The 2025 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics is underway, and first-basket prop bets are a popular choice among bettors.
When placing a bet on the first-basket prop, the objective is to predict which player will score the first basket of the game. A key distinction among online sportsbooks is how they handle free throws. For instance, FanDuel includes free throws in their first-basket prop bets, categorizing them simply as “first basket.” Conversely, sportsbooks like DraftKings and BetMGM do not count free throws and instead refer to the bet as “first field goal.”
There are also various variants of the first-basket prop. Some options include predicting who will score the first basket for each team or the exact method of the first basket. For instance, DraftKings and BetMGM offer odds on whether the first field goal will be a two-pointer or three-pointer, while FanDuel provides more detailed categories such as dunk, layup, other, free throw, or three-pointer.
Mavericks vs. Celtics: First Basket Betting Preview
Tipoff: Kristaps Porzingis and Daniel Gafford did not match up in the tipoff this season. Porzingis, known for being one of the best jumpers in the NBA, holds a clear advantage over Gafford, who struggled throughout the year. However, Porzingis is coming off a calf injury, which could impact his tipoff performance.
Regular Season Matchups: In the only game between these two teams after the trade deadline, Luka Doncic took and made the first shot of the game with a layup. For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown took Boston’s first shot, and Porzingis made the Celtics’ first basket with a 3-pointer.
First Quarter Stats to Know:
- After the trade deadline, Dallas allowed the third-lowest rate of opponents’ first-quarter attempts from the restricted area. Conversely, opponents achieved the second-highest rate from mid-range and the 11th-highest rate from the paint (non-restricted area).
- Post-trade deadline, Doncic (7.1) led Dallas with the most first-quarter field goal attempts per game. Kyrie Irving (4.4) was the only other player averaging three or more attempts per first quarter.
- Boston allowed the fourth-lowest rate of opponents’ first-quarter attempts from the restricted area and corners, but gave up more shots from above the break and mid-range.
- Brown (5.7) led Boston in first-quarter field goal attempts per game. Porzingis (4.9) and Jayson Tatum (4.8) were close behind.
Regular Season First Basket Data:
- The game first field goal attempt percentage reflects how often a player took the first shot of the game in the games they started. For example, Kyrie Irving secured the first shot in 11 of 58 starts, giving him a game first FGA percentage of 18.9%.
- The team first field goal attempt percentage shows how often players took their team’s first shot in their starts.
| Game First FGA% | Team First FGA% | Starts | |
| Jaylen Brown | 21.4% | 31.4% | 70 |
| Kyrie Irving | 18.9% | 31% | 58 |
| Jrue Holiday | 15.9% | 20.2% | 69 |
| Al Horford | 15.1% | 18.1% | 33 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | 14% | 24.5% | 57 |
| Luka Doncic | 11.4% | 28.5% | 70 |
| Dereck Lively II | 9.5% | 23.8% | 42 |
| Jayson Tatum | 9.4% | 18.9% | 74 |
| Derrick White | 6.8% | 8.2% | 73 |
| Derrick Jones Jr. | 4.5% | 12.1% | 66 |
| P.J. Washington | 3.5% | 14.2% | 28 |
| Daniel Gafford | 0% | 14.2% | 21 |
Playoff first basket data: The following stats only include games from the 2025 postseason.
| Game First FGA% | Team First FGA% | Starts | |
| Jaylen Brown | 28.5% | 35.7% | 14 |
| Jrue Holiday | 28.5% | 28.5% | 14 |
| Luka Doncic | 23.5% | 41.1% | 17 |
| Jayson Tatum | 14.2% | 28.5% | 14 |
| Kyrie Irving | 11.7% | 11.7% | 17 |
| Daniel Gafford | 5.8% | 17.6% | 17 |
| P.J. Washington | 0% | 23.5% | 17 |
| Al Horford | 0% | 10% | 10 |
| Derrick Jones Jr. | 0% | 5.8% | 17 |
| Kristaps Porzingis | 0% | 0% | 4 |
| Derrick White | 0% | 0% | 14 |