NBA First Basket Scorers & Picks: Friday (5/8)
There are two NBA playoff games tonight. The New York Knicks look to extend a 2-0 series lead on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers. Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs will try to get ahead of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Which team will get off to a hot start? I’ve picked the first basket scorers for both games below.
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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Friday’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.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks
Despite the Knicks winning the opening tip on Wednesday, it was the Philadelphia 76ers who scored first. Josh Hart missed a three-pointer, and Kelly Oubre Jr. went down the other way for an easy dunk.
But while Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid each won the opening tip 43% of the time in the regular season, it was the Knicks who scored the first basket 59% of the time this season, while the 76ers added the first basket in only 49% of games.
Therefore, I’ve got the Knicks scoring first tonight.
In the regular season, the 76ers allowed the point guard to score the first basket in 26% of regular-season games. Since Jalen Brunson led the Knicks in first baskets in the regular season, he stands out as the best play on the slate again in Game 3.
Pick: Jalen Brunson (+500)
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs
It’s very hard to beat Victor Wembanyama on the opening tip consistently. He won 91% of the opening tips this season and helped the Spurs gain possession in Game 2 of this series. Ultimately, the Spurs scored first, 90 seconds into the game. It was Wembanyama who scored the first basket again.
In both games, there have been a bunch of back-and-forths before the first basket. Yet, the Spurs continue to find a way to score first.
It’s very likely that Wembanyama wins the tip and gives the Spurs the first shot of tonight’s Game 3 matchup. The Timberwolves allowed shooting guards to score first 36% of the time in the regular season. This could be the night for Stephon Castle.
Pick: Stephon Castle (+700)