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 December 17. 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 December 17.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – December 17
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tipoff – 8:30 pm EST
T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV
Broadcast – ABC
The Bucks hold all the major metrics that lead us to picks on the first bucket. They have done far better on the tip than the Thunder on the year – particularly since Chet Holmgren has been out. They currently have won 16.0% more tips than the Thunder and Brook Lopez’s yearly numbers look much better than Isaiah Hartenstein. On top of that, the Bucks are also better at converting those chances. They rank 2nd in the league with a 68.0% first bucket success rate – which outpaces the Thunder by 24.0%.
On the year, four different people on the roster who have scored a first bucket. Three of those players have exactly five first buckets – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez and Damian Lillard. While any of those make sense here, I’m down with Dame Time here. There are two major reasons why. The first is that Lillard has taken one of the first three shots in each of the last three games. The other is that four of the last five first buckets that the Thunder have conceded have been to outside shooters.
First Scorer Bet for December 17: Damian Lillard (+450)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for December 17, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
