NBA Play-In Tournament First Basket Scorer Odds & Picks: Friday (4/18)
The last two NBA playoff spots are up for grabs on Friday as the NBA Play-In Tournament concludes. If you're looking to get some quick action on the games, the first-basket market is a great opportunity. Here are some of my favorite NBA first-basket scorer plays for Friday, April 18.
Friday’s Best NBA First Basket Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel 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.
Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks
These teams are very familiar with the NBA Play-In Tournament, as no team has played more games in the event than Miami and Atlanta. In a winner-take-all scenario, getting off to a hot start is crucial. Both teams have been good at winning opening tip-offs and scoring first. There is one play I like based on the matchup.
Bam Adebayo has been one of the best first-basket scorers in the league. He's cashed 15 of them on the year, nearly 20% of his starts. Atlanta provides a particularly good matchup as they've allowed over a quarter of their opponents' first scores to power forwards like Adebayo. I like him to add to his impressive total with a chance to sneak into the playoffs.
Pick: Bam Adebayo (+550)
Dallas Mavericks at Memphis Grizzlies
I don't think either of these teams expected to be in this spot a few months ago. Due to internal turmoil on both teams, things fell apart down the stretch, and now only one will advance to the playoffs. In what could be the last opportunity for the year, I will be looking to back the Grizzlies again to score first.
Memphis's 60% success rate on first baskets is one of the best in the league, and the success rate of Zach Edey on opening tips implies more success. They've been particularly successful with their guards. Dallas has struggled against guards in this prop. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane have combined to score 32 of Memphis's 83 first-team scores, good for nearly 40%.
Morant made his 10th first basket on Tuesday, good for second on the team. The leader, Bane, had an impressive 30 points in the close loss. Both players will look to get going, and I like both as first-basket plays on Friday.
Pick: Ja Morant (+550)/Desmond Bane (+750)