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 FG props. And we’ve decided to pass that knowledge on to you with our first FG 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 FG props for December 17.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
Go here for daily free NBA picks!
NBA First FG Props – December 17
Orlando Magic vs. Boston Celtics
Tipoff – 3:00 pm EST
TD Garden – Boston, Massachusetts
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
The Celtics continue to be one of the best teams in the league in getting the first bucket. They’re grabbing it at 75% on the season. That fact can largely be attributed to the solid tip work of Kristaps Porzingis, who has won 77.8% of all tips. He’ll face Goga Bitadze for the tip on Sunday, who has won just two of his 19 attempts at a jump ball. As a result, this should be an easy win for the Celtics.
In their last game, which happened to be against the Magic, Jayson Tatum took two of the first three shots. He easily led the team in field goal attempts with 22. We’ll take a stab that he gets the first one to fall this time to get us started right.
First FG Bet for December 17: Jayson Tatum (+500)
Washington Wizards vs. Phoenix Suns
Tipoff – 8:00 pm EST
Footprint Center – Phoenix, Arizona
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
The Suns have a sizeable advantage when it comes to the early game stats in this one. They’ve won 60% of the tipoffs. The Wizards, on the other hand, are one of two teams left with a tip rate under 30% – the Magic being the other. The number on the first bucket is quite a bit closer, but with the tip winner getting 67.7% of the first buckets on the year, you have to lean to the Suns
Bradley Beal is one of the ones I love on the Suns due to the fact that he loves to shoot and his number is usually a little higher than the other big guys on this squad. However, with him out for the day, I like another unsung hero here. Jusuf Nurkic has been getting the putbacks and the post attempts for the Suns. Let’s take a stab that Phoenix starts there on Sunday.
First FG Bet for December 17: Jusuf Nurkic (+500)
Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trailblazers
Tipoff – 9:00 pm EST
Moda Center – Portland, Oregon
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
The numbers are really close for all the early game stats on these teams. The Warriors hold a slight edge in both tip percentage and first bucket rate. They have about a 2% lead on tips and a 6% lead on first buckets. If that’s not enough to get you to lean this way, consider how good they’ve been as of late. They have won four of five tipoffs and are on a two game first bucket streak.
The Warriors are really free flowing at the beginning of the game. They don’t quite care who gets the ball in their hands, as is evident by having just one guy repeat on the first bucket in their last five games. That guy just happens to be on an extended hiatus from the team, and as a contrarian play, I’m digging his replacement. Give me the rookie Brandin Podziemski, who took one of the first three shots last game.
First FG Bet for December 17: Brandin Podziemski (+1200)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG 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.
