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 24. 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 24.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – February 24
Denver Nuggets vs. Indiana Pacers
Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Gainbridge Fieldhouse – Indianapolis, IN
Broadcast – NBA TV
In the early game on Monday, we’re favoring the home team. Sure, the Nuggets aren’t the easiest team to tail. They rank just below average when it comes to winning the tip and just above average when it comes to scoring first, but that’s all we really need for confidence against the Pacers. They have won just 35.2% of tips on this year, putting them well into the bottom third of the league. Additionally, they’re only getting 44.4% of the first buckets, which is comfortably below the Nuggets. As a result, we’ll expect the Nuggets to get on the board first.
If we’re looking for a specific player from Denver to score first, look no further than Michael Porter Jr. Not only has he been heavily featured in their first bucket results this year, but he’s gotten so many of the early looks since the All Star break. In each of their two games since, he’s taken two of their first three shots. We can look off of that much volume, so we’ll take him here at +650.
First Scorer Bet for February 24: Michael Porter Jr. (+650)
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Utah Jazz
Tipoff – 9:00 pm EST
Delta Center – Salt Lake City, UT
Broadcast – NBA TV
The Blazers are another team that I look to fade on the first bucket. They have a reasonable, 52.6% win rate on the tips, which put them above average at getting the first possession. However, despite all of those chances, they have only scored first 38.6% of the time. That puts them in 29th in the NBA and as one of only three teams that come up short of 40.0%. The Jazz certainly aren’t the best team in the world on the early game stats. However, they do rank 11th in first bucket success rate, which is enough of an indicator for me.
The thing about picking a Jazz player right now is that they are largely banged up. Their injury report looks more like a shopping list going into Monday’s action, leaving really only two names that seem possible. Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler are the only who get a number of shots early that will be active. Kessler seems to be getting quite a few more early ones lately and as a result, we’ll ride with him.
First Scorer Bet for February 24: Walker Kessler (+500)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for February 24, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
