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 14.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First FG Props – March 14
Phoenix Suns vs. Boston Celtics
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
TD Garden – Boston, Massachusetts
Broadcast – TNT
The Suns are the only team in the NBA with a better tip average than the Celtics. They are neck-and-neck with their averages at 72.3% and 70.8% respectively. However, if Kristaps Porzingis is back in the lineup for Thursday – although it doesn’t look like he will be – he’s grabbing the tip at a 76.1%. That gives the advantage back to the Celtics.
The advantage goes even further to the Celtics when we look at conversion rates. The Suns, despite being number one in tips, is middle of the pack in terms of converting first buckets. The Celtics, meanwhile, are still 2nd in the league in terms of first field goals. The Celtics are converting at a rate 13.1% higher than the Suns.
The Celtics have got a lot of different faces showing up early in the game. On Tuesday Luke Kornet, who likely won’t be in the lineup, scored first. Before that we got a first bucket from Payton Pritchard. I think they return to some normalcy and get a first field goal from Jayson Tatum here. He’s second on the team in first field goals and with Jaylen Brown out, I expect him to step up.
First FG Bet for March 14: Jayson Tatum (TBD)
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Chicago Bulls
Tipoff – 8:00 pm EST
United Center – Chicago, Illinois
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
There aren’t many teams in the league that the Bulls hold early game stat advantages over, but the Clippers are one of them. Despite ranking 22nd in first buckets, they have a 6.4% lead in their conversion rate over the Clippers. The Bulls are even worse on the jumpball (26th in the NBA), but have a 6.7% advantage over the Clippers there. If that’s not enough, they also won the tip and got the first bucket when they met last week.
The Bulls like to let their outside guys fire away early in the game. Last time these two played, it was Alex Caruso who connected on one. This time I’m going to ride with Ayo Dosunmu who is getting plenty of early looks. He even got an early look in the game Caruso scored first in.
First FG Bet for March 14: Ayo Dosunmu (TBD)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG bets for March 14, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
