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 18. 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 18.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – November 18
Orlando Magic vs. Phoenix Suns
Tipoff – 9:00 pm EST
Footprint Center – Phoenix, AZ
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Magic have been one of the worst teams on the tip and are seemingly still on a downward trajectory. They were already one of the worst teams in the league, and then Goga Bitadze took over tipoff duties. He’s gone 2-of-7 since doing so and has dropped them into being one of the very worst teams in the league. They are also converting just 38.5% of first scores.
The Suns are on the other end of the spectrum. Jusuf Nurkic is 11-for-13 on the tip this year and has Phoenix ranked number two in the NBA. They are also converting at a way better rate – 8-of-14 on the year (57.1%). With the lead in both categories, you have to go with the home team for a play here.
There are some notable stars that are easy to cherry pick on this Suns roster, but most of them are banged up. Neither Devin Booker nor Kevin Durant will be in the lineup on Monday, which opens the door for a down ballot play. I like Virginia-rookie Ryan Dunn quite a bit in this spot. He’s taken one of Phoenix’s first three shots in each of their last five games. Additionally, he has a first bucket in that span – and I like him to add another here.
First Scorer Bet for November 18: Ryan Dunn (+1300)
Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons
Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
Broadcast – NBA TV
Nobody in the league is worse on the jump than Nikola Vucevic. He’s one just one tipoff this year, which comes out to a 7.7% rate on the year. That’s a big reason why the Bulls are so low in the league in terms of first buckets. They’ve converted just 3-of-13 so far this year, which puts them in 29th place. The Pistons, meanwhile, are a top five team in that same category. They are getting 67.7% of the first scores for their team and getting better than league average on the tips. It would be impossible to make a play here and have it not be someone on Detroit.
The Pistons are pretty good at spreading the ball around early, which can make a pick here tricky. However, if you look at what kind of guy is scoring first against the Bulls, they have a type. It’s usually bigger guys who can stretch the floor a little bit and either hit on the elbow or beyond. Tobias Harris first that bill and landed big for us a couple weeks ago. We’ll hope he can exploit that weakness in the Bulls and get us another here.
First Scorer Bet for November 18: Tobias Harris (+850)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for November 18, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
