Best NBA First Basket Scorer Prop Bets for Today 5/8: Randle and Reaves open the scoring

Last week in the NBA postseason we were able to land a pair of NBA First Basket Scorer Prop Bets at +1100 and +320 odds. Round 2 is heating up and we have a pair of pivotal Game 4s on tonight’s schedule, so why not try our luck with a couple more of these bets?

Also be sure to visit our NBA Predictions page for picks on the side and total for tonight’s 2 games.

Let’s dive into my bets now!

Knicks vs Heat: Julius Randle (+1000)

Mitchell Robinson winning the opening tip in Game 3 means that he and Bam Adebayo are now tied at 4-4 on their last 8 jump balls. The Knicks are clearly moving away from playing Robinson serious minutes as he logged just 11 of them on Saturday, but he should still start the game and hopefully win us the tip. Julius Randle is the guy the Knicks should go to here. He has to make amends after a sub-par performance in Game 3 where he went just 4-for-15 from the field. In 83 games played this season he’s attempted the team’s first shot 31% of the time, that’s 2nd only to Jalen Brunson who is at 39%. With Brunson still dealing with an ankle injury, it’s natural to assume he will ease into the game, so I think Randle is the logical choice to open the scoring here. He has done so in 36% of the Knicks games this season which leads the team. Miami has given up the first basket to the PF and C positions in 47% of their games this season, which tells us they struggle a bit defending the opposing big men.

Check out our full game preview for Game 4 of New York Knicks vs Miami Heat.

Warriors vs Lakers: Austin Reaves (+1100)

Anthony Davis won the opening tip in Game 3 against JaMychal Green, that should happen once again tonight if the Warriors stick with Green at center to start the game. Davis has the height advantage and has brought the first possession to the Lakers in back-to-back games now. I’m going for a bit of a surprising pick to score the first bucket. Austin Reaves hasn’t had the best of series so far, but with this being a critical Game 4 at home the Lakers would be smart to get him going early. In 31 games started this season he has attempted the first shot in 26% of games which ranks 3rd on the team behind the usual suspects AD and LeBron James. 75% of those attempts were three-pointers, so far this has been a three-point happy series for both teams so I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the strategy for LA to open the scoring here. Reaves did attempt the first basket in Game 2 on the road, the Lakers will be in a good spot if they can get a productive game out of him here.

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