Andrew Ortenberg
Show Bio
The NBA is approaching the home stretch, and we have another full slate on Monday. There is a big card with 9 games on the docket, including an intriguing double-header on ESPN. What better way to celebrate the weekend than with some first-basket bets? Let’s dive into them, using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Trail Blazers vs Hawks: Kevin Huerter +750
This isn’t the most high-profile game on Monday’s board, but there’s a spot I think has good value. One of the most important factors for first-basket prop bets is, of course, who will start with ball. Hawks center Clint Capela isn’t the best at jump balls, but he’s better than Portland big man Drew Eubanks. Eubanks is only 6’9″, so perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that he’s only won 8 of 23 tips this season. That’s a win rate of less than 35%.
That has me leaning toward taking a Hawk, and Huerter jumped out to me at nearly 8/1. Trae Young understandably gets most of the attention, but this offense has other talent as well. In Atlanta’s most recent game against the Pacers, Huerter made the team’s second basket. Right before that against the Clippers, he took 2 of the team’s first 3 shots.
And right before that against Milwaukee, Huerter made the game’s first basket. He’s been hot recently, making 4 3-pointers in each of his last 3 games, so the team should go to him again early.
Hornets vs Thunder: Terry Rozier +1000
We have a similar situation here as we did with our first play. Hornets center Mason Plumlee isn’t the best at jump balls, but he’s got to be a big favorite on Monday night. Isaiah Roby did the tip for the Thunder’s most recent game, and he’s pretty much an auto-loss. Roby has done 20 jump balls this season, and he’s won only 4 of them. That has us looking at Charlotte’s starting lineup, and getting 10/1 with Rozier is too good to pass up.
Miles Bridges is +410 and Lamelo Ball is +600, and I don’t think there’s that big of a gap here. In Charlotte’s last game, Rozier made the game’s first basket. He ended up taking 17 shots that night (including 13 3-pointers) which was the most on the team. Rozier has taken at least 16 shots from the floor in 8 straight games, and he’s been scorching hot shooting over the past couple of weeks.
If you want to go really big, a Huerter-Rozier parlay pays out at +9250!
Pickswise is the home of free NBA picks and predictions. Make sure to also check out our NBA parlays and NBA prop bets tabs for more expert picks.
