The 2023-24 season hasn’t gone as expected for the Milwaukee Bucks after they added one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers, Damian Lillard, in the offseason. Milwaukee hosts Chicago tonight in hopes of stopping a two-game skid — but that’s just one of the four games tonight on the NBA docket. Two of the association’s hotter teams, the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, will battle up north. The Cleveland Cavaliers will also face the Sacramento Kings out west. Four games mean four chances to nail our NBA first basket prop bets tonight: here are the top two plays for this evening. If you’re hungry for more action, check out our NBA betting tools or our NBA betting promos!
NBA First Basket Bets Tonight: Odds & Picks
NBA Knicks-Celtics First Basket Bet
Value continues to pop up in the New York Knicks backcourt. Both the Celtics and Knicks enter this game winning roughly 75% of their opening tips. Kristaps Porzingis versus Mitchell Robinson might be closer to a 50-50, but that doesn’t mean the options on each team are. One big advantage for the Knicks has been establishing Jalen Brunson early in the year as an instant threat. He now sits behind three Celtics with the fourth-best odds of scoring first in tonight’s game. He remains the chalk for the Knicks, but the odds are weighed in favor of the Celtics despite both teams coming in with strong opening tip records.
Take the Knicks to strike first, even if they have to make an early stop.
Best NBA First Basket Bet Prop: Jalen Brunson +600 at FanDuel for 0.25 Units
NBA Wizards-Raptors First Basket Bet
The Toronto Raptors are undefeated. They have scored first in each of their nine games so far. Meanwhile, Washington enters with a meager 13% chance to win the opening tip. There is little reason to believe Toronto’s good fortune stops tonight against Washington. As expected, leading scorer Pascal Siakam also leads the team in first baskets made. He sits atop the list of odds on FanDuel as a result. Dennis Schröder is the next man up with two on the year, enough to separate him from any other candidate. Expect the Raptors to come away with the opening tip for the tenth straight time, allowing Schröder to exploit some easier spaces in the Washington backcourt.
Even in the remote chance that Washington does win the tip, Toronto is more than capable of getting an early stop.
Best NBA First Basket Prop: Dennis Schröder +650 at FanDuel for 0.25 Units
OddsShopper’s NBA Tools & Tips
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