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 17.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First FG Props – January 17
Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
The Knicks continue their run as one of the best five teams in the league when it comes to getting the first field goal. However, while that may be true, they are on an awful run on beginning of game stats. Since Mitchell Robinson went down hurt, Isaiah Hartensteing has been taking the jumps and has won just 2 of the 14 he’s taken. They have lost the last four tips and the last three first buckets.
The Rockets haven’t been great in these areas either, but Alperen Sengun is still getting 43.2% of the tips. Additionally, the team is even a little better when it comes to the first bucket – which is a testament to their defense and shot selection.
If you’re going with the Rockets, Alperen Sengun has nearly half of their first buckets on the year. However, he hasn’t had a ton of the early attempts as of late. The person who’s name is showing up the most in the early part of the game log is Jalen Green. The odds on him are also a little nicer to look at, which sets me on him here.
First FG Bet for January 17: Jalen Green (+700)
Charlotte Hornets vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Tipoff – 8:00 pm EST
Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, Louisiana
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
The Hornets are one of the very worst teams in the league when it comes to scoring first. They have the first bucket just 37.8% of the time, which is good for 28th in the league. The Pelicans are above average in both first bucket and tipoff percentage (51.2% in each). Jonas Valanciunas has taken all of those, so there should be no issue with him grabbing one here.
The clear cut play here is CJ McCollum. In the last eight successes the Pelicans have had, he’s had half of them. On top of that, he has had the team’s first shot in another two of those games, as well as two games where the Pelicans didn’t score first at all. The contrarian play is fun sometimes, but there’s no reason to go against the data here.
First FG Bet for January 17: CJ McCollum (+650)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG bets for January 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.
