After a massive slate last night, we have only two NBA games this evening. Despite the smaller slate, we still have 20 options to mull over. Here are a few NBA first basket scorers worth considering for Thursday, October 22nd.
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Thursday'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.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers
It's surprising to see Jaylen Brown return such a heavy profit. The lethal scorer finished with 19 points on 50% shooting inside the arc and 50% from beyond it in Philadelphia's first contest of the season on Tuesday.
Brown scored just three points in the first quarter against New York. However, the veteran forward took four shots, and while he could have been a bit more aggressive in nine minutes, Brown will clearly be involved in the offense.
The 76ers forward is in a great spot tonight against a Cleveland backcourt that likely won’t provide much perimeter resistance. Donovan Mitchell finished last season with a defensive rating over 110, and James Harden is 37 years old. If Philadelphia wins the tip-off, Brown would be a top candidate to get the first look at the basket.
Evan Mobley is right behind Joel Embiid (+500) as the favorite to score the first basket. LeBron James will defend Mobley, and that's a matchup we don't mind sprinkling a few dollars on. Mobley is obviously taller and more athletic than James, who is playing in his 24th season. Mobley scored the first basket in 12 games last season - which was tied for eighth in the NBA.
Picks: Jaylen Brown (+750) & Evan Mobley (+550)
Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder
Chet Holmgren certainly won’t have it easy against Denver. That said, Aaron Gordon doesn’t have the size to stop Holmgren from doing what he wants on the offensive end.
Nikola Jokic will likely be paired with Isaiah Hartenstein, which should force Gordon to defend Holmgren from the start. This is a clear height advantage, and Holmgren is obviously no stranger to shooting beyond the perimeter. Oklahoma City will notice the mismatch immediately, giving Holmgren a great chance to score the first basket.
On Denver’s side, we are going with a true longshot pick. Cameron Johnson had a rough 2025-2026 campaign and could get things going in the right direction by sinking the opening field goal in this contest. Johnson managed to shoot a higher percentage from the field and beyond the arc than he did in Brooklyn the previous season.
Unfortunately, the biggest change was to his volume. Johnson attempted over 13 shots per game in his last season on the Nets, but in Denver, he didn't even crack nine attempts per game. The Nuggets guard shot just below 55% from the field and 51% from three-point distance through five preseason games. Johnson is locked in right now and could be open for a three-point look to kick off the scoring against the Thunder.
Picks: Chet Holmgren (+600) & Cameron Johnson (+1200)
