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There are 7 games on the NBA slate on Saturday with tonight’s featured game being the clash between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers on ABC. The 76ers are currently riding a 5-game winning streak, the 2nd longest one in the league at the moment. A win over the Celtics tonight would help them close the gap to the Eastern Conference leaders. But for now let’s dive straight into my favourite first basket scorer props for tonight’s games. And do not forget to take a look at the rest of our NBA predictions, too.
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Nuggets vs Grizzlies first basket best bet: Ja Morant (+410)
Jaren Jackson Jr. will be jumping against Nikola Jokic to start tonight’s game. While the Serbian is undoubtedly a fantastic player, he is not the most athletic player in the league. With the size and length of Jackson Jr., I would expect him to gain the opening possession for the Grizzlies. Look for Ja Morant to take over from there. His direct matchup Jamal Murray has the worst defensive rating of the Denver Nuggets starters. With Jokic in the middle, the team lacks an element of rim protection. Over the last 10 games, the team is they are 26th in opponent points in the paint. No guard in the league is better at attacking that area than Morant. He struggled for efficiency in his last outing, so I expect him to come out strong, looking to put that game firmly behind him.
Check out our Denver Nuggets vs Memphis Grizzlies predictions
Heat vs Hornets first basket best bet: P.J. Washington (+1000)
With Mark Williams starting for the Charlotte Hornets, it gives them one of the tallest and longest centers jumping for tip in the NBA. He has helped the Hornets gain possession in 6 of their last 10 games and I am backing him to do so again tonight against Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat. The Heat center is undersized in comparison. Kevin Love has slotted straight into starting line-up for tonight’s visitors. I expect the Hornets to be going at him from the get-go. The man that would benefit from that would be P.J. Washington. The Hornets forward is in great scoring form. He has managed 20 or more points in 5 of his last 6 games. Do not be surprised to see him get featured early tonight too.
Check out our Miami Heat vs Charlotte Hornets predictions
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Spurs vs Jazz first basket best bet: Walker Kessler (+700)
Zach Collins will be jumping for tip for the San Antonio Spurs but he has not had much success doing that lately. Over the last 10 games, the Spurs have gained the opening possession on just 2 occasions. It will not get easier for him tonight against Walker Kessler, who has helped the Jazz win 80% of the tips during that same stretch of games. The rookie center has gone on to make the games opening shot on 3 occasions and could add to that here. No other Jazz player has done that on more than one occasion during that time. The Spurs allow more paint points than any other team in the league over the last 10 game. It is an area where Kessler thrives. Look for the Jazz to run a pick and roll to start the game, with the center being at the end of it.
Check out our San Antonio Spurs vs Utah Jazz predictions
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