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 26. 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 26.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Bucket Props – April 26
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat
Tipoff – 1:00 pm EST
Kaseya Center – Miami, FL
Broadcast – TNT
To nobody’s surprise the Cavaliers lead this series 2-0 going to Miami. To no surprise of followers of this column, they have also won both the tipoffs in this series. They were the best team at winning the tip this year at 79.5% and also led the league in scoring the first bucket. They have double digit leads of the Heat in both of those metrics, but with the volatility on the first bucket, the Heat have stole one first score. The leads are too clear to go with anybody but Cleveland in this one. Even at -180, I still am taking them to get the first bucket.
There are likely better values when looking to individual players in this one. Only two players have taken on of the first three shots in both games in this series. The first is Max Strus, who got the first score in game one. The other is Jarrett Allen, who took the first shot of the game in game two – but ultimately missed the layup. I like his volume and I like his number even better.
First Bucket Bet for April 26: Jarrett Allen (+800)
Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors
Tipoff – 8:30 pm EST
Chase Center – Sacramento, CA
Broadcast – ABC
The Rockets have been one of the more fruitful first bucket teams for us in the postseason. The only thing holding them back from being one of the very best first bucket teams in the regular season was losing the tip consistently. Now they’re up against a team that is actually a touch worse than them when it comes to jumpballs. Not only that, the Warriors are also one of the five worst teams in the league when it comes to scoring first. The Rockets have scored first in both games and yet we can get them again here at -110.
We’re sticking with the Rockets to score first and we’re going to stick with Amen Thompson as well. We played him in game two to score first at +800 and he cashed for us. In fact, he’s scored first in both games of this series already. While some might think that’s a fluke, he’s taken the two of the first three shots in each game and is doing a great job of getting himself to the line as well. Three games in a row might seem crazy, but he just keeps getting the rock early.
First Bucket Bet for April 26: Amen Thompson (+700)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first bucket bets for April 26, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
