NBA First Basket Scorers & Picks: Cavaliers vs. Knicks (Thursday)
The New York Knicks didn’t start strong in Game 1, allowing the first basket to James Harden, despite winning the opening tip. But now the Knicks have all the momentum after erasing a 20+ deficit in the fourth quarter to knock off the Cavaliers in Game 1.
Will the Knicks get the chance to score first in Game 2? Let’s discuss the top first basket wager for the night after we hit James Harden on Tuesday.
Follow along 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 Scorers & Picks
(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.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks
Jarrett Allen is one of the best at opening tips. He won the opening tip in 68% of games, but didn’t beat Karl-Anthony Towns in Game 1 of this series. Still, it didn’t matter for the Cavaliers. Cleveland got a stop and scored first with James Harden to cash our +850 ticket.
While Allen typically dominates the opening tip, Towns has beaten Allen in the opening tip in all three head-to-head matchups this year, including Game 1. Towns has Allen’s number with the opening tip. At home, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Knicks got the first possession and scored, carrying momentum from Game 1.
Ultimately, the Cavaliers have allowed the first basket to point guards 31% of the time during the regular season.
Therefore, we’ve got to roll with Jalen Brunson to add the first basket at +500.
Pick: Jalen Brunson (+500)