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 March 20. 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 March 20.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – March 20
New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Hornets
Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC
Broadcast – NBA TV
In Thursday’s early NBA game, I like the Hornets to score first at -135. Despite scoring first at roughly the same rate (Charlotte has a small 2.9% advantage), they are getting the first possession far more often. The Hornets are well above average in that metric, winning 58.8% of the tips. Meanwhile, the Knicks are only winning 45.6% of their jump balls. With that being the case, and tip winners currently scoring roughly 66.0% of the first buckets, you have to like the Hornets in this spot.
If we’re getting greedy on this one and looking for a specific player, I like Miles Bridges. He’s nearing double digit first buckets on the season for the Hornets and seems to be the go-to guy for the occasion. Additionally, he’s been active in the early game recently. He has taken two of their last three first shots of the game. Additionally, he had one of the first three in the game that he didn’t shoot first. All of that, plus he’s still not the odds-on favorite for this game.
First Scorer Bet for March 20: Miles Bridges (+500)
Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors
Tipoff – 10:00 pm EST
Chase Center – San Francisco, CA
Broadcast – NBA TV
In the nightcap, we’ll go with the Raptors to score first at a very enticeing -105. The Raptors have been a good team all year when it comes to scoring first. They have a 58.0% success rate when it comes to that, which puts them 5th in the NBA. They’ve managed to do so while posting a 42.0% average on tip wins, and without having an advantage over very many teams in that department. Luckily for them, they’ll have the advantage on the tip in this one. The Warriors have been bad in that category (just 36.2%). Having that tip advantage should make it even easier for the Raptors to continue their early bucket success.
If we’re going with a specific player in this one too, how about Jamison Battle? He, like Bridges, has taken his team’s first shot in two of the last three games. He took the fourth shot in the game in which he didn’t shoot first, which shows he’s getting in that shot log early every game. Plus, being that he’s not the big household name, you’re going to get some great value on his line here.
First Scorer Bet for March 20: Jamison Battle (+700)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for March 20, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
