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 January 3. 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 January 3.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First FG Props – January 3
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns
Tipoff – 9:00 pm EST
Footprint Center – Phoenix, Arizona
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
The tip data shows a clear advantage for the Suns on Wednesday. They currently rank first in the league in tip percentage, thanks to Jusuf Nurkic getting two-thirds of his jumps. While the Suns don’t have a great first bucket percentage, considering all their tip wins – just 51.5% – it’s far better than the Clippers. The Clippers rank 29th in the league in getting the first field goal at 31.3%. Let’s lean to a Suns player as a result.
With Kevin Durant out, a lot of the early action went to Nurkic himself and Bradley Beal. However, when you take a look at the first buckets that the Clippers are conceding as of late, it’s all on the outside shot. While Nurkic could always pull up from outside, I like Beal’s chance to get on the board first.
First FG Bet for January 3: Bradley Beal (+500)
Detroit Pistons vs. Utah Jazz
Tipoff – 9:00 pm EST
Delta Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
I mentioned that the Clippers were 29th in the league in getting the first bucket to fall. The only team worse than them is the Utah Jazz. At just 26.5%, the Jazz start three of every four games down a hoop. That doesn’t bode well against the Pistons, who are fourth in the league with a 60.6% average. That number is also climbing with Jalen Duren back on the tip. He’s getting 70.6% of the jumps he’s taken this year.
Kevin Knox II sort of surprised everyone with a first bucket last game. He sprinted down the lane on a nice feed from Bojan Bogdanovic and sunk a floater. While he got things started on Monday, I don’t expect the same on Wednesday. In fact, I like the man grabbing that assist last time out. Bogdanovic actually took the next two shots. He also had the first shot in the prior game as well.
First FG Bet for January 3: Bojan Bogdanovic (+650)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG bets for January 3, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.