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 9. 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 9.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – February 9
Toronto Raptors vs. Houston Rockets
Tipoff – 2:00 pm EST
Toyota Center – Houston, TX
Broadcast – NBA TV
These two teams are close together in all of the surface statistics for the early game action. They rank 4th and 5th respectively in first bucket success rate with the Raptors having a meager 1.9% lead in that category. They are also only 3.8% different in terms of the tip wins – this time leaning to the Rockets. However, the different maker to me here is the fact that Jakob Poeltl is out injured. That means Jonathan Mogbo should be on the tip for Toronto. While he hasn’t been great in the few tips he’s had – just one win in four efforts – his success came against Alperen Sengun and the Rockets. For that reason, we’ll go with the visitors for the play on Sunday.
Over the last three games, just one member of the Raptors has appeared in their shot log’s first three shots. That man is Gradey Dick. Of those mentioned shots, he’s taken 44.4% of them. Additionally, he’s been the first shot in two of those three games. With that kind of volume, it’s hard to look anywhere but the man from Kansas.
First Scorer Bet for February 9: Gradey Dick (+700)
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Tipoff – 2:00 pm EST
Fiserv Forum – Milwaukee, WI
Broadcast – ABC
Sunday’s other 2pm start is another matchup where the indicators for early buckets are close. The 76ers hold a 1.9% advantage when it comes to first bucket success rate. The Bucks, on the other hand, hold the advantages when it comes to the tip. They have a sizable 15.7% lead when it comes to getting the first possession. With the tip winners scoring first 66.6% of the time this year, that’s enough for me to take the home squad in this one.
Brook Lopez seems to be the high volume guy for Milwaukee in the early game lately. He took the second shot for the Bucks last time out. The game prior he took the first and the third shot. We still don’t know what’s happening in the middle for the 76ers at this point – so why not trust Lopez to get it done here?
First Scorer Bet for February 9: Brook Lopez (+550)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for February 9, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
