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 23. 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 23.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First FG Props – January 23
New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Barclays Center – Brooklyn, New York
Broadcast – TNT
The Knicks haven’t been great on the tip so far this year – particularly not after Mitchell Robinson went down hurt. Isaiah Hartenstrein is tipping under 20%, but could even miss this game with a foot injury. Regardless as to whether he’s on the tip, the Knicks have still been great at securing that first bucket. They are sixth in the league despite their tip troubles.
While the numbers on the Knicks are already good enough to lean to them, the numbers on the Nets help ease us further in that direction. They are currently ranked 24th in the league in first field goals (nearly a whole 13% behind the Knicks). Their tips are slightly better, but it shouldn’t be enough to matter.
On the year, the Knicks have 24 first buckets. 10 of those belong to Jalen Brunson – which is good for 41.7%. While there are some names that are intriguing contrarian options for Tuesday, riding with the favorite makes the most sense here.
First FG Bet for January 23: Jalen Brunson (+330)
Utah Jazz vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Tipoff – 8:00 pm EST
Smoothie King Center – New Orleans, Louisiana
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
The Jazz continue to be the very worst in the league when it comes to the first buckets. They’re still the only team under a 30% success rate at just 29.6%. Their jumpballs aren’t helping either, where they’re ranked 28th in the league. The Pelicans are right around league average in both statistics. In fact, they rank 14th in jumpballs and 15th in first buckets. While that isn’t something you want to tail every night, it’s good enough to handle the Jazz.
The last four first buckets that the Jazz have given up have been to guards. That fits perfect with what the Pelicans have been scoring with anyways. Four of their last nine first field goals have been by CJ McCollum. That trend should continue again on Tuesday.
First FG Bet for January 23: CJ McCollum (+700)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG bets for January 23, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
