Timberwolves vs. Lakers NBA Playoffs First Basket Scorers (Wednesday)
The Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves will look to advance to the next round of the NBA playoffs in their respective matchups. Can either team get off to a hot start and score the first basket?
I’ll discuss that below and choose two different first-basket props you can consider for tonight’s game Timberwolves vs. Lakers.
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.
Wednesday’s Best NBA First Basket Bets: Timberwolves vs. Lakers
(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.
Timberwolves vs. Lakers
It’ll be Rudy Gobert against Jaxson Hayes tonight for the opening tip. Gobert won the tip in 48% of games this season, but the Timberwolves scored the first basket in just 45% of games this season. On the other hand, Hayes wasn’t always the opening tip-off man for the Lakers. Yet, he’s done well enough to help the Lakers sustain the first basket in more than 50% of games this year.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are down 3-1 in this series. They’re going to want to come out strong to begin this game at home. This year, Minnesota allowed the first basket to power forwards 27% of the time. That would be LeBron James, who has scored the first basket in seven games this season. He hasn’t been super aggressive early on. But King James knows what’s at stake.
James has still attempted the team’s first basket in 17% of games. In addition, the Lakers have won the tip in 55% of games this season.
Pick: LeBron James (+700)
Make sure to check out our other best bets for Wednesday: