Germantas Kneita
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There is a monster 10-game NBA slate on Saturday night, the highlight being the Golden State Warriors taking on the Milwaukee Bucks. The Warriors have recovered from a slow start to the season to find themselves 7th in the Western Conference. A win tonight could see them climb as high as 5th. However, with the team in 13th just 3 games behind, the West is unbelievably competitive. Do not be surprised to see a lot of movement in the standings as todays slate progresses.
Make sure you check out our NBA predictions for all of tonight’s games, but for now, let’s get into tonight’s NBA first basket scorer best bets.
Bulls vs Rockets first basket best bet: Zach LaVine (+650)
Nikola Vucevic and Alperen Sengun both have had trouble gaining the opening possession for their teams. Both have won the tip just twice over the last 10 games. With the Chicago Bulls’ center having a very slight height advantage, I am giving him the edge in this one. That is where Zach LaVine should take over. Over the last 10 games he has scored the first points for the Bulls on 4 occasions. 3 of those being the first points in the game overall. LaVine has had a hot hand of late, too. Over the last 10 he has upped his averaged to 29.4 points per game, making 44.4% of his 3-pointers in the process. With the Rockets just 29th in the NBA in defensive rating during that time, they will probably struggle putting up much resistance here.
Kings vs Suns first basket best bet: Chris Paul (+950)
The Sacramento Kings and the Phoenix Suns have been on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to winning the opening tip. The Suns have had the games first possession in 9 of their last 10, while the Kings have done so just twice. Look for Deandre Ayton to get his team the ball first here. I expect Chris Paul to take things from there. Do not be surprised to see the Suns attack Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox in a pick and roll situation early, potentially hoping to get an early foul against one of them. With Sabonis not being a great help defender, averaging just 0.5 blocks per game, the opportunity should be there for Paul to finish off the play himself.
Thunder vs Pelicans first basket best bet: Trey Murphy III (+1600)
Jonas Valanciunas has helped the New Orleans Pelicans win the opening tip in 80% of their last 10 games. With the size advantage that he has over the anyone in the Thunder starting 5, look for the same to be the case tonight. The Thunder have had success limiting his scoring this season, holding him to 10.7 points per game. And with a strong perimeter defender like Luguentz Dort in the team, they should be well positioned to slow down Brandon Ingram if he takes to the floor. It could leave the Pelicans stars to give up the ball early to someone like Trey Murphy III. He has enjoyed playing against the Thunder this year, averaging 18.3 points per game against them. Do not be surprised to see the ball end up in his hands for the game’s first shot.
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