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 25. 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 25.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – November 25
Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets
Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Spectrum Center – Charlotte, NC
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Hornets don’t have the best tip percentage in the league – in fact, they are far below average. Their rotating tour of big men on the tip has led them to win just 37.5% and rank 23rd in the league in that metric. Despite those rough looking numbers, the Hornets are still solid on the first bucket. They’ve score first in half of games this season, which predictably puts them at 15th in the league.
That differential is already something to like, but then they have the gift of a tipoff against Goga Bitadze, who is one of the worst in the league. He’s won just 27.3% of his tips, which is up a bit from his 18.7% last season. Given that they’re good at scoring first even when they don’t get the tip, and they should get this one, we’ll go with someone from Charlotte here.
Grant Williams had been getting a lot of looks early for the Hornets, but then he ended his season with a torn ACL. In the first game without him, the Hornets offensively relied heavily on LeMelo Ball. In fact, no other player on the Hornets took a shot in the first two minutes other than him. While he might not be used that exclusively again, that’s enough for me to like his spot here.
First Scorer Bet for November 25: LeMelo Ball (+425)
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Boston Celtics
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
TD Garden – Boston, MA
Broadcast – NBA TV
He’s back! That’s right – Kristaps Porzingis is back in the lineup in Boston, which is great news for first bucket bettors. Porzingis is one of the most sure things when it comes to the tip. Last season he grabbed 78.3% of the first possessions for the Celtics. He’ll get eased back into action here with Ivica Zubac opposite of the circle to him. Zubac has grabbed just 38.9% of his tips this year, and that’s up from his 29.2% last year. As a result, we’ll stick with the Celtics here.
Although it might be tempting to go with the narrative of Porzingis being back and wanting the rock, I think that’s too on the nose. Additionally, the books have really put a lot of weight on that narrative, driving his odds way down. However, there was someone who disproportionately benefited from Porzingis on the tip last year. Jrue Holiday scored first on four of the first seven tips that he won last year. The attention that Porzingis might draw would free him up a bit as well.
First Scorer Bet for November 25: Jrue Holiday (+700)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for November 25, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
