One of the most thrilling ways to bet on an NBA game these days are First Basket Scorer odds.
Betting on the first bucker of a game brings an immediate excitement to your props. Below, I'll break down a few of my picks for NBA First Basket Scorer odds for tonight's games, with lines from some top sportsbooks:
Jump To Picks:
Boston Celtics vs Utah Jazz
The Game: Celtics vs Jazz, 9:10 p.m. ET
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kristaps Porzingis | +370 |
| Jaylen Brown | +475 |
| John Collons | +600 |
| Walker Kesller | +600 |
| Collin Sexton | +700 |
| Jrue Holiday | +800 |
| Jayson Tatum | +800 |
| Brice Sensabaugh | +800 |
Pick: Jayson Tatum (+800)
Jaylen Brown is the first-basket scorer king on the court tonight, but I think this Tatum value is just too good to pass up. Tatum has made just two fewer first baskets than Brown on the season and has a far more advantageous matchup tonight. The Utah Jazz allow 26.89 points per game to opposing power forwards, more than any other team playing tonight.
As well, I love betting on Tatum here because the Celtics are almost certainly going to get the first possession. Boston wins the tip 68.8% of the time, while they go up against a Jazz team that wins under 40%.
Indiana Pacers vs OKC Thunder
The Game: Pacers vs Thunder, 8:10 p.m.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Josh Giddey | +500 |
| Chet Holmgren | +500 |
| Myles Turner | +550 |
| Pascal Siakam | +550 |
| Jalen Williams | +600 |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | +650 |
| Lugentz Dort | +900 |
Pick: Pascal Siakam (+550)
Since joining the Pacers at the NBA trade deadline, Pascal Siakam has scored the game's first basket four times (16.7% of contests). That's a higher rate than Turner, Holmgren, and Giddey — who all sit above Siakam on the odds board tonight.
I may be over-simplifying this one, but I'm going to take the best value in Pascal.
What Are First Field Goal Bets?
First Field Goal props or First Basket Scorer bets are pretty simple: pick the player who will score the first field goal of the contest. The only thing you have to remember is that free throws do not count as field goals, so if your pick gets fouled and scores from the line, the bet hasn't yet cashed.
Here's an example of how a First Basket Scorer market may look for a hypothetical Lakers vs Bucks game:
- Anthony Davis +450
- LeBron James +500
- Giannis Antetokounmpo +550
- Damian Lillard +600
Davis is the favorite at +450 and his odds mean a $100 bet would pay out $450 in profit. However, if you want to back one of the better value picks like Lillard, you could get $600 back on a $100 bet with his +600 odds. Betting this market is all about comparing first basket likelihood and line value.
