Best NBA First Basket Scorer Picks for Wednesday, Feb. 28 (Target Anthony Davis, Cavs Sharpshooter)

Betting on the first basket scorer in an NBA game can be extremely tough to do, but it's also one of the most exciting bets to get bettors engaged as soon as the game starts.

Rather than waiting till the end of the game to know if your bet will cash, you'll know within a few possessions if you picked correctly.

These picks are hard to get right, but, if you're right, you can usually cash in on some pretty favorable odds.

Here are the players that I'm targeting to score first on Wednesday night:

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NBA First Basket Scorer Picks and Predictions

• Max Strus First Basket Scorer (+850)
• Jaren Jackson Jr. First Basket Scorer (+450)
• Anthony Davis First Basket Scorer (+400)

Max Strus First Basket Scorer (+850)

Cleveland Cavaliers sharpshooter Max Strus put together an insane fourth quarter, including a game-winner from beyond half court for the team to steal a win on Tuesday night. 

Could he stay hot on Wednesday? 

Strus is worth a shot for the Cavs, as the first basket scorer against a Toronto Raptors team that wins the jump ball less than 50 percent of the time this season. Meanwhile, the Cavs win the jump in 73.7 percent of their games, and after they did on Tuesday, guess who got the first shot?

That’s right, Max Strus. 

Of all of Cleveland’s starters, it’s Strus who takes the first shot most often (19.3 percent), and he has the third-highest first shot percentage amongst the 12 teams in action tonight. 

Strus only has made the first bucket six times this season, but he’s worth a shot at this price on Wednesday. 

Jaren Jackson Jr. First Basket Scorer (+450)

A staple in our first basket picks, Jaren Jackson Jr. is back with another favorable matchup, as he’s third in the odds against the Minnesota Timberwolves to be the first basket scorer. 

Do I love him going up against Rudy Gobert and the NBA’s No. 1 defense? No. But, it’s so hard to bet against Jackson in this prop given how many times he attempts the first shot for the Grizzlies. 

On the season, Jackson is taking Memphis’ first shot 30.8 percent of the time, by far the highest percentage of any player on the slate tonight. He’s also made more first buckets (13) than any other player in action on Wednesday.

Plus, Jackson is winning the jump ball in 67.2 percent of games this season, while the Wolves are under 50 percent. If Memphis gets the ball first, Jackson is a must bet at these odds.   

Anthony Davis First Basket Scorer (+400)

After missing practice on Tuesday, Anthony Davis is listed as probable for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. 

I love AD to get on the board early in this one, as the Clippers are winning just 28.6 percent of their jump balls this season. Yikes. 

AD and the Lakers should get the ball first ,and Davis has taken the first shot 18.2 percent of the time for the Lakers, by far the highest mark on the team. That has led to him scoring the first basket eight times.

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.