NBA First Basket Scorer Picks: Friday (Pacers vs. Knicks)
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off Friday night. The Pacers won Game 1 in a thriller, and we can expect more fireworks in Game 2. There will be a lot of great betting angles in this contest. If you're looking to get in on the action quickly, here are some of my favorite NBA first-basket picks.
Friday’s Best NBA First Basket Bets
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings 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.
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks
Game 1 started in a flurry. Indiana won the opening tip, and the first seven combined field-goal attempts of the game were made. The Pacers themselves made their first nine field-goal attempts. I expect more offensive firepower on Friday night.
During the regular season, Karl-Anthony Towns was 2-0 on jump balls against Turner. This was a common theme because Turner struggled to win jump balls during the regular season. However, Turner has been much better during the playoffs, and that is a big reason why the Pacers are around 70% at scoring first in the postseason.
If Indiana wins the tip, I like Andrew Nembhard to secure another first basket. He leads all Pacers in this stat since the beginning of the year and made his 10th first basket on Wednesday night. Throw in the fact that the Knicks allow first scores to shooting guards more than any other position, and Nembhard is a good bet to score first again.
If Towns wins the opening tip, I'll be looking at him to get the scoring started, too. Towns trails only Jalen Brunson on the season when it comes to first-shot attempts on the Knicks. However, Towns has been a bit more efficient (or lucky) as these attempts have led to 12 first baskets compared to Brunson's 10. Additionally, Indiana struggles to defend in the paint, so they give up a lot of first scores to centers. I'll also be putting a bet on Towns.
Pick: Andrew Nembhard (+1000) & Karl-Anthony Towns (+550)