Filip Tomic
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It promises to be another epic night of NBA basketball with a pair of pivotal Game 5s on schedule. I have prepared a couple of first basket scorer prop bets for the action, so continue reading below to see them.
Don’t forget to visit our NBA predictions page for picks on the side and total for tonight’s games.
Let’s dive into my bets now!
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76ers vs Celtics: Jayson Tatum (+460)
The 76ers have won every single opening tip in this series so far; that run has to end at some point and tonight’s game is the perfect opportunity for that to happen. I’m expecting the energy in TD Garden to be on a different level, as the Celtics will need a big push from the crowd to win tonight’s game. Considering that Al Horford has won 2 of the 5 opening tips vs Joel Embiid so far this season, maybe he can take advantage of big man’s injury. If the Celtics get the ball, I think they’ll want give it to Jayson Tatum. In Game 4 he was awful to start, hitting on just 1 of his first 9 field-goal attempts. That’s one of the main reasons why Boston lost. He should have his mojo back in front of the home fans, and Tatum has made 22% of first field goals this season while taking the 3rd-highest percentage of attempts. Philadelphia’s defense has allowed 35% of first baskets to come from wing players this season; that, too, is working in his favor. Let’s hope he can capitalize and start off the game with a few baskets.
Check out our full game preview for Game 5 of Philadelphia 76ers vs Boston Celtics.
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Suns vs Nuggets: Jamal Murray (+550)
The matchup between Nikola Jokic and Deandre Ayton has been pretty one-sided so far in this series in terms of points, rebounds, assists and almost every other statistical category. When it comes to winning the opening tip, Jokic has the edge there as well having won 4 of the 7 times they have jumped it up. Jamal Murray scored the first basket for the Nuggets in Games 1, 3 and 4, so I’m pretty confident they’ll go for him to open the scoring in Game 5, as well. Only Jokic has attempted more first field goals than him this season, but with the focus of the entire Suns defense being on the big man, Murray can find a bit more space around the perimeter — which increases his chances of taking the first shot. The Suns have struggled to defend shooting guards to start games; 23% of the first field goals they have allowed this season has come SGs. That’s the most by any position. At +550 odds I think this is a really solid bet.
Read our Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets Game 5 preview.
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