Filip Tomic
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Over the past 7 days we were able to land 5 winning bets on our First Basket Scorer Predictions, including bets at +450, +1100, +370, +280 and +650 odds. There are 3 more games this Wednesday in the NBA Playoffs, can we keep the streak going?
I’d encourage you to visit our NBA Predictions page for picks on the side and total for all 3 games being played today, now let’s jump into my bets!
Now you can bet any of our NBA predictions at FanDuel Sportsbook, which has a great new-customer offer to take advantage of. If you sign up for FanDuel right now, you can get $150 in bonus bets following an initial wager of just $5! Click here to join FanDuel right now.
LA Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr. (+410)
Jackson has had AD’s number when it comes to head-to-head duels on the opening tip winning all 3 of them this season, including the one in the series opener on Sunday. Ja Morant was able to capitalize on that by scoring the first basket in that game, but with his status in question for tonight’s game, the Grizzlies will have to turn to somebody else. It makes a lot of sense to go with Jackson Jr. here, particularly because 33% of the Lakers’ allowed first baskets have come from opposing centers this season. Also, Jackson Jr. is expected to be presented the Defensive Player of the Year award prior to tip-off, so it makes sense for the Grizzlies to go through him at the start of the game to further hype up the home crowd. The Grizz have scored the first basket in 66% of their games this season, relying on their centers 23% of the time which is the most out of any position. Let’s hope JJJ can deliver us a winner here.
Check out our full game preview for LA Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies.
Timberwolves vs Nuggets: Aaron Gordon (+900)
Similarly to Jackson Jr. against Davis, Nikola Jokic has owned Rudy Gobert in their duels this season winning all 5 of them, including the opening tip in Game 1. That’s pretty impressive considering Gobert has the height advantage and Jokic doesn’t really the best of jumping abilities. Nevertheless, I’m struggling to find reasons why not to back Jokic to grab the first possessions for Denver here. Minnesota’s defense completely collapsed in Game 1, allowing a ton of points across the board. This season, 30% of their allowed first baskets have come from opposing small forwards which is Aaron Gordon’s natural position, even though he plays a bit of PF as well. Gordon also attempted the most free throws in Game 1 for Denver, so there is a decent chance he might attack the basket early on and end up on the free throw line. With 21% of Denver’s first baskets coming from the SF position this season, I feel like these odds are way too big for us to ignore here.
Read our Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets full game preview.
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