The NBA has a handful of games on the scoreboard this Sunday, with Sunday Night Basketball on NBC and Peacock featuring the Timberwolves visiting the Celtics in Boston. As you build your betting card for this Sunday, DraftKings Sportsbook has plenty of ways to get involved in numerous basketball betting markets. One of the most popular markets lately has been the first point props market, which is available for each game.
First point plays are all over the most-bet player props each day on DraftKings Sportsbook, and they can be a great way to get a quick-hitter that delivers a win or loss right away without a long sweat. This style of bet helps avoid issues with load management and blowouts late in games, since only the first bucket matters. Finding the first scorer in any contest is a hit that can bring big-time returns, as the odds are all long shots.
As a whole, it’s an extremely simple market, since it’s just a matter of which player will score the first point in the game. Not much explanation needed!
I hit one of my first scorer props on Saturday, with LaMelo Ball getting the first two shots in his game against the Grizzlies and delivering the first basket with his second shot at a juicy +600. My other pick, Bam Adebayo, got the first shot in his game as well but missed in Miami’s loss to Houston, and Amen Thompson got the first point on the other end. Let’s try to keep it rolling with a look at a couple of my top first scorer props that make sense to consider this Sunday.
thu
First Scorer: Maxime Raynaud, Sacramento Kings vs. Brooklyn Nets (+466)
The Kings host the Nets in a matchup that could be a rough one to watch between two struggling teams. Both teams do have some intriguing young players, though, and taking a first scorer prop eliminates some of the uncertainty with weird rotations and load management later in the game.
While it’s been a rough season for the Kings, one bright spot has been rookie center Maxime Raynaud, who has stepped up without Domantas Sabonis. Raynaud is coming off games earlier this week with 32 and 30 points against the Spurs and 76ers, respectively. He didn’t have the first basket in either of those games, but he has scored the first point in two of his last seven games.
Raynaud has helped the Kings win 80% of their tip-offs in their last 15 games, and if they get the tip on Sunday against the Nets, Raynaud will have a good chance to attack down low right away. The Nets will be without Nic Claxton (rest), Noah Clowney (wrist) and Day-Ron Sharpe (thumb), which should give Raynaud the advantage in the frontcourt.
First Scorer: Jalen Green, Phoenix Suns vs. Toronto Raptors (+700)
In the late game, Brandon Ingram has the most first baskets of any player in action on Sunday, but his odds are shorter, and the Suns have been very good at winning tip-offs, which could give Phoenix a chance for the first bucket of the game. The Suns have won the tip-off in 19 of their last 30 games, while the Raptors have only won 11 tip-offs in their last 30 games.
While Devin Booker has the highest usage on the team, Jalen Green has been getting more work lately, and he has been especially aggressive at the start of games. Green has made the first basket in three of his last 15 games and has taken the first shot in 26.7% of the games during that stretch. During that 15-game span, Booker hasn’t taken the first shot in any game.
Green had only nine points against the Timberwolves to start the week, but he had 17 points and 24 points in his two games since then, including 24 points in 36 minutes on Saturday. While Green missed a lot of time early in the season, he has played back-to-back games and performed well in both recently.
In fact, he took on the Raptors in Toronto on the second night of a back-to-back just over a week ago and dropped 34 points in 35 minutes in the Suns’ loss. Phoenix will look to avenge that defeat, and if it wins the tip-off again on Sunday, Green has a good chance to deliver on this long-shot prop at 7:1 odds.
