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 scorer props. And we’ve decided to pass that knowledge on to you with our first scorer bets for November 2. 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 scorer props for November 2.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – November 2
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast – NBA TV
The tip data points us in a clear direction for this one – you have to go with someone on Memphis. Memphis has just been too good in the early game action this year. They already had one of the best tip guys in the league last year in Jaren Jackson, and they replaced him with what appears to be a better one – Zach Edey. He’s won two-thirds of his tips and they’re converting the majority of them into early buckets. The 76ers, meanwhile, are one of two teams in the league that haven’t scored a first bucket. Joel Embiid not being out there is a large reason why and he won’t be there again on Saturday.
If we’re looking for a first bucket scorer from the Grizzlies, look no further than the aforementioned Jaren Jackson Jr. He scored a ton of them last year – 14 to be precise – and now seems to be getting even better early looks thanks to the addition of Zach Edey. In each of their last four games, he’s taken either their first shot or their second shot. With the middle cleared out for the 76ers and the Grizzlies a touch banged up themselves, I expect him to get to the hoop early.
First Scorer Bet for November 2: Jaren Jackson Jr. (+550)
Sacramento Kings vs. Toronto Raptors
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON
Broadcast – NBA TV
We faded the Kings scoring first last night and were right on. While one extra pass wound up costing us the correct player, it was good to see the Kings coming back down to Earth in the first bucket. While they had previously scored every first score on the year, it didn’t seem sustainable with just how bad Domantas Sabonis is on the tip. He’s 2-of-5 this year, which is starting to creep down towards his 28.6% average last year.
Speaking of regressing to the mean, I’ve been expecting an uptick lately from the Raptors. Jakob Poeltl was an above average tip guy last year and is just 2-of-6 this year. That’s really limited their chances to score the first bucket. With someone across from him who is pretty easy to beat, I like the Raptors to be the first one on the board.
Since Scottie Barnes went down injured, it’s really just been one guy in the early game for the Raptors. RJ Barrett is taking such a high percentage of their early shots, it’s hard to even come up with a contrarian play on it. If you’re trying to get wild, maybe Poeltl gets a look. However, with Sabonis in the middle on Poeltl, I’m going with the chalk here to get that first score.
First Scorer Bet for November 2: RJ Barrett (+550)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for November 2, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
