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 22. 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 22.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First FG Props – April 22
Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, Ohio
Broadcast – NBA TV
As we saw in game one, the Cavaliers have a clear advantage on the tip here. I had Cleveland way ahead when I expected Wendell Carter Jr., who has a respectable tip average, to start. Now Jonathan Isaac is getting the call and he’s only taken two jumps all year (one of them being game one), and he’s yet to win one. Going up against Jarrett Allen, who has a 75.6% tip win rate, should surely give the Cavaliers the first possession. They are also converting their chances better than the Magic by 7.2% – so let’s ride with them to get the first bucket again.
The Cavaliers’ early game seems to revolve around the outside shot. In the last game, they started with a Max Strus three-ball, which we correctly predicted at +800. Donovan Mitchell then hit another three shortly after. He had 14 of Cleveland’s first buckets on the year, which is good for 30.4%. That’s plenty of reason to back him here.
First FG Bet for April 22: Donovan Mitchell (+450)
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Madison Square Garden – New York, New York
Broadcast – TNT
The Knicks won the tip and scored the first bucket in game one. That seems like an anomaly, with Joel Embiid grabbing the tip 37.6% more than Isaiah Hartenstein. Embiid seems like he won’t go on Monday, which would leave the tip duties to Paul Reed or Bo Bamba. Combined, the two 76ers are 0-3 against the Knicks on the tip this year. Additionally, with Embiid not in the lineup, the 76ers are 0-3 scoring first against the Knicks – so we’ll take a stab at New York here.
Over a third of the Knicks first field goal successes came from one man. They scored first in 38 regular season games, and Jalen Brunson did the honors 13 times. He’s not the odds-on favorite because the books seem to think the first score is coming from Philadelphia. As a result, we’ll take the slightly boosted odds on him here.
First FG Bet for April 22: Jalen Brunson (+500)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first FG bets for April 22, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
