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 March 8. 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 March 8.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First FG Props – March 8
Atlanta Hawks vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Tipoff – 8:00 pm EST
FedExForum – Memphis, Tennessee
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
The wild thing about this game is that the two teams are sporting nearly identical first bucket percentages. The Grizzlies have a slight lead at 54.0% to 53.2% for the Hawks. That might not be enough to lean to Memphis, but there are a few other factors that I like to aid their case.
One of those factors is the league-wide home-road first score split. That number stayed steady at roughly 51.0% for most of the early part of the year. However, over the last two months it has risen to 52.1%. With this many games already in the bank, that means there is a strong recent trend.
Anther reason I like Memphis here is the jump numbers. The tip winner is currently getting 64.6% of all first buckets. The Grizzlies are winning 23.1% more tipoffs than the Hawks are. Jaren Jackson Jr. is a big piece of that and he’s healthy and ready to go Friday.
Speaking of Jaren Jackson Jr, he’s a solid chalk play for Friday. He has 13 first buckets on the year, which leads the NBA. He’s been one of their first three shots nearly every single night. Let’s get a high percentage play right off the bat.
First FG Bet for March 8: Jaren Jackson Jr. (+400)
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Tipoff – 10:00 pm EST
crypto.com Arena – Los Angeles, California
Broadcast – ESPN
The numbers on this one are flipped from the first breakdown. The tip numbers are absolutely identical for Brook Lopez and Anthony Davis. Each man has gone 34-for-62 on the year (54.8%). With no head-to-head data, we’re going to look to the success rate.
The first score rate for the Bucks is much better than the Lakers. In fact, the Bucks are getting more first scores than they are tip wins. They’re fifth in the NBA in first buckets at 58.7%. That number is 9.5% higher than the Lakers who sit down at 14th in the league.
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the obvious names that come to mind, but there’s another familiar face in the early part of the play-by-play sheets for the Bucks. Malik Beasley has been active early for the squad and has seven first scores on the year.
First FG Bet for March 8: Malik Beasley (+1100)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG bets for March 8, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
