Ricky Dimon
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Welcome to March, when basketball is king. The NCAA Tournament is 2 weeks away and the NBA is approaching the home stretch of the regular season. For this piece, it is the pros who have our attention. We have a 7-game slate on Thursday, highlighted by a TNT doubleheader that begins with the Grizzlies at the Celtics before the Lakers go up against the Clippers.
Let’s take a look at some first-basket best bets.
Bulls vs Hawks: DeMar DeRozan +650
The Bulls can be expected to have possession first in their road date with the Hawks on Thursday night. Chicago big man Nikola Vucevic isn’t exactly a machine when it comes to corralling jump balls (27 of 67 won; 40.3 percent), but Atlanta center Clint Capela is worse (23 of 61 won; 37.7 percent). They have gone head-to-head in opening tipoffs 3 times this season, with Vucevic getting the best of things on 2 occasions – including in the Bulls’ 112-108 home victory last Thursday.
Needless to say, the tipoff is the most important factor that should be looked at when deciding on first-basket bets. Obviously, players on whichever team gains possession are going to have by far the best opportunities. DeRozan is the best player on Chicago right now (heck, he might be the best player in the entire league!), so getting him at +650 as the leader of the team that should win the tip is a great value play. The 32-year-old has exceeded the 30-point mark in 10 of the last 11 contests and has confidently chucked up at least 21 attempts from the field in 6 of the last 7.
Be sure to check out our full game preview for Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks
Pistons vs Raptors: Saddiq Bey +800
This Pistons-Raptors matchup is another case of the tipoff being a key component. Not unlike the story between Vucevic and Capela, neither Detroit big man Isaiah Stewart nor Toronto rookie Scottie Barnes is prolific in the jump-ball department. Barnes, though, is the more hopeless of the two. He has won only 13 of 40 jumps (32.5 percent). Stewart is 25 for 62 (40.32 percent). They have also squared off in the circle 3 times this season and Stewart has won the tip twice.
If Detroit gains possession, don’t be surprised if Bey is the beneficiary. The Villanova product has reached the 20-point mark in 7 of the last 12 games and he is coming off a 19-point performance against Washington on Tuesday. Bey was the first-basket scorer against the Wizards and also scored inside the first 2 minutes of a victory over the Hornets last Sunday.
Check out all of our NBA previews and picks for Thursday
If you want to go really big, a DeRozan-Bey parlay pays out at +6650!
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