NBA Best First Basket Bets Today – April 23

Tonight’s NBA Playoff action features three games, and we’ve got it covered with first-basket tips below.

Last night, the Lakers evened up their series 1-1 with the Timberwolves after winning 94-85.

The Thunder and Pacers also extended their leads to 2-0 against the Grizzlies and Bucks.

Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard returned to the court after missing the past month due to deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He played 37 minutes and recorded 14 points, seven assists and three rebounds during the 123-115 loss.

Los Angeles’ Luka Doncic dropped 31 points, nine assists and 12 rebounds in the win over Minnesota. His performance came a day after the general manager (Nico Harrison), who traded him, stated, “I did know Luka was important to the fan base. I didn’t quite know to what level.” 

Our picks for tonight’s games feature Kristaps Porzingis (BOS vs. ORL, 7:00 p.m. ET) and Alperen Sengun (HOU vs. GS, 9:30 p.m. ET).

Remember to bet responsibly and carefully watch your bankroll by not spending too much of it on one wager.

Note: Odds were correct at the time of writing.

Kristaps Porzingis (+450) at bet365

The center has made an impressive 10 first baskets in 43 starts (23.3% rate). This gives him the highest first-basket rate on the Celtics roster. 

Jaylen Brown (12 first baskets) has made more, but over the course of 64 games (18.8%).

Porzingis also attempts the first shot in games 16.3% of the time and has scored Boston’s first field goal 22 times.

At 7-foot-2, the Latvian holds a significant height advantage over Wendell Carter Jr. (6-foot-10) for the opening tip-off. 

In Game 1, Porzingis easily won the tip and, according to BestOdds’ first basket stats, owned a 62% tip-win percentage during the regular season compared to Carter Jr’s 57%.

Boston’s leading scorer, Jayson Tatum (26.8 points per game), is listed as doubtful for the contest due to a wrist injury he suffered in Game 1. 

This presents even more opportunities for a first basket for Porzingis, who averaged 19.5 points per game during the regular season while shooting 48.3% from the field. 

Porzingis can score from anywhere on the floor and has been dangerous from beyond the arc with a 41.2% clip this year.

Orlando has surrendered 26% of it’s first baskets to opposing centers, the joint-most of all positions along with power forward (26%).

While not an imperative stat, the Celtics have scored first in 48.2% of contests this campaign (including the playoffs) compared to the Magic’s 47.6%. Boston also has a 55.4% team tip-win percentage compared to Orlando’s 50%.

Some sportsbooks, such as FanDuel, feature Porzingis and Brown as the joint-favorites to score first tonight.

Both bet365 and BetRivers feature odds of +450, which hold more value than other bookmakers. 

Odds Comparison for Porzingis First Scorer

Sportsbook	Odds
bet365	+450
FanDuel	+430
DraftKings	+425
Caesars	+410
Hard Rock Bet	+400

Alperen Sengun (+420) at FanDuel

Sengun has been a first-basket monster this season, with 20 in 76 games (26.3%). 

The Turkish native has attempted first shots 18.4% of the time and has made the first basket for Houston 33 times (43.4%).

Sengun is coming off a 26-point performance in Game 1 when he led the Rockets in scoring and scored 30.58% of the team’s points. 

He averaged 19.1 points during the regular season, second to Jalen Green (21).

Throughout his past eight starts, Sengun has made two first baskets (25%).

The 22-year-old (6-foot-11) will face off against Draymond Green (6-foot-6) for the opening tip. 

He won the tip in Game 1 over Green, and in the meeting before that on April 6, essentially won the tip, but accidentally hit it to his opponent, Brandin Podziemski.

This regular season, Golden State has given up 20% of its first baskets to opposing centers, the second-most of any position (30% to shooting guards).

Oddsmakers at FanDuel (+420) feature Sengun as the favorite to score first, followed by Jimmy Butler (+550) and Jalen Green (+600).

The +420 odds are an excellent price compared to other sportsbooks, all of which list him at a worse price. Hard Rock Bet even has him as low as +325 to score first.

Odds Comparison for Sengun First Scorer

Sportsbook	Odds
FanDuel	+420
DraftKings	+400
Caesars	+360
bet365	+350
Hard Rock Bet	+325

Note: BetMGM is offering both Sengun and Porzingis at +475 to score the first field goal, meaning free throws do not count. The operator is also giving refunds to selections who score the second field goal of the contest, should they fail to make the first.