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 February 26. 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 February 26.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First FG Props – February 26
Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers
Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, Indiana
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Pacers are going to be wrapping up back-to-back games at home on Monday when the Raptors come into town. On Sunday they faced the Mavericks who are third in the league in first buckets and they allowed Luka Doncic to score first despite winning the tip. That’s not new for the Pacers, who are winning 45.8% of their tips, but only converting at a 44.1% clip. If things couldn’t get any worse, the Raptors are the number one team when it comes to conversions.
There’s more reasons to like the Raptors here too. They’re barely winning half of their tips (50.9% this year). Despite all of that they do rank number one in first field goals. So when they have a tip advantage, they are way more likely to come away with the first score. With over a 5% advantage on that side, you have to side with a Raptors player.
There is only one player that has shown up in the first three shots in each of the last three games for the Raptors. That player is Immanuel Quickley. He actually took two of their first three in the last game. On top of that, when the Raptors played the Pacers just before the break, it was Quickley who got the first score.
First FG Bet for February 26: Immanuel Quickley (TBD)
Miami Heat vs. Sacramento Kings
Tipoff – 10:00 pm EST
Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, California
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Heat are another top five team when it comes to first bucket conversions that I like to tail. They currently sit in 4th place overall when it comes to scoring first. They also come in as a respectible 6th when it comes to the tip. Those should keep them well ahead of the Kings. The Kings are 29th in the league on the jump and are 15th when it comes to conversions. The Heat should be well in the lead here.
The Heat have had a slew of different guys score first and there is no real trend on the early shots. However, there is a trend in the way the Kings concede the hoops. Their last five given up (going into Sunday) were to shooting guards or small forwards who shoot plenty from the outside. This goes all the way back to their game with the Heat, where Jimmy Butler pulled up and snagged the first one. I like him to do that again here.
First FG Bet for February 26: Jimmy Butler (TBD)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG bets for February 26, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
