NBA First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks: Thursday (1/16)
Tonight’s NBA slate includes five matchups, including a couple of games tipping off at 10:00 p.m. ET. People on the East Coast surely don’t want to stay up until 1 a.m. for these games. However, a first-basket sweat isn’t so bad.
I’ve added multiple first-basket bets for tonight’s NBA slate below.
Follow along below and make sure to check out our NBA First Basket Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for help identifying all of today’s best prop bets.
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Thursday’s Best NBA First Basket Bets
(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.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Cavaliers are heading into tonight’s game with a tip-win percentage of 79.5%. Jarrett Allen has been very good at winning the tip, and the Cavaliers have capitalized on scoring the first basket in 23 games this season.
Meanwhile, they’ll battle the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have won the tip in only 46.2% of games. Even worse, Isaiah Hartenstein is injured and unavailable for the next week. That’ll force the Thunder to play small ball. They’ve got nobody to compete with Allen for the tip tonight.
That said, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley have scored the first basket six times each. Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell have scored the first basket in four games each. Still, it’s Darius Garland who has attempted the first shot the most. He’s taken the first shot in 22.2% of games this season.
Let’s take a chance on Garland.
Pick: Darius Garland (+600)
Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings
It’s never a bad idea to fade the Sacramento Kings in the first-basket market.
The Kings have won the tip-off in only 32.5% of games this season, resulting in only 19 first baskets.
On the other hand, the Rockets haven’t been incredibly better. Yet, Houston has won the tip in 41% of games this year. Despite only winning the tip 41% of the time, the Rockets have added 25 first baskets. They’ve also played very good defense to begin games when they don’t start with the ball.
Alperen Sengun has 11 first baskets made for the Rockets. He’s also attempted the first shot in 13.2% of games for the Rockets. He’s the go-to guy early for the Rockets. Let’s back Sengun to score first in tonight’s contest. After all, he’s added the first basket in 28.9% of games this season, which is the best rate in the NBA of all players playing tonight.
Pick: Alperen Sengun (+490)