The Toronto Raptors and Cleveland Cavaliers are in a 2-2 tie heading into Game 5 of the first round. However, the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers are in a position to earn a second-round appearance with a victory tonight.
Which teams can get off to a hot start? I added the first two basket wagers for tonight’s game and shared them 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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Wednesday’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.
Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons
The Orlando Magic have stunned the Detroit Pistons in this first-round series. The No. 8 seed is leading the No. 1 seed 3-1, thanks to fast starts. Wendell Carter Jr. continues to win the opening tip against Jalen Duren. In the regular season, Carter Jr. won the opening tip in 73 percent of games, while Duren won the opening tip in only 44 percent of games.
In the regular season, the Pistons allowed the first basket to small forwards and power forwards more than 21 percent of the time. Still, no position was a clear advantage against the Pistons this season.
That said, Wendell Carter Jr. scored the first basket 13 times this season. He also attempted the first field goal in 27 percent of games for the Magic. That was the highest of any starter on the Magic this season.
Let’s roll with Carter Jr. to score first tonight at +850 odds.
Pick: Wendell Carter Jr. (+850)
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The Houston Rockets powered through in Game 4 of this first-round series. However, Austin Reaves is about to return, and the Lakers are home, looking to move on to the next round.
They’ll start this game with Deandre Ayton under center. He won two-thirds of his opening tip opportunities this season. Sengun only won a third of his chances in the regular season.
Ayton has a higher probability of winning the tip and helping the Lakers take the first shot.
The Rockets have always struggled against small forwards this season. Small forwards have scored first at the highest rate against the Rockets. That’s where LeBron James comes in. He scored the Lakers’ first basket in 25 percent of games during the regular season and scored the first basket in 17 percent of starts.
Pick: LeBron James (+490)
