. This means there is a lot of opportunity to find plays for any NBA fan or bettor. If you're looking to get in on the action early Saturday, here are a few First Basket plays with value.
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Saturday’s Best NBA First Basket Scorer Prop Bets
NBA odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All NBA picks are for 1 unit
Atlanta Hawks at Washington Wizards
Both of these teams were ravaged at the trade deadline so the lineups are in flux this weekend as players get cleared to play. For Atlanta, this means some of the lineup staples like Deandre Hunter are no longer with the team. However, Atlanta has been pretty good with First Baskets this year, including adding one yesterday. Against a poor First Basket team like Washington, I'll be targeting them to score first Saturday.
Washington has one of their biggest first scorer weaknesses against forwards. Atlanta has lost a lot of their forwards to trade and injury, but they still have first-overall pick Zaccharie Risacher. The rookie Frenchman already has 11 first-team scores in 43 starts and that has translated to six First Baskets. I like him to add another against Washington.
Pick: Zaccharie Risacher (+1000)
Golden State Warriors at Chicago Bulls
The Warriors' newest star is expected to make his debut on Saturday as they travel to Chicago. For Jimmy Butler, this will be a return to where he started his career and was unceremoniously traded the first time. Butler is one to be known to hold onto bad blood so I think he could be looking to get into the offense early.
Chicago has been awful at First Baskets this season, particularly against wings. Butler is a more than capable scoring wing and thanks to the drama in Miami, he hasn't had many First Baskets opportunities. This is a narrative play but it's a very good matchup for Butler against this Chicago team. I'll be backing him to start his Warrior tenure off with a bang.
Pick: Jimmy Butler (+650)
Portland Trail Blazers at Minnesota Timberwolves
Portland has also been one of the worst First Basket teams this season. Scoring first in only about one-third of their games, they sit in the bottom five of the league. Minnesota, in contrast, is actually one of the better teams in the league when it comes to this prop. The Timberwolves have had plenty of players that have excelled here all year. Both Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert have over seven First Baskets, but I'll be looking in another direction.
The data shows that Portland gives up more first scores to small forwards than any other positions. Minnesota has a pretty good one in Jaden McDaniels. He's only produced five First Baskets on the season, but his 12 first team scores aretnba first tied with Edwards for the team lead. I'll play the matchup and the odds and take McDaniels to score first.
Pick: Jaden McDaniels (+850)