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 bucket props. And we’ve decided to pass that knowledge on to you with our first bucket bets for April 2. 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 bucket props for April 2.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Bucket Props – April 2
Charlotte Hornets vs. Indiana Pacers
Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Hornets are slowly becoming a team, even down the ugly tanking stretch, that you want to tail when going into first bucket bets. They are one of the very best teams in the league in getting the first possession. Not only do they have a 60.0% tip win rate, but Mark Williams is coming up nearly a dozen percentage points higher. They’re also a top ten team when it comes to finishing the first scores. On the other side, we have the Pacers, who are one of the very worst on the tip (28th in the NBA) and are in the bottom third of the league in scoring first as well.
If we’re backing an individual player on the Hornets, let’s go with Miles Bridges. The Hornets guard has been one of their most active players on the first bucket all year long. Additionally, we’re up against a Pacers team that has some big bodies in the middle in Thomas Bryant and Myles Turner. As a result, I like the shot from the outside to get it done here.
First Bucket Bet for April 2: Miles Bridges (+550)
San Antonio Spurs vs. Denver Nuggets
Tipoff – 9:00 pm EST
Ball Arena – Denver, CO
Broadcast – NBA TV
We’re going to go ahead and do something counterintuitive in this one and take the team that has not scored first more times. The Nuggets have a slight 4.0% advantage on the Spurs in that category, but I’m backing the Spurs to get on the board first. That’s because of the wide advantage they have on the tip this year. They are winning 71.6% of all tips, and that number is trending upwards thanks to Bismack Biyombo. That gives they a 24.3% lead over the Nuggets in terms of getting the first possession. With tip winners scoring first 65.8% of the time this year, I think they get the first bucket here.
One of the longshot names I like on the board for an individual player today is Harrison Barnes. The Spurs have been featuring him early in the game over the last three. He’s taken one of their first three shots in two of those three games and one of those was the first shot of the game. With his number trending towards four figures, you have to give him a solid look for Wednesday’s action.
First Bucket Bet for April 2: Harrison Barnes (+900)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first bucket bets for April 2, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
