Friday night is a jam-packed slate of NBA action. Twenty-four teams are in play, and plenty of playoff implications are up in the air.
There should be plenty of great spots of sides and totals, but if you’re looking for a quick hitter, here are my favorite First Basket plays of the night.
Get instant alerts when a line reaches your target via the BettingPros App >>
Friday’s Best NBA First Basket Player Prop Bets
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Golden State Warriors @ Charlotte Hornets
The Warriors gutted out an emotional win on Wednesday. In the midst of a tight playoff race, it was a win they badly needed. They’ll be looking for a strong start against the Hornets on Friday, and that begins with a First Basket.
Charlotte is one of the worst teams in the league in terms of this prop. They have scored first in under 40% of their games this season and have been particularly weak against opposing wings when it comes to giving up a first score. This bodes well for the Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins, who has had success with this prop since coming to Golden State.
Wiggins only has 51 starts on the season, but he’s cashed a First Basket seven times this year. That’s off the back of 13 first-team scores. He takes the first shot for Golden State in about one-third of the games he starts. It’s a great matchup for Wiggins, and I’ll be looking for him to cash another First Basket ticket on Friday.
Bet: Andrew Wiggins (+850)
Portland Trailblazers @ Miami Heat
Even though it’s served them well recently, Miami hopes to avoid the Play-In Tournament. They will need to pick up some more wins, starting Friday night against the Trailblazers. Miami will look to get off to a hot start, and when that’s the case, there is one man they love to go to: Bam Adebayo. He’s scored 23 first-team baskets this season, well over one-third of his starts. This has translated to 13 First Basket prop wins, one of the best marks in the league.
The matchup with the Trailblazers makes this play even stronger. Portland struggles at many things this season, not the least of which is First Baskets. Their rate of hitting these is well below the league average, and when they give up first scores, it’s disproportionately to opposing bigs. Adebayo should eat in this matchup, and he should get started early with a First Basket.
Bet: Bam Adebayo (+350)
Houston Rockets @ Utah Jazz
The upstart Rockets are soaring down the final stretch of the regular season. As the hottest team in the league, they find themselves just outside the Play-In standings. Against a lottery-bound Utah team, Houston will look for a hot start.
Speaking of hot starts and hot streaks. No one is finishing the season hotter than Houston’s Jalen Green. He has been tearing it up during the Rockets’ hot streak, and he’s finally finding a groove in his young career. I’m looking for him to cash a First Basket on Friday night.
Green has actually had success in this prop, even before this recent play. He already has 11 First Baskets, trailing just his injured teammate, Alperen Sengun. He’s also attempting the first shot for the Rockets in over one-quarter of the games he’s started this season. I like him to stay hot and pull out a First Basket on the way to another strong performance.
Bet: Jalen Green (+500)
