Navigate

NBA Playoffs First Basket Scorer Picks & Predictions: Tuesday (4/25)

by |

There are three NBA play-in games tonight. The quickest way to get into the action is first-basket betting. Betting the first basket is one of the most simple bets in sports betting. Pick the player to score the first basket of the basketball game to win.

Let us look into the matchups tonight to find the best first-basket bets. Do not blink, or you might miss it.

Join our BettingPros NBA Group to tail bets in the feed, browse members, and view the leaderboards >>

Tuesday’s Best NBA Playoffs First Basket Bets

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Boston Celtics vs. Atlanta Hawks 

The Boston Celtics are dominating this series. They are leading 3-1 and show no signs of slowing down. The one aspect of the game they have struggled with in this series is winning the first possession. Atlanta has won the first possession in three out of the four games during the playoffs. That means when it comes to first-basket betting, Atlanta is the better option.

When they win the first possession, they like to get De’Andre Hunter involved early. Hunter has been the one to take the shot two out of the three times the Hawks won the first possession. The consistency with the first possession and first shot make this one of the better first-basket bets of the day.

First Basket: De’Andre Hunter (+700 FanDuel)

Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Denver Nuggets are leading this series 3-1. They are also 3-1 at winning the first possession. That is because Nikola Jokic is consistently able to beat Rudy Gobert in the tipoff. The Nuggets have the best chance to get the first shot attempt tonight.

When the Nuggets win the first possession, they like to get the ball to Jamal Murray. He has shot on two of the three first possession that the Nuggets have won. Murray shoots the ball consistently enough to give this betting value. Bettors can take advantage of the consistency of the Nuggets tonight.

First Basket: Jamal Murray (+750 FanDuel)

Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers 

Phoenix has won the first possession three out of the four times they have played the Clippers this post-season. Ayton is one of the more athletic big men in the league that has consistently won tipoffs over the course of his career.

The Suns have plenty of players that can score the ball consistently. The player with the most betting value is DeAndre Ayton. Both Booker and Durant scoring the first basket are sitting at around +350. That is decent value, but with Ayton’s usage early in the game, it makes more sense to take him at +500. This play is a risker play but has more betting value.

First Basket: DeAndre Ayton (+500 FanDuel)

Cameron Lynch is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Cameron, check out his archive and follow him @captron26.

Also, take a look at our other best bets for Tuesday:

Go premium to view top prop bets based on Cover Probability, Expected Value & Star Rating >>


Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts