NBA First Basket Scorer Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (4/8)
The NBA season is winding down with our final Tuesday slate of the regular season. There are 10 games on the schedule tonight, with plenty of ways to go for our first-basket scorer picks. Today’s first basket predictions feature the Bulls vs. Cavaliers and the Lakers vs. Thunder matchups.
NBA first-basket bets are quick and easy ways to place wagers with bigger payouts - and you'll know if they cash right away. Let's try to find some winners for a pair of games on Tuesday night.
Note that all betting lines are accurate as of writing, but shop around for the best odds. Enjoy these NBA first-basket picks and predictions for Tuesday, April 8th.
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Tuesday’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.
Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers
This is a major mismatch in terms of the first basket scorer. Every stat and trend point to the Cleveland Cavaliers scoring first tonight against the Chicago Bulls. It's only a matter of choosing the right player. Let's break it down.
The Cavaliers have a league-leading 76.9% win rate on opening tip-offs this season. Center Jarrett Allen is elite at winning the jump balls to begin games. In turn, Cleveland leads the NBA in team first baskets this season with 46 through 78 games (58.9%).
Meanwhile, the Bulls' 17.6% win rate on opening tips is the worst in the league by a sizable margin. Their 26 team first baskets are also dead last in the NBA. Chicago center Nikola Vucevic regularly struggles to give his team the first possession.
The Cavs have won the opening tip in all three matchups against Chicago this season so far. Allen is also 6-2 in head-to-head tip-offs vs. Vucevic over the past three seasons combined.
Let's roll with Evan Mobley to score first once Cleveland wins the tip. Mobley leads the team with 13 made first baskets and a 19.4% first baskets per game started rate. His 19.4% first shot percentage trails only Donovan Mitchell for the team lead as well.
Pick: Evan Mobley (+330)
Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder
One of the must-see NBA matchups tonight pits the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Los Angeles Lakers. We just saw these Western Conference foes battle on Sunday, and they will run it back on Tuesday. Before you tune in, let's pinpoint the first basket scorer for this one.
On the surface, Thunder center Chet Holmgren should have the upper hand over Lakers big man Jaxson Hayes for the opening tip-off. Yet, some recent trends say differently.
Holmgren is just 4-7 on tip-offs in his last 11 games. He used to dominate jump balls earlier in the season, but has tailed off over the past month. Meanwhile, Hayes has a 12-5 record on tips over his last 17 games for a 70.5% win rate. Hayes seems more comfortable in his new starting role since the Anthony Davis trade.
When these teams played each other on Sunday, Holmgren won the opening tip and the Thunder scored first. Let's look in the opposite direction for the rematch and bank on Hayes giving the Lakers the first possession to score first.
As for Los Angeles, LeBron James and Luka Doncic are obvious options to score the first basket. Yet, Austin Reaves offers a ton of value for his solid track record. Reaves leads the Lakers in made first baskets (10), first-shot percentage (17.4%) and first baskets per game started (14.5%).
Pick: Austin Reaves (+800)