NBA Playoffs First Basket Scorers Picks: Friday (Celtics vs. Knicks)
Despite the loss of superstar Jayson Tatum, the Celtics took Game 5 and forced a Game 6. The series heads back to Madison Square Garden, where the Knicks will look to clinch the series at home.
Will Boston do enough to force a Game 7? Both teams will look to get off to a hot start. Here are a few first-basket picks to get the night started.
Friday’s Best NBA First Basket Bets
(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.
Boston Celtics at New York Knicks
One interesting trend in this series is that the team that has won the opening tip has yet to score the first points of the game. With Kristaps Porzingis in the lineup, Boston has a bit of an advantage, as he's 3-1 against Karl-Anthony Towns on jump balls this season. When it comes to Knicks options, there is one player I like a lot.
Mikal Bridges has led the Knicks in first baskets all year, including the playoffs. In this series alone, he's attempted the Knicks' first shot in four out of five games. Still, we're being offered long odds on Bridges. I'll bet on him to follow up his Game 5 first-basket performance given these numbers.
With Tatum out for the playoffs, Boston will continue to find other players to step up. In Game 5, that was Derrick White. He scored 34 points in Tatum's absence on Wednesday and added a first-team score. This was the fourth game he scored Boston's first points in this series. I like him to keep up his hot streak and will be playing him in the first-basket market as well.
Picks: Mikal Bridges (+1200) & Derrick White (+800)