Some people like to sweat out a bet for 48 hard minutes – others like immediate satisfaction. Count us as being in the latter, which is why we like to get down with NBA first scorer props. And we’ve decided to pass that knowledge on to you with our first scorer bets for December 15. Go here for NBA Championship odds.
Of course, there are plenty out there taking blind guesses at this stuff. It’s easy to pick the most popular player or look at what happened in the last game. However, we spent the time pouring through the analytics to make sure that we give you the best odds to stay in the green on these first scorer props for December 15.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – December 15
Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards
Tipoff – 6:00 pm EST
Capital One Arena – Washington, DC
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Celtics haven’t been particularly good on the tip this year, but they should still have some advantages in this one. While Kristaps Porzingis’ first six tips haven’t looked great, his season long average is hanging right around that of Alex Sarr. Not only that, but the Celtics are far better at finishing those possessions. The Wizards are currently 28th in the NBA in first buckets despite being just a touch under league average on the tips. The Celtics, meanwhile, are middle of the pack and that should be good enough to get the job done.
The Celtics obviously have some big name superstars, but it’s the newer name in the lineup that I like here. Derrick White has been getting the lion’s share of the early work as of late. He is the only member of the Celtics that appears in the shot log of the first three shots in each of the last three games. To make matters even better, he’s had the first shot in the last two. While he hasn’t gotten that conversion yet, the bulk and these odds make it tempting to say that he will.
First Scorer Bet for December 15: Derrick White (+950)
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Phoenix Suns
Tipoff – 8:00 pm EST
Footprint Center – Phoenix, AZ
Broadcast – NBA TV
Much like the Wizards and their awful conversion rate, the Blazers are terrible at scoring the first bucket. They are actually one of the two teams that rank worse than Washington (the Bulls are the other one). They lag behind the Suns in that metric by 26.2%. The tip off has a similar difference. Phoenix leads in that category by 18.7%. With those two leads in hand, you have to ride with Phoenix in this one.
Much like the Celtics, they have some names that you come to associate with their scoring. Although Durant and Booker are the name brands here, Royce O’Neale has been all of the early shots for them. He has two of the last three first shots on their log. Additionally, he’s always getting those early looks as the defense gets drawn to those other two. We’ll see if lightning can strike again with him and get us a nice payout.
First Scorer Bet for December 15: Royce O’Neale (+650)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for December 15, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
