Zach Thompson details his top first scorer props bets for Saturday’s seven-game NBA slate.
The NBA has seven games on Saturday, with some fun matchups sprinkled throughout the day and a big primetime matchup between the Nuggets and the Lakers on National TV. With several fun matchups to check out, DraftKings Sportsbook has plenty of ways to get involved in numerous basketball betting markets. One of the most popular markets lately has been the first point props available for each game.
First point plays are all over the most-bet player props, and they can be a great way to get a quick-hitter that delivers a win or loss right away without a long sweat. Finding the first scorer in any contest is a hit that can bring big-time returns, as the odds are all long shots.
As a whole, it’s a simple market, since it’s just a matter of which player will score the first point in the game. Not much explanation needed!
Let’s take a look at two of the first scorer props that make sense to consider as long shot plays this Saturday.
First Scorer: Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic at Miami Heat (+720)
The Magic and the Heat meet in a battle for Sunshine State supremacy in South Beach. While the Heat have a host of players who are questionable, the Magic should be mostly at full strength, aside from Anthony Black and Franz Wagner, who are out with long-term injuries. Of all 14 teams in action, only the Spurs have won more tip-offs this season than the Magic, who have a 69.2% win rate. They’ll face the Heat, who have a 59.7% win rate on the season.
Whoever wins the tip-off, I like Carter as a sleeper play to get the first points. He is coming off back-to-back big games with double-doubles. He had 11 points and 11 boards against the Cavs and 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Wizards in back-to-back games earlier this week, and he has scored at least nine points in five straight contests.
Carter leads the Magic with nine first buckets this season, meaning he has more than Desmond Bane, Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs, even though their general usage is higher. Carter has only made one first basket in his last 15 games, though, while each of those teammates has made two first baskets.
He is a long shot, but I think the Magic will try to go right at Bam Adebayo off the jump. Carter had 10 points and 14 points in his last two games against Miami and has reached double-digit points in three of his last four visits to South Beach. His 7:1 odds make him a juicy option to consider for Saturday night.
First Scorer: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Lakers (+498)
The Nuggets and Lakers meet in the marquee matchup of the night, and I like Murray to get the first bucket of the contest. He has two first buckets in his last five games and has made the first basket 10 times in his 61 games this season (9.8%).
The Lakers have a slight tip-off win percentage advantage, but Murray had the first point against them in the matchup between these two teams last week after he got possession on the Deandre Ayton vs. Nikola Jokic jump ball.
Murray likes to be aggressive and assertive early in big games like this one, and I like getting him at almost 5:1 odds to score the first bucket in this one.