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 bucket props. And we’ve decided to pass that knowledge on to you with our first bucket bets for May 4. 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 bucket props for May 4.
Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.
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NBA First Bucket Props – May 4
Indiana Pacers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Tipoff – 6:00 pm EST
Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH
Broadcast – TNT
We open up the second round on Sunday with the Pacers visiting the top-seeded Cavaliers. This series should be a gift from the fitst bucket gods as the Cavaliers should be all over it. The Cavaliers were first in the league when it came to winning the tip at 79.5%. Meanwehile, the Pacers came in at 25th with just 29.9%. Across the NBA this year, the tip winners took home 65.7% of all first buckets – which means the -165 we can get on Cleveland to score first is all too easy. If you need more convincing, it’s worth mentioning that the Cavaliers were also first in the league at converting their chances.
In the last game of the series with the Heat, we took a look at Jarrett Allen to get on the board first. He cashed for us in that one and we’re going to take a stab on him doing it again here. He’s taken the first shot for the Cavaliers in each of the last three games. He’s the only player on the team to take one of their first three shots in each of the four games. Despite all of those facts, Allen still isn’t the odds-on favorite here.
First Bucket Bet for May 4: Jarrett Allen (+600)
Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets
Tipoff – 8:30 pm EST
Toyota Center – Houston, TX
Broadcast – TNT
The season-long data from these two teams has almostly perfectly predicted how the first buckets will go. The Rockets had a modest 2.0% lead when it came to winning the tip, and we’ve seen an even split in the six games in the circle. They also had a 13.7% lead when it came to the first bucket – much more substantial. At this point, they’ve scored first four of the six games. Those factors lead me to believe that the Rockets will close this one down with another tip win and a first bucket in this one. You can get them to score first at -120 for Sunday.
If we’re getting greedy on the first bucket scorer, I like Jalen Green in this one. It may have been Alperen Sengun who scored their last two first buckets, and Amen Thompson who scored the first two, but it’s been Green who has the positive volume as of late. He took one of the Rocket’s first three shots in Game 6 and he took their first shot in Game 5. He was also a guy we could trust in the regular season to get us one once in awhile – netting eight first buckets in 2024-25.
First Bucket Bet for May 4: Jalen Green (+800)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first bucket bets for May 4, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
