Betting on teams to win basketball games is all well and good, but sometimes you want to sweat a prop bet that's a little more fun. Especially if an early payout frees up your winnings right away to make some live bets or wagers on later games in the slate.
First basket scorer has become an increasingly popular NBA prop bet, and it's easy to see why. It's pretty straightforward – if your player scores the first basket (field goals only, so free throws don't count) of the game you win.
Here are the top first basket scorer picks for today's NBA slate on Wednesday, October 26.
1. Joel Embiid (+330)
Joel Embiid wins the opening tip more often than he does not, which always makes targeting the 76ers star an intriguing option to score the first basket. The matc hup he draws on Wednesday night works in his favor as well. The Raptors allow an opponent three-point shooting percentage of just 33.1% (T-No. 9 in NBA), but they allow an opponent two-point shooting percentage of 53.2% (No. 18 in NBA). While Toronto is fully capable of contesting shots around the arc, it struggles to keep big men from dominating the paint. Embiid has scored the first basket in two of Philly's first three games, so look for him to get an immediate shot attempt.
2. Jrue Holiday (+490)
During his stint with the Bucks, Brook Lopez has won the opening tip nearly 75% of the time. He should have no trouble taking care of Nicolas Claxton and providing Milwaukee with the first possession. From there, look for Jrue Holiday to take over. Holiday has drained the first basket for the Bucks in each of the first two games and he has also taken the second shot for Milwaukee in both games as well. Milwaukee attempted a 3-pointer on 47% of its first possessions last season and now faces a Brooklyn defense that is allowing an opponent three-point percentage of 44.3% this season (No. 30 in NBA). Holiday just needs to shake Kyrie Irving.
3. Anfernee Simons (+800)
It's hard to pass up Anfernee Simons as a long-shot option tonight at +800 odds. The Heat have been shutting down any kind of action around the rim this season, allowing only 40.0 points in the paint per game (T-No. 2 in NBA). The Tr ail Blazers may be forced to move outside the perimeter as soon as the first possession. 55.0% of Simons' shot attempts last season came from beyond the arc and that mark stands at 49.3% early on this season. Tyler Herro has proven to be someone that struggles to work through screens and stay with the shooter. That should allow Simons to get an open look right away.