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 21. 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 21.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Bucket Props – April 21
Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Broadcast – TNT
We had the Pistons scoring first in game one – which they did – and we’ll ride that again in this one. They’re betting off at -135 to get on the board first, which seems like easy money in this one. The Pistons have an ever-so slight lead when it comes to winning the tip. They win it, on average, 2.5% of the time more often. Howeber, the big difference comes in the conversions. They Pistons are scoring first at a clip that is 14.1% higher than the Knicks’ year average. With the game one tip and score in their pocket, we’ll ride the momentum in Game 2.
One name I like, as far as individual first point scorers, is Tim Hardaway Jr. He scored a lot of first buckets on the year for the Pistons, tallying eight total over the course of the season. Plus, he got off the first shot in Game 1 of this series. If that’s not enough, he’s got a big number next to his name on Monday, which makes the play on him even more tempting.
First Bucket Bet for April 21: Tim Hardaway Jr. (+800)
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Denver Nuggets
Tipoff – 10:00 pm EST
Ball Arena – Denver, CO
Broadcast – TNT
This is a tough series to call. There is barely anything on the metrics that keep these two separate. The Nuggets hold a 1.9% advantage on the tip and just a 2.0% advantage on the first bucket. Those aren’t enough to pick their side on their own – in fact, I’d expect these two to split the first scores over the course of this series. With the Clippers winning the tip and the first bucket in Game 1, we’ll go with the Nuggets to even things up in this one at -130.
This seems like a clear spot to also play an individual player in Jamal Murray. He was all over the first buckets this year, posting 13 of them in just 67 starts. That means he scored first in 19.4% of the games that he played in. Not only that, but the Nuggets scored first against the Clippers in two games this year. Both of those buckets belong to Jamal Murray.
First Bucket Bet for April 21: Jamal Murray (+500)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first bucket bets for April 21, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
