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 April 9. 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 April 9.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First FG Props – April 9
Washington Wizards vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Tipoff – 8:00 pm EST
Target Center – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
These two teams are both towards the bottom of the league in terms of first bucket success rate. The teams are ranked 23rd and 24th in the NBA respectively and are only separated by a 0.6% difference.
However, there is a factor that separates them a bit in this game. The Timberwolves have a massive advantage on the tipoff. They are middle of the pack in terms of the league, but that’s good enough to be 13.2% better than the Wizards. That should give them the first possession – and teams with the first possession score roughly 64.5% of the first buckets this year.
Rudy Gobert has been attacking the bucket early for the Timberwolves. He has taken one of the first shots in each of the last two games. The Wizards aren’t strong in the paint on defense, which should open things up for him to get one here.
First FG Bet for April 9: Rudy Gobert (+425)
Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz
Tipoff – 9:00 pm EST
Delta Center – Salt Lake City, Utah
Broadcast – NBA League Pass
With nearly a full season of data at our backs, the Jazz are officially the easiest team in the league to fade. They have the worst success rate for first bucket scoring at just 33.3%. They are also 26th in tipoff data – winning just 39.7% of all tips. Ivica Zubac has been even worse than that number at 28.8%. It wouldn’t matter who they were playing here. I’d go with the visitor.
As we get late into the season and teams are playing in seemingly meaningless games, I like to lean toward the less common first scorers. However, the majority of this Nuggets’ starting team is banged up. Aaron Gordon, Michael Porter Jr, and Jamal Murray are all questionable. With Nikola Jokic getting the bulk of their first buckets and being the only sure thing for Tuesday, you have to go with him here.
First FG Bet for April 9: Nikola Jokic (+350)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG bets for April 9, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
