The majority of the NBA returns to action following a light Thursday night, which provides us with ample opportunities for some fantastic sweats. One of those is the first basket prop — the lightning-fast bet of the night. Winning the tip isn’t always the most meaningful indicator of a team scoring first, as you’ll also want to consider defense and fouls. Finding a longer-shot player who still will touch the ball in the team’s first possession is one of my favorite ways to play this market. Let’s get right into tonight’s first basket odds so we can make our bets. We’re placing a Heat-Celtics first basket bet along with a longshot. We’re targeting FanDuel for this one, and all first basket props there are inclusive of free throws. If you’re hungry for more action, check out today’s top player props — or our NBA betting tools or our NBA betting promos!
First Basket Odds & Best Bet Tonight for Friday, Oct. 27
Heat-Celtics First Basket Odds & Pick
After leading early, the Boston Celtics had to launch a late comeback against the Knicks. It was fueled by a monster night from Kristaps Porzingis. Jayson Tatum is going to be the chalk in most games as the favorite to score the first bucket, but even after dropping 30 in his C’s debut, Porzingis is still at a healthy +500 on FanDuel tonight.
Expect the Celtics to go right back to Porzingis to establish two things early: his presence on offense at a position not normally required to score and the foul pressure he can apply to Miami’s frontcourt. Porzingis can score from multiple places on the floor and should see the first strong look to score. Even if he gets fouled, this bet cashes with the first free throws of the game.
Longshot First Basket Bet of the Day
Trae Young is already apologizing for the Hawks’ effort following a brutal loss to start the season. There’s a reasonable expectation that if Atlanta gets the tip in their game tonight against the Knicks that Young would simply try to insert himself into the box score right away. While Young and the rest of the team were horrid from three, the better option here is his backcourt partner: Dejounte Murray. Struggling as much as anyone, Murray was horrible from the floor shooting just 3-for-14. He is the guy Atlanta benefits most from getting involved as early as possible.
OddsShopper’s NBA Tools & Tips
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