The Pacers shocked the world in Game 1 of this series. After being down bad late, they rallied back – taking the first meeting in overtime. They didn’t just score the upset that way, but also in the early game bets that we’ve come to love. They won both the tip and scored the first bucket, which isn’t the norm for them. After getting a taste of the series, we’ll take a look at first bucket props for May 23.
We’ve run the data, we’ve looked at the trends – now, come check out our first bucket props for May 23.
CHECK OUT THE SPORTS GAMBLING PODCAST’S DAILY BEST BETS
NBA First Bucket Props – May 23
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks
Tipoff – 8:00 pm EST
Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
Broadcast – TNT
The first game saw the Pacers shock everyone with a come from behind victory. However, if you’re a first bucket bettor, that wasn’t even the craziest thing they did in this one. The Pacers ended the regular season with a 29.9% tip win percentage, which made them one of three teams with less than a 30% win rate. The regular season also saw the tip winner get 65.7% of all of the first buckets. With the Knicks having a 16.3% lead in that metric, it’s surprising that the Pacers got on the board first. I doubt they’ll do it all again, so we’ll go with the Knicks to score first in this one.
If we’re getting greedy and looking for an individual player, I’m going with Mikal Bridges. Not only did he cash for us last series at +1000, but he showed a lot of early action for the Knicks in the last one. He got their first shot and bucket of the game. He also made four shots in the first quarter alone. I love that early volume and how frequently he was making them.
First Bucket Bet for May 23: Mikal Bridges (+800)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first bucket bets for May 23, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
