It's the NBA Finals and there's tremendous build up to the tip-off of every game, and then you just have to wait a few hours to see if your bet wins. Not when you bet the first basket scorer, that's a little something we like to instant gratification.
Tonight is Game 4 in Miami as the Heat try to even up the series with the Denver Nuggets and avoid going down 3-1. We've seen them have great comebacks during this playoff run, but if they're going to take down Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in this one, they need to get off to a fast start. Let's take a look at the odds for first basket scorer and I'll give you a pick for each team.
Odds to score the first basket in Nuggets vs. Heat Game 3
Nuggets vs. Heat best first basket scorer picks
Michael Porter Jr. (+750)
Game 3 was a win for the Nuggets, but it was a disaster for Michael Porter Jr. MPJ had two points on 1-7 shooting and only played 21 minutes. He wasn't hitting his shots and was somewhat getting exposed on defense, but Michael Malone knows that he needs Porter Jr. to be a contributor in this series. As a confidence boost for the Nuggets third best player, Malone may look to run the first play of the game for him and try to spring him for an open three. The rest will be up to MPJ, and I trust him to make it, he was a 41.4% three-point shooter this year.
Max Strus (+750)
If I'm using the same logic that landed me on MPJ for the Nuggets side of things, I need to go with Strus for the Heat. One of their most important shooters was completely silent in Game 3. Strus finished with three points on 1-7 shooting in 24 minutes. Miami just needs another player to reliably put the ball in the basket to win this series and I expect them to try and get Strus involved early.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
