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 20. 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 20.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
CHECK OUT THE SPORTS GAMBLING PODCAST’S DAILY BEST BETS
NBA First Scorer Props – February 20
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Brooklyn Nets
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Barclays Center – Brroklyn, NY
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Cavaliers are the easiest team in the NBA to tail coming out of the break. They have the best tip win percentage in the league and by a wide margin. Their 85.2% mark is better than the next best team by over 10%. With tip winners getting 65.8% of the first buckets, that’s already a reason to like the Cavaliers. Then when you add that they’ve been good at converting their chances – 2nd in the NBA – then you really have to like them. It also won’t hurt that the Nets are near the bottom of the league in both of those metrics as well – hovering right arounf 40.0%. So we’ll take the Cavaliers to score first at -195.
The Cavaliers rode a four-game win streak into the break and there were some pretty heavy trends we can pick up from that time. While the names in the early part of the shot log varied quite a bit, the first name we saw was pretty consistent. In three of those four games, Evan Mobley took the first shot for the Cavaliers – each of which was the overall first shot in the game. Sure, the number isn’t as fat as we usually like it, but with them sure to win the tip here and that amount of volume going his way – there’s still some value.
First Scorer Bet for February 20: Evan Mobley (+425)
Chicago Bulls vs. New York Knicks
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Broadcast – NBA TV
We go from a team we love to tail to one that we love to fade. The Bulls and the first bucket is the gift that keeps on giving. Their numbers on the early game are some of the worst I can ever remember. They’re winning just 14.8% of the tips this year, which is nearly half of the 29th ranked team. Nikola Vucevic doesn’t even look like he’s trying to get the first possession most of the time. They’re dead last in first buckets as well. With the Knicks chilling just below league average in both of those measures, that should be enough for them to look like standouts for a day. I’ll take them here at -170.
If you’re looking for a specific player spot in this one, look no further than Mikal Bridges. If you take the first three Knicks’ shots in each of last three games, Mikal Bridges has a third of those. That includes taking the first two Knicks’ shots in the last game before the break. He also already has double-figure first buckets on the year. Even with all of those indicators, we’ve got a big number next to his name on Thursday.
First Scorer Bet for February 20: Mikal Bridges (+800)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for February 20, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
