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NBA First Basket Scorers & Picks: Sunday (11/8)

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The NBA season is finally underway. We've got seven games to consider as we predict who will score the first basket in each. Below are my NBA first basket scorers for the day.

Check out our NBA First Basket Prop Bet Cheat Sheet to help you find today's best prop bets.

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    Sunday’s Best NBA First Basket Scorers

    (Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

    Who scores first in today’s NBA slate? We compare historical first-basket stats to prop bet odds to help identify today’s best bets. View first-basket odds across sportsbooks here.

    Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons

    The Pistons haven't been great at opening tip-offs, winning only two in their first eight games. But they've been pretty effective at gaining the first lead.

    Despite a low tip-off win rate, Detroit has scored first in half of their games. On three occasions, John Collins has scored the first points of the game.

    Despite ranking sixth on the team with 9.3 points per game, Collins just has a knack for finding his shot early.

    Pick: John Collins (+850)

    Utah Jazz vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

    It's tempting to go with Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz have won just 22% of their opening tip-offs, but he has been the first scorer in three of Utah's games.

    But I expect the Timberwolves, who have won 40% of their opening tip-offs, to have the first possession and to score right away. And I'm going to go with Jonathan Kuminga.

    Kuminga isn’t in the top five to score first in this game, according to the odds, but he's an aggressive player who often gets the ball in his hands. He's also taken the first shot in two of Minnesota's 10 games thus far; he just hasn't connected yet. I believe he will today.

    Pick: Jonathan Kuminga (+750)

    Miami Heat vs. Sacramento Kings

    The Heat have won every opening tip-off this season. That usually bodes well for your team to score first.

    Every player in Miami's starting lineup has scored first or taken the first shot multiple times. So picking a Heat player is tough.

    I'm going with Davion Mitchell. He's not among the top six favorites to score first in this game, but he's already scored first in two contests this season.

    Pick: Davion Mitchell (+1000)

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