Zach Thompson details his top first scorer prop bets for Saturday’s 10-game NBA slate on DraftKings Sportsbook.
The NBA has 10 games spread throughout this Saturday, including a nice NBA TV doubleheader in the evening and a matinee matchup between the Thunder and the Wizards in Washington. As you build your betting card for this Saturday, 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 market, which is available for each game.
First point plays are all over the most-bet player props each day on DraftKings Sportsbook, and they can be a great way to get a quick-hitter that delivers a win or loss right away without a long sweat. This style of bet helps avoid issues with load management and blowouts late in games, since only the first bucket matters. 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 an extremely 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 a couple of my top first scorer props that make sense to consider this Saturday.
First Scorer: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets vs. Memphis Grizzlies (+600)
The Hornets catch the Grizzlies on the second night of a road back-to-back, and Memphis has already been struggling and short-handed. While the game could turn into a blowout, as mentioned above, playing first-scorer props is one way to avoid that being a defining narrative.
The Grizzlies have only won the tip-off in 42% of their games this season and 23.3% of their last 30 games. They’ve lost the tip-off in each of their last 15 games, while the Hornets have won 46.7% of tip-offs during that span.
The Hornets have made the first bucket in eight of their last 15 games, and Ball made one of those first baskets while taking the first shot of the game in another matchup as well.
Ball has a team-high 31.9% usage rate on the season and has been aggressive over the last week, scoring 30 points on Tuesday in 33 minutes against Miami and 20 points in 20 minutes in Thursday’s rout of the Magic.
While Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel both have more first buckets on the season than Ball, I like his longer odds in this matchup and think he may attack the Grizzlies’ beleaguered backcourt right off the jump.
First Scorer: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat at Houston Rockets (+398)
In one of the best matchups of the night, the Heat head to Houston to try to ground the Rockets. From the 20 teams in action, the two players with the most first baskets will go head-to-head in this matchup as Bam takes on Alperen Sengun. Each center has scored the first basket in 12 of his 59 starts this season, making the first basket in 20.3% of games played.
The reason I’m taking Bam in this matchup isn’t just that he’s been more productive lately (although he has), but the Heat have won 60% of tip-offs this season while the Rockets have only won 39.1% of tip-offs. Bam has also taken the first shot in 27.1% of his games, while Sengun has only taken the first shot in 16.9% of his games.
Adebayo had his huge 83-point game against the Wizards earlier this month (when he scored the first point), and he has 20+ points in each of his three games since then as well. He got a game off early in the week with right calf tightness but returned on Thursday with 28 points and 10 rebounds in a big game against the Lakers. He had the first points in that game as well, which he scored on a free throw after a Deandre Ayton shooting foul.
The Heat have made it a point to get Bam the ball in good spots, and he has a good chance for the first bucket of this contest with the Rockets.