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There are 6 games on the NBA slate on Thursday night with a TNT doubleheader to boot. The Golden State Warriors will be taking on the Memphis Grizzlies in the first game. With the recent back-and-forth between Draymond Green and Dillon Brooks, there could be fireworks in this one. That will be followed up with the New York Knicks visiting the Sacramento Kings. The hosts have climbed to a surprising 2nd place in the Western Conference standings and will be looking to keep hold of that spot tonight. 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.
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Knicks vs Kings first basket best bet: RJ Barrett (+750)
Mitchell Robinson is by far one of the best players at winning the opening tip in the NBA. He has done so for the New York Knicks 9 times in the last 10 games and should be able to do so once more against Domantas Sabonis and the Sacramento Kings. Look for RJ Barrett to take over from there. Over the last 10 games, the Kings are 29th in defensive rating in the NBA and are unlikely to put up much resistance. Barrett is likely to find himself matched up against Kevin Huerter, who is 16th in the Kings roster in defensive rating himself. The Knicks forward has had a hot shooting hand of late too, scoring 27 or more in each of his last 2 games. Look for the Knicks to go to him early tonight.
Nets vs Bucks first basket best bet: Brook Lopez (+650)
The Milwaukee Bucks simply have too much size for the Brooklyn Nets frontline. I expect them to capitalize by knocking down the game’s first shot. The Bucks have won the opening tip in 70% of their last 10 games. With an undersized Nic Claxton jumping for the ball for the Nets, I expect the Bucks to further improve on their streak. With the size advantage that Brook Lopez will have, do not be surprised to see the Bucks work the ball into him early. Lopez should be able to overpower Claxton down low. If the Bucks choose to go through Giannis Antetokounmpo first, Lopez would still have a great chance of hitting the first shot. Claxton is 2nd in the league in blocks per game and is bound to help on any of the Bucks’ drives, leaving Lopez open at the rim. He should capitalize on that here.
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Hornets vs Pistons first basket best bet: P.J. Washington (+1100)
This seems like a great value line. Although P.J. Washington has only knocked down the game’s first basket just once in the last 10 games, he has scored the first points for the Hornets 4 times in his last 7 starts. With Mark Williams jumping for the tip, the Hornets are likely to have the first shot of the game. The Pistons are just 28th in offensive rating over the last 10 games so even if they get the first shot, they are not too likely to convert. They have been going with a big lineup too, with Marvin Bagley III and James Wiseman starting. It should allow Washington to use his quickness on the perimeter. If they do not close out to him, he is an efficient 35% from beyond the arc and could punish the Pistons. He could feature early for the Hornets as a result.
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