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 February 6. 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 February 6.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – February 6
Dallas Mavericks vs. Boston Celtics
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
TD Garden – Boston MA
Broadcast – TNT
It’s a tough time of the year to be looking at first buckets. Teams are in flux and that especially changes who is on the jump. It’s looking more and more like that’ll be the case here for the Mavericks, as their newest piece Anthony Davis looks poised to make his debut on Thursday. On the year, the Mavericks already have a 3.9% advantage on the tip over the Celtics, and Davis has a better win rate than any of their previous options. Pair that with the Mavericks placing third in first scores – with a rate that’s 11.8% better than the Celtics – and we’ll get a pick from the visitor here.
It’s a bit on the nose, but you have to like the idea of the newcomer to the squad trying to get going early. With all the negative talk surrounding the trade in Dallas, Davis is going to want to come in and make a big statement. While that might not equate to being the first to score on the day (there are more impressive ways to make said statement), I don’t think it’s crazy to think he’ll be looking for an early impact. The Celtics are also just a game removed from allowing a first bucket to an opposing big (Jarrett Allen), and I could see it again here.
First Scorer Bet for February 6: Anthony Davis (+500)
Indiana Pacers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Tipoff – 10:30 pm EST
Intuit Dome – Los Angeles, CA
Broadcast – NBA TV
The home squad should come into Thursday’s matchup with plenty of advantages when it comes to scoring the first bucket. The Pacers have been pretty poor over the course of the year when it comes to getting the first possession. Their 35.4% tip win rate puts them in 26th in the NBA and has them a sizeable 16.6% behind the Clippers. With the tip winners getting roughly 65.8% of all the first buckets this year, that might be enough of a reason to use the Clippers here. However, when we add in a 9.2% advantage on first scores, it solidifies it for us.
If you take the first three Clippers shots in their last three games, we get two frontrunners here. Norman Powell and Derrick Jones Jr. are getting the vast majority of those shots. In fact, they’ve taken 66.7% of all of those shots in that span. Trying to narrow it down between the two is tough with the stats, which is why I say to go to the odds here. Norman Powell is the odds on favorite (+450) and he’s seeing roughly the same action as Jones Jr. (+1200). If I’m seeing similar probabilities and odds that different, than I’ll take the longshot.
First Scorer Bet for February 6: Derrick Jones Jr. (+1200)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for February 6, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
