Best NBA First Basket Scorer Picks for Friday, March 1 (Target Max Strus. Mike Conley)
By Peter Dewey
As the NBA season turns over in to a new month -- the second to last one in the regular season -- I'm going back to some First Basket Scorer Picks after hitting two of the three picks I gave out on Wednesday night!
Both Max Strus and Jaren Jackson Jr. came through for us on Wednesday, but who should we target tonight?
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 start a game with. Let's dive into the picks on Friday night:
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NBA First Basket Scorer Picks and Predictions
- Max Strus First Basket Scorer (+900)
- Jaylen Brown First Basket Scorer (+500)
- Mike Conley First Basket Scorer (+950)
Max Strus First Basket Scorer (+900)
We hit on a Max Strus first basket scorer on Wednesday, so why not go back to the well tonight?
Out of all the Cavs’ starters, it’s Strus who attempts the first shot the most (20.7 percent of the time) including in the team’s last two games. With Strus on a heater off his game-winner on Tuesday, don’t be shocked if the Cavs get him the ball early.
Plus, Donovan Mitchell – who leads the team in first baskets this season – is questionable for this game. If he doesn’t play, that’s a major bump for Strus in this market. Cleveland is also elite at winning the tip, doing so in 74.1 percent of games this season.
Strus takes the first shot in games more than any player on Friday night, so feel comfortable backing him at this insane price.
Jaylen Brown First Basket Scorer (+500)
Out of all the players in action on Friday, Jaylen Brown has made the most first baskets this season (12) and is shooting the first shot in the game for the Boston Celtics 19.2 percent of the time – only behind Strus for the highest first shot percentage among players on Friday.
JB and the Celtics win the tip at a 69.0 percent rate this season, and they’re taking on a Dallas team that wins the tip less than 50 percent of the time. I love Brown to get on the board first tonight.
Mike Conley First Basket Scorer (+950)
This is a bit of a longshot, but I love the Minnesota Timberwolves to win the tip tonight – and that brings us to Mike Conley or Karl-Anthony Towns as a best bet to score first.
The Wolves are facing the Sacramento Kings, who win the jump ball in less than 30 percent of their games this season. So, we’re looking at a likely Wolves first possession.
Here’s the breakdown in first-shot percentage of the Wolves’ starters this season:
- Towns: 12.3 percent
- Conley: 11.1 percent
- Anthony Edwards: 7.1 percent
- Rudy Gobert: 5.3 percent
- Jaden McDaniels: 8.2 percent
Despite this, Conley has the longest odds of any Timberwolves player to score first tonight. The veteran point guard has six first baskets on the season – behind only Towns – and I think he’s extremely undervalued at this price against the Kings.
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.