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.
Jonas Valanciunas | Herbert Jones
| Prop | Valanciunas (+550) | Jones (+1700) |
| Matchup | Bulls vs. Pelicans |
| Time | 8 p.m. ET |
| Book | FanDuel |
The New Orleans Pelicans will host the Chicago Bulls Wednesday evening in a rematch of a game played Nov. 9 in Chicago. Nikola Vucevic (40% opening-tip win rate) will be jumping at center against Jonas Valanciunas (48% win rate). The two centers have faced off against each other five times in the past two seasons, with Valanciunas controlling the tip in three of the five matchups.
The Pelicans are much improved this season in scoring first with a success rate of 64% (was 39% last season). The Bulls have struggled in early possessions this season and have scored first in only 29% of games played. Vucevic has really struggled on the tip-off this season, only winning the tip-off 29% of the time.
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Zion Williamson sat out Tuesday nights game with a foot injury and is questionable to play tonight.
In the matchup last week, the Pelicans won the tip and Herbert Jones scored first with a layup. Jones went on to score 17 points that game and Valanciunas scored 21 points. Both of those outputs were well above their season averages.
Jones is currently at extremely high odds (+1700) for a guy who has taken the first or second attempt for the Pelicans in each of the past four games. I'll pair him with Valanciunas tonight and hope one of them hits the first basket tonight.
The Pick: Herb Jones (+1700; 0.3 units) — Play down to +1300 | Jonas Valanciunas (+550 0.7u) — Play down to +450
Bulls vs. Pelicans First Basket Data
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