Andrew Ortenberg
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The NBA playoffs continue on Wednesday, and we’ve got two great games to look forward to. What better way to celebrate the marquee matchups, and postseason basketball in general, than with some first-basket bets? Let’s dive into them, using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.
76ers vs Heat: Jimmy Butler +700
Looking at the first game of the night, Butler makes a lot of sense. For starters, the jump ball is one of the most important factors to look at when handicapping a first basket bet. Heat center Bam Adebayo is already one of the league’s better big men at winning tip offs, and now he doesn’t have to go up against Joel Embiid.
DeAndre Jordan is starting at center for Philly now, and obviously his athletic prime is well behind him. Not surprisingly, Adebayo won the jump ball in Game 1. Working from there, I think Butler makes the most sense. I’ve got no interest in Adebayo at +420. Butler has stepped his scoring up big time in the playoffs, but oddsmakers haven’t adjusted.
In the first round against Atlanta, Butler averaged over 30 points per game. He cooled off a bit in Game 1 against Philly, but he was still aggressive right off the bat which is what matters most for first basket bets. Butler took seven shots in the first quarter of the game, which is a good sign here.
The last time Butler played against the 76ers before the playoffs was back on March 21st, and he dropped 27 in that one.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat
Mavericks vs Suns: Jalen Brunson +900
Looking at Wednesday’s nightcap now, I’m banking on a bounce back from Jalen Brunson. The Villanova product was a bit off in Game 1 against Phoenix, only scoring 13 points. But his volume was still relatively consistent as he took 16 shots from the field.
And let’s not overreact to one middling game. He was phenomenal for the entire previous series against the Jazz, scoring at least 23 points in all six games of that first round matchup. Brunson has been the X-factor for the team’s success so far this postseason, and they’re going to make getting him going again a priority here.
Just look at the last game of the Dallas/Utah series for a glimpse at how Brunson can have prolific early game volume. In that pivotal Game 6, Brunson took five of the team’s first six shot attempts, making three of them.
That was hardly a fluke either. In Game 5 of that series, he took seven shots in the first quarter. Brunson is in the middle of a coming out party, and he isn’t going to take his foot off the gas here.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns
If you want to go really big, a Butler-Brunson parlay pays out at +7900!
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