NBA First Basket will break down some of his favorite NBA plays of the day here, and will track all his bets in The Action Network app.
NBA First Basket Prop Pick: Jaren Jackson Jr. | Desmond Bane
| Odds | Jackson Jr. (+600) I Bane (+650) |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| Book | FanDuel |
The Memphis Grizzlies host the Utah Jazz Wednesday night, as Jaren Jackson Jr. (67% opening tip win rate) will jump against Walker Kessler (64% win rate) for the opening tip-off.
Jackson and Kessler have not matched up on an opening tip against each other before. This tip could go either way, but there are a few solid reasons to back Memphis in this one.
The teams have faced each other three times this year, with Memphis scoring first in all three games (Dillon Brooks twice, Xavier Tillman once).
In the event that Utah wins the tip-off, it should be noted that Utah has the second-lowest shooting percentage on first possessions in the league at just 34%.
Utah has allowed the center or power forward on opposing teams to score the first team field goal in 56% of games this season for the second-highest rate in the league. The Jazz have improved slightly by shifting Kessler into the starting center role, but they still have significant holes defensively at the power forward and small forward positions.
That would point us in the direction of Jackson and Brooks for tonight. Brooks' offensive production has fallen off significantly since the new year began, so I'll take Jackson and pair him with Desmond Bane instead.
The Picks:
Pick: Jaren Jackson Jr. 1st Basket +600 (0.5 Units · Play to +450) |
Pick: Desmond Bane 1st Basket +650 (0.5 Units · Play to +500) |
Jazz vs. Grizzlies First Basket Prop Data
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