NBA First Scorer Props – November 17

Some people like to sweat out a bet for 48 hard minutes – others like immediate satisfaction. Count us as being in the latter, which is why we like to get down with NBA first scorer props. And we’ve decided to pass that knowledge on to you with our first scorer bets for November 17. Go here for NBA Championship odds.

Of course, there are plenty out there taking blind guesses at this stuff. It’s easy to pick the most popular player or look at what happened in the last game. However, we spent the time pouring through the analytics to make sure that we give you the best odds to stay in the green on these first scorer props for November 17.

Come check out what we have cooked up for this slate of games.

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NBA First Scorer Props – November 17

Houston Rockets vs. Chicago Bulls

Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
United Center – Chicago, IL
Broadcast – NBA TV

You’d be hard pressed to find a discrepancy in the first bucket data that is bigger than this game. The Rockets are currently first in the league in scoring first with a 76.9% success rate. The Bulls, meanwhile, are 29th in the league with just 25.0%. It isn’t just the success rate, they are also winning tips at a far higher rate. They have also won 76.8% of all of the tips this year to just 8.3% from the Bulls. With all those things in mind and tip winners getting 68.1% of the first buckets, we have to go with someone on Houston here.

The Rockets like to spread their early attack out. In fact, four different players have already scored a first bucket twice. One of those players is Jabari Smith Jr. and we’re going with him on Sunday. Not only has he seen action early, but he is coming off a big 28-point performance last game where he nearly doubled his usually shot attempts. All that extra action last time out and I imagine he’ll look to keep things rolling early here.

First Scorer Bet for November 17: Jabari Smith Jr. (+950)

Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

Tipoff – 7:00 pm EST
Paycom Center – Oklahoma City, OK
Broadcast – NBA TV

The Mavericks are usually a team we fade in these parts. Daniel Gafford has been brutal on the tip and the results reflect that. They are in the bottom third of the league in terms of first buckets and tip wins – 25th and 21st respectively. However, they have one thing going for them that we just can’t overlook – Chet Holmgren’s injury. While the surface stats for the Thunder look much better, Jalen Williams is 0-3 on the tip – and that includes losses to Ivica Zubac and Yves Missi (both notoriously bad at jumps). They’ve scored first just once in those game. As a result, this is a great chance to buy low on some of these Mavericks numbers.

Sometimes when you see someone have a couple of first bucket successes, you head in a different direction. Scoring first doesn’t usually include huge runs like some other stats and trends. However, we just have to ride the lightning that is Klay Thompson. He seems to have found his footing in Dallas and they are letting him chuck up shots early and often. He has two of their first three shots in each of their last three games. He also has their last three first buckets, which gives him 60% of the teams successes this year.

First Scorer Bet for November 17: Klay Thompson (+950)

If you’d like even more info to help make your first scorer bets for November 17, check out the NBA Gambling Podcast. They’re dropping episodes five days a week to make you the smartest guy/gal at the bar.