NBA Playoffs First Basket Scorer Predictions: Saturday (4/19)
The NBA playoffs get off to a rousing start on Saturday with four action-packed games. With all the exciting basketball being played, it's a great opportunity to get off to a hot start with our first-basket picks. Here are a few of my favorite plays for the slate.
Saturday’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.
Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers
These two Central Division foes square off in the playoffs once again. Last year, the Pacers took advantage of some injuries to Milwaukee's roster to advance. This year, the Bucks will be looking for revenge.
That revenge, they hope, will come in the form of a quick start to the opening contest of the series. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the Bucks' go-to scorer in these crucial early possessions. He's scored Milwaukee's first points in nearly a third of his starts. Indiana is a team that tends to give up first scores to opposing frontcourts as well. I like Antetokounmpo to add to his team lead in first baskets and get the playoffs off right.
Pick: Giannis Antetokounmpo (+360)
Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks
The Pistons are playing their first playoff game in five years. This is a young team led by a few key veterans. One of these veterans, Tobias Harris, is the only player on this roster who has scored in a Pistons playoff game. With them breaking back through into the postseason, I like Harris to get the scoring started.
Detroit has been an excellent first-basket team all year, with Jalen Duren winning the tip-off in over half of their starts. The player who has benefited the most has been Harris, who leads the team with 14 first baskets. He has a nice matchup with New York, who gives up first scores to power forwards at a rate of nearly 25%. I'll play the matchup and take Harris.
Pick: Tobias Harris (+700)
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers
The final game of the night matches up the Timberwolves with the Lakers. Los Angeles finished the season strong in the first basket department, and no one showed out more than Jaxson Hayes.
Hayes only started cracking the starting lineup about halfway through the series, but his first score numbers are phenomenal. His 15 first-team scores and eight first baskets in just 35 starts show how much he was utilized early in games in the second half of the season. Hayes’ matchup with Minnesota is strong, as they gave up half of their first baskets to bigs this year. I'll be backing him to cash in to end the night.
Pick: Jaxson Hayes (+550)