Nuggets vs. Thunder NBA Playoffs First Basket Scorers (Monday)
The second round is officially underway. We’ve got two Game 1 matchups in the second round that will begin tonight. Therefore, I’ve added a first-basket wager for both games. Here’s our top NBA first basket scorer prediction for Nuggets vs. Thunder.
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.
Monday’s Best NBA First Basket Bets: Nuggets vs. Thunder
(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.
Nuggets vs. Thunder
Nikola Jokic and Isaiah Hartenstein competed for the tip in one game this season. Jokic won it. That’s the likely outcome in this matchup moving forward.
After all, Jokic won the tip in 61% of games this season while Hartenstein won the tip in only 22% of games. In addition, the Nuggets scored the first basket 55% of the time this year, while the Thunder added the first basket in 51% of games. Despite being on the road, the Nuggets have an edge to start this game.
Oklahoma City has allowed the first basket to centers 33% of the time. Conversely, Nikola Jokic led the Nuggets with 16 first baskets in the regular season. He also took the team’s first basket in 34% of games started and added the first field goal attempt for the Nuggets in 39% of games.
We’ll need Jokic to do it all to start this game. But I’m sure he’ll be up to the challenge. Take Jokic to score first.
Pick: Nikola Jokic (+750)