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 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 FG props for October 31.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First FG Props – October 31
New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Tipoff -7:30 pm EST
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, Ohio
Broadcast – TNT
Kicking off the triple-header on Tuesday is the early game from Cleveland. The tipoff data for this year so far is a dead lock. Both Mitchell Robinson and Evan Mobley are 2-for-3 in getting their team the ball first. Both are also 2-for-3 in getting their team the first bucket. I excuse Robinson’s loss a little more easily than Mobley’s. Robinson dropped it to Kristaps Porzingis, who was great last year and is perfect this year. Mobley, on the other hand, lost his tip to Nic Claxton, who isn’t even jumping for the Nets anymore.
So if we give the slight edge to the Knicks, the person to snag the bucket is simple. In both of the games that the Knicks scored the first field goal, it was RJ Barrett. In the game they didn’t he had his team’s secomd bucket. He’s taking the second most shots on the team (only behind Jalen Brunson) and has the best field goal percentage of anyone taking at least five shots a game on the team.
First FG Bet for October 31: RJ Barrett (+650)
San Antonio Spurs vs. Phoenix Suns
Tipoff – 10:00 pm EST
Footprint Center – Phoenix, Arizona
Broadcast – TNT
Victor Wembanyama is never going to lose a tip. Ever.
Okay, maybe that’s an overreaction, but he’s 3-0 on the season and most of those have not looked close. He’s also 3-0 in getting his team the first field goal of the game. With Yusuf Nurkic at 1-2 for jumps and first buckets, you have to pick a Spurs player here to be the one getting it done.
This may come as a surprise to people, but nobody on the Spurs is taking more shots than Devin Vassell. He’s taking 13.3 shots a game and is shooting 55% from the field. He seems like a logical pick to jack one up early.
First FG Bet for October 31: Devin Vassell (+600)
Orlando Magic vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Tipoff – 10:30 pm EST
crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, California
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
Wendell Carter Jr. has gone 2-0 on the tips (with the late game Monday having not tipped off yet) and the Magic managed to score first in both of those games. Ivan Zubac is 0-3 on the season and they managed to snag just one first bucket. Orlando is just outside of the top 10 in field goal percentage, which makes me feel good about them getting the first field goal after they win this tip.
While I like the bulk of the shots that Franz Wagner is getting early in the season (he leads the team with 14.0 shots per game going into Monday), I like the accuracy better for Markelle Fultz. He’s shooting 52.9% from the field entering Monday’s game.
First FG Bet for October 31: Markelle Fultz (+750)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG bets for October 31, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
