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 March 15. 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 March 15.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Scorer Props – March 15
Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets
Tipoff – 6:00 pm EST
Barclays Center – Brooklyn, NY
Broadcast – NBA TV
Injuries make this a great spot to see the Celtics get on the board first. The Nets will be without Nic Claxton, who has taken 50 of their 66 tips on the year. They’ll also be without Noah Clowney, which leaves me wondering who will even take the tip on Saturday. Meanwhile, with Kristaps Porzingis banged up, we might see Luke Kornet taking the tip again. That’s a good thing, with Kornet grabbing 72.7% of the first possessions for the Celtics this year. Porzingis himself is getting 68.8% of those, so even if he’s back, the Celtics will have a large advantage. With the tip winner scoring first in 66.0% of games this year, that’s enough for me to like the Celtics at -145.
If we’re getting specific on a player, you have to look to Jrue Holiday. If you look at the last two times that one of the Celtics big two stars – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – we’re out, Holiday gets the bulk of the early looks. He’s taken two of the first three shots in each of those instances. Brown is listed as questionable again for Saturday’s action with his right knee being banged up. If he’s out, I’d look for Holiday to get open for a deep ball early again.
First Scorer Bet for March 15: Jrue Holiday (+650)
Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Tipoff – 8:00 pm EST
Fiserv Forum – Wilwaukee, WI
Broadcast – NBA TV
There’s another game with a big advantage on the tip on Saturday. As the Bucks host the Pacers, they’ll have a massive lead to get that first bucket thanks to a 27.8% lead in terms of winning that first possession. The Pacers are one of just five teams in the league grabbing the tip at less than a 40.0% clip. It’s not just the tip though, the Bucks are a far better team at finishing their chances. They rank 6th in the NBA at scoring the first bucket and have a 17.0% lead over the Pacers in that category as well.
With Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo both banged up and questionable heading into this one, I like a longshot to score the first bucket. For a guy with as long of odds as Taurean Prince has, he takes a lot of the early shots for his squad. If you take their first three shots in their last three games, Prince accounts for a third of those shot attempts. That’s a lot for anyone regardless of their odds. When you consider what he’s betting off at, it’s irresistible.
First Scorer Bet for March 15: Taurean Prince (+1000)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for March 15, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
