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 22. 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 22.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – February 22
Phoenix Suns vs. Chicago Bulls
Tipoff – 5:00 pm EST
United Center – Chicago, IL
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Bulls continue to be the team to fade when it comes to first bucket. They are dead last in the league in both tip win percentage (14.6%) and first bucket success rate (29.1%). That’s good enough to fade against any team in the league, but especially against someone like the Suns. They rank in the top 10 in scoring first. They’re also an above average team in winning the tip – albeit a touch worse with Nick Richards on the tip. As a result, we’ll take the Suns to score first at a reasonable -150.
If you look at the recent play log for the Suns, Kevin Durant is the name that pops up the most. However, there’s a down ballot option that isn’t all that far behind him. In the last two games, Royce O’Neale has shown up in the first three shots of the play log in both – including taking the first shot once. If you look at the recent first buckets that the Bulls have let up, O’Neale fits the bill of the type of guys scoring them.
First Scorer Bet for February 22: Royce O’Neale (+950)
Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Tipoff – 7:30 pm EST
Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Nets are another of the teams we’ve come to love to fade. They’re 25th in the league in tip win percentage with just a 38.9% average. They fall even lower when we look at the success rate on their first scores, which comes in at 27th. The 76ers aren’t world beaters when it comes to winning the tip, but has a small advantage over the Nets. They also are doing far better at converting these buckets – coming in right around league average. We’ll grab Philadelphia to score first at -140.
If we want to get behind a specific player for the 76ers, there’s one that sticks out well above the rest. Kelly Oubre is the only player to take one of the first three shots in each of their last three games. On top of that, he’s got great volume on those shots too. If you take that selection of shots, Oubre has taken 44.4% of all of them, which includes a pair of first shots. If that isn’t enough, the absurd number next to his name should be an enticement.
First Scorer Bet for February 22: Kelly Oubre Jr. (+1000)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for February 22, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
