The NBA has five games on the docket this Friday, with some fun Conference matchups from both the Eastern and Western Conferences. Even with a smaller slate, everyone still has plenty of ways to get involved in the many basketball markets on DraftKings Sportsbook. One popular way to find a quick-hitter that delivers a win or loss right away without a long sweat is in the game is the first point props available for each game. Finding the first scorer in any contest is a hit that can bring big-time returns, as the odds are relatively long shots.
As a whole, it’s a very simple market, since it’s just a matter of which player will score the first point in the game. Not much explanation needed!
Let’s take a look at two of the first scorer props that make sense to consider as longshot plays this Friday.
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First Scorer: Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers at Detroit Pistons (+473)
Even though Allen’s odds are the shortest in this Eastern Conference matchup, he still comes at almost 5:1 odds.
Allen has been scoring the first points of the game at an extremely high rate lately, hitting as the first scorer in four of the Cavs’ last seven games. The Cavs have won the tip in 63.3% of the games this season that Allen has started, and he should have the advantage on Friday against Jalen Duren.
The Cavs will be short-handed without Donovan Mitchell (groin) and potentially James Harden (thumb, questionable), so Allen could be called upon to step up a little more overall throughout the game, and he’s been so regular at getting the first point that he’s a strong play at these odds.
First Scorer: Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets at Oklahoma City Thunder (+620)
The Thunder will be welcoming Shai Gilgeous-Alexander back from a nine-game absence, and I think Murray will go right at him off the tip. Murray is questionable himself with an illness that forced him to leave after just eight minutes on Wednesday.
If he plays through the tag on Friday, he could push it early to see how much juice he has for this matchup.
When he’s healthy, Murray likes to get the first bucket and leads the team with 10 first baskets in his 54 games (18.5%) this season. If he’s active, he’ll be a solid first point play. On Wednesday even when he only had two points, his two points were the first points on the board in Denver’s win over the Celtics.
If he’s out, Nikola Jokic makes a good pivot at +584, since he’ll be asked to carry even more of the Nuggets offense.
