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 23. 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 23.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Bucket Props – April 23
Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH
Broadcast – NBA TV
Game 1 gave us a great glimpse at what to expect from the first bucket action on the year. The Heat have been great on the tip this year, ranking in the top five in terms of win percentage. However, they rank all the way down at 19th in terms of finishing the first bucket. Now they’re in a series where they do not even have an advantage in terms of the tip. The Cavaliers have a 16.7% lead on tips wins and they rank first in that category as well as in first bucket success. After seeing them easily win the tip in Game 1 and scoring right away, you have to double down for Game 2 at -170.
It was Max Strus who got on the board first in Game 1, but it was Donovan Mitchell who controlled most of the early scoring. He took two of their first four shots in that game and was one of the more prolific first bucket scorers this season. He tallied 13 first buckets over the course of the 2024-25 season. That includes one against the Heat.
First Bucket Bet for April 23: Donovan Mitchell (+400)
Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets
Tipoff – 9:30 pm EST
Toyota Center – Houston, TX
Broadcast – TNT
This series was another that saw the stats play out like we expected it to. The Rockets have been pretty bad on the tip and that’s really all that’s stopped them from being one of the best first bucket scoring teams in the league. They rank 8th in the NBA in first buckets despite having just a 43.0% tip win percentage. Luckily for them, they actually have a tip advantage of 2.0% in this one. Plus, they have 13.4% lead in terms of first buckets. They won the tip and scored first in game one. With that fact and the stats on our side, we’ll look to make it two straight for the Rockets at -120.
I don’t usually look to go back-to-back on first bucket guys, but I loved the volume I saw out of Amen Thompson in the last game. He took both of the first two shots for the Rockets and seemed to have a little mismatch when he got the ball. Again, it’s not common for someone to get two in a row, but with his odds as high as they are, it’s worth a roll of the dice.
First Bucket Bet for April 23: Amen Thompson (+800)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first bucket bets for April 23, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
