NBA Thursday First Basket Predictions - Feb 24, 2022

The NBA is back and so is everybody's favorite bet type. We've teamed up with first basket extraordinaire NBAFirstBasket to provide our best plays for Thursday's action using his formidable data model.

As First Basket market gradings can vary from 'book to 'book, we recommend taking our plays with FanDuel Sportsbook. FanDuel grade a first basket as the play who scores first - whether it be via field goal or free throw. They also offer a great $1000 Risk-Free Bet to new users!

*Note: These plays are recommended by Dimers using the information supplied by NBAFirstBasket.

NBA First Basket Plays Thursday February 24, 2022

Cavaliers vs. Pistons, 7:00PM ET

Jarrett Allen is 2-0 all-time against Isaiah Stewart when it comes to winning the tip which means it'll be Cleveland most likely getting first use of the ball tonight when they meet the Pistons. With no Garland for the Cavs, they'll need to look elsewhere to jump start their offense tonight and that man looks like it could be Allen himself. A Center has scored the first basket in 14 games for the Cavaliers so far this season and with Rajon Rondo running the point in Garland's absence, a nice little pick and roll to get things rolling seems likely.

BET: Jarrett Allen First Basket (+400)

🏀Cavs vs. Pistons simulator
🔥Betting Preview: Cavs vs. Pistons

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Celtics vs. Nets, 7:30PM ET

Andre Drummond moving across to the Nets at the trade deadline shifts the needle for First Basket bettors, but we're still not convinced this Brooklyn team without Irving and Durant is a safe bet. Drummond is likely to win the ball for the Nets, handing them first chance at scoring, but we're going to count on them missing and giving the advantage to the Celtics. When Boston get the ball, they usually look towards their hot man, Jaylen Brown, to ignite. The Celts have scored first in 80% of their last 20 games and Brown has been the No. 1 option.

BET: Jaylen Brown First Basket (+370)

🏀 Projected Nets vs. Celtics box score
🔥 Betting Preview: Celtics vs. Nets

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Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves, 8:00PM ET

Steven Adams gives Karl-Anthony Towns nightmares. The Kiwi is 3-0 in tips against Towns, and we can't see that changing in what is going to be an extremely fast paced game where the points will come and come early. Jaren Jackson is a favorite of ours, and often a reliable choice for the first basket. With Memphis getting the ball first, he looks like the solid choice.

BET: Jaren Jackson Jr First Basket (+550)

🏀 Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves simulator
🔥 Betting Preview: Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves

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Suns vs. Thunder, 8:00PM ET

Devin Booker will be the undisputed alpha dog in the run into playoffs for Phoenix with no Chris Paul around to lead the line, and there's a great chance for him to start off on the right foot instantly against the Thunder who allow more first baskets to shooting guards than any other position. For the Suns, Ayton is likely to drag down the tip to kick it off, having won 68% of the jumps so far this year. The narrative suits for it to go straight to Book to drain the first points of the night.

BET: Devin Booker First Basket (+320)

🏀 Projected Suns vs. Thunder box score
🔥 Betting Preview: Suns vs. Thunder

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Warriors vs. Blazers, 10:00PM ET

With no Jusuf Nurkic, the Blazers are heavily undermanned in just about every facet on the floor for their game tonight against the Warriors. Kevon Looney hasn't been especially prolific when it comes to winning the tips so far this year for Golden State with a pretty dismal 37% success rate, but it might not even matter. While Steph Curry might be the most obvious choice for casual first basket bettors, he's often not the man who starts things off on offense, only scoring the first field goal in 11 games. As NBAFirstBasket advised to his followers on Twitter, look for Andrew Wiggins to possibly be that guys. The small forward position for Golden State has yielded the first team field goal a staggering 16 times this season.

BET: Andrew Wiggins First Basket (+450)

🏀 Projected Warriors vs. Blazers box score
🔥 Betting Preview: Warriors vs. Blazers

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NBA First Basket Parlays Thursday February 24, 2022

With first basket parlays, we recommend a two-pronged strategy: a traditional parlay for low stakes (e.g: $1) and a round-robin parlay for a slightly larger stake that enables you to form multiple combinations together within the larger traditional parlay. That means if if one or two guys hit, you'll still have a small stake on that combination, meaning you still win!

Traditional parlay

1️⃣ Allen
2️⃣ Brown
3️⃣ Jackson Jr
4️⃣ Booker
5️⃣ Wiggins

⏩ Parlay Odds +352752

$1 Bet = $3527 Payout

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Round Robin 4's x5 Wager

1️⃣ Allen
2️⃣ Brown
3️⃣ Jackson Jr
4️⃣ Booker
5️⃣ Wiggins

⏩ Parlay Odds +69519

$10 Bet = $34,759 Potential Payout

MORE: Thursday NBA Picks and Parlay

*All odds subject to change from time of publishing

Cheat Sheet via NBAFirstBasket

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