We’re on to the conference finals. First on the docket is Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The Timberwolves are upset minded once again as they travel to Oklahoma City to take on the top-seeded Thunder. While we all have our takes on how this game and series are going to go, it’s not what we really care about. We only need the first minute of the game to cash a first bucket prop on May 20. So let’s check out what the books have for us in this one.
We’ve run the data, we’ve look at the trends – now, come check out our first bucket props for May 20.
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NBA First Bucket Props – May 20
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
Tipoff – 8:30 pm EST
Paycom Center – Oklahoma City, OK
Broadcast – ESPN
With this series just getting started, we obviously have no trends to go by for the first bucket. Additionally, if we look back to the regular season, we have some more tight numbers. Rudy Gobert and Chet Holmgren had about the same success on the tips – with Gobert having a slight 1.8% advantage in wins. The two also didn’t face off during the regular season. The opposite trend is true for the first bucket success rate. The Thunder hold a slim league in that metric by 1.9%. To make a choice in this one, I’ll side with the Timberwolves. You can get them at +100 and they have been playing better early defense lately.
In terms of looking for an individual player, I like Julius Randle in this one. For one, we’ve seen a nice increase in his overal scoring. After putting up 24 in back-to-back games, he averaged 30 per game in the last two games of the series. Plus, if you take the first three shots from Minnesota over the last three games, he’s accounted for 44.4% of all of those shots. That includes a first bucket success as well.
First Bucket Bet for May 20: Julius Randle (+700)
If you’d like even more info to help make your first bucket bets for May 20, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.
