Best NBA First Basket Scorer Picks for Wednesday, March 13 (Target Kyrie Irving, Miles Bridges)
By Peter Dewey
Looking to bet on the First Basket Scorer market on Wednesday night?
With a loaded NBA slate, there are plenty of players to consider wagering on, and I've broken down my favorite picks using several key stats to target players that may be undervalued in the odds.
These picks are tough to hit, but they can quite lucrative when a bettor predicts them correctly. Let's dive into Wednesday's plays:
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NBA First Basket Scorer Picks and Predictions
- Nikola Jovic First Basket Scorer (+1100)
- Miles Bridges First Basket Scorer (+600)
- Kyrie Irving First Basket Scorer (+500)
Nikola Jovic First Basket Scorer (+1100)
This is a longshot play based on the odds, but it’s one that I love for the Miami Heat-Denver Nuggets matchup on Wednesday night.
Nikola Jovic – that’s right not the MVP candidate Nikola Jokic – has scored four first baskets for Miami this season in limited starts, and he’s set at crazy odds to do that tonight.
Of all the Heat players in the starting lineup – assuming Erik Spoelstra keeps the same lineup – Jovic takes the first shot the second most on the team, attempting it 23.3 percent of the time.
If Bam Adebayo – who ranks first in this stat – wins the jump ball and doesn’t shoot first, Jovic could be the option for Miami. With other teams keying in on Jimmy Butler and Bam, it leaves Jovic as a player who could find himself with a great look to open the game. At +1100 he’s worth a shot given his volume of first shots this season.
Miles Bridges First Basket Scorer (+600)
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges is out there to score, and he’s taking on a Memphis Grizzlies team that may not have Jaredn Jackson Jr., who sat out the team’s win over Washington on Tuesday night.
That would hurt Memphis’ chances of winning the jump ball, a great sign for a Charlotte player to score first.
Bridges has just five first baskets on the season, but he’s attempted the first shot of the game 20.4 percent of the time. Even in a nine-game slate, that’s the fifth most of any player in action on Wednesday.
I think Bridges is worth a shot considering how banged up the Grizzlies are this season.
Kyrie Irving First Basket Scorer (+500)
The Dallas Mavericks win the jump ball just over 44 percent of the time this season, but they’re taking on a Golden State team that wins it just 37.5 percent of the time on Wednesday.
With Stephen Curry out for Golden State, I wouldn't be shocked to see Dallas get on the board first, and Irving is the most likely player to do so – based on the numbers.
Kyrie has nine first baskets on the season – first on the team – and he’s taken the first shot a team-high 18.6 percent of the time.
Despite that, he has worse odds than Luka Doncic (+475) to record the first bucket tonight. Doncic has taken the first shot just 14 percent of the time this season.
Don’t be shocked if Kyrie gets things going on Wednesday.
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.