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 March 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 March 26.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Bucket Props – March 26
Washington Wizars vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast – NBA TV
Once upon a time, the Wizards were one of the very worst teams in the league when it came to scoring the first bucket. The run they’re on right now, though, has me backing them on Wednesday. Not only have they basically drawn even with the 76ers in terms of their first bucket success rate, but they have scored first in six straight contests. And that’s not the only positive indicator in this one. Alexandre Sarr also has a large advantage on the tipoff over Guerschon Yabusele. His 44.6% tip win rate is twice as high as the 76ers’ big man. With tip winners getting 65.6% of all first buckets, it’s time to back the Wizards.
One thing the Wizards do have working against them in this one is a lot of hurt players. We’ll see no Marcus Smart, Kyshawn George or Khris Middleton in this one. That’s a great deal of the outside shots that Washington takes and they are in a great position to score from the outside in this one. The 76ers are one of the five worst teams in the league in terms of giving up points on the deep ball. They gave up 51 the game prior and should be poised to give up plenty here. With all that being said, I’m going to take a roll of the dice on Bub Carrington. He hasn’t been hot from deep, but he has been taking a lot of shots.
First Bucket Bet for March 26: Bub Carrington (+900)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Indiana PAcers
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
Broadcast – ESPN
In the early televised game, it’s a great time to get behind the Lakers. The Lakers have a massive advantage on the jump. They’re winning the first possession at a clip that is 33.4% higher than the Pacers – who just so happen to rank 29th in the NBA in that metric. That number continues to climb for the Lakers with Jaxson Hayes in the circle. The Lakers are also ranked sixth when it comes to scoring the first bucket, while the Pacers come in at 27th. Those are leads that can’t be ignored and you have to expect the trends will continue here.
The Lakers haven’t looked great in their last three games – losing all three of them in ugly fashion. As a result, I feel like we’re likely to see both LeBron James and Luka Doncic look to take the game into their own hands early. LeBron is listed as questionable for Wednesday’s action, and Doncic has been way more active on the early shots. He took one of the first three in their last game and the first one in the game before that. As a result, we’ll use the chalky option here expecting the superstars trying to step up.
First Bucket Bet for March 26: Luka Doncic (+500)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first bucket bets for March 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.
