Best NBA First Basket Scorer Picks for Tuesday, May 21 (Target These Celtics in Game 1)

We're down to just one NBA game per night, which means we can be even more focused on the first-basket scorer market and who the best targets are.

For those of you who follow these picks day-to-day, you know that I love targeting players who attempt the first shot of the game a lot, as it's a good indicator of their involvement in the offense early on in a matchup.

Tonight, I'm eyeing two players on the Boston Celtics in their Game 1 matchup against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston has been one of the best teams at winning the jump ball all season long, and even without Kristaps Porzingis, I think they're in a good spot to get the first possession on Tuesday night.

Here's who you should consider wagering on in this market:

NBA First Basket Scorer Picks and Predictions

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

• Jaylen Brown First Basket Scorer (+425)
• Jrue Holiday First Basket Scorer (+900)

Jaylen Brown First Basket Scorer (+425)

This season, Boston has won the jump ball 69.6 percent of the time, a huge difference compared to the Indiana Pacers (37.9 percent of the time).

Even without Porzingis, I still like Boston’s chances of coming away with the first possession, and we know who the C’s like to look to early:

Jaylen Brown.

This season, Brown has taken the first shot 20.3 percent of the time – by far the most for Boston and any other play in action in this game. 

That’s translated to 18 first baskets for Jaylen, and he could have a favorable matchup in Game 1 depending upon who the Pacers use to guard Jayson Tatum. 

Getting Brown going early has been a focus for the C’s all season long. I don’t expect that to stop in Game 1 of their biggest series of the season to date. 

Jrue Holiday First Basket Scorer (+900)

If you’re looking for someone further down the odds board, Jrue Holiday is a terrific value in this market, as he has the third-longest odds to score first.

Despite those odds, Holiday takes the first shot of the game more than any other player outside of Brown this season at 16.7 percent of the time. 

He’s only scored six first baskets this season, but Holiday was red hot in the series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 13.0 points per game while shooting 51.0 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc. 

At +900, he’s certainly worth a shot given how often he attempts the game's first field goal.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.