NBA First Basket Stats 2025-26: Leaders, Team Rates and Tipoffs
Who scores first in the NBA? This page counts the first field goal of every NBA game in 2025-26 (1,225 regular season, 85 playoffs, 6 play-in) from the play-by-play, then breaks it down by player, team and scoring method. These are the same labels our first basket models learn from; the models add tonight’s lineups, the opponent and the price at every sportsbook.
Most first baskets of the game, 2025-26
Starts are games started. The team column counts the first basket for that player’s team, which is a separate market with two winners per game.
| Player | Team | Starts | First basket of game | Rate | First basket for team | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor Wembanyama | SAS | 77 | 20 | 26% | 32 | 42% |
| Jalen Brunson | NYK | 92 | 19 | 21% | 29 | 32% |
| Evan Mobley | CLE | 81 | 16 | 20% | 26 | 32% |
| Neemias Queta | BOS | 81 | 16 | 20% | 24 | 30% |
| Jamal Murray | DEN | 81 | 16 | 20% | 23 | 28% |
| Jarrett Allen | CLE | 74 | 16 | 22% | 19 | 26% |
| Anthony Edwards | MIN | 68 | 15 | 22% | 23 | 34% |
| Brandon Ingram | TOR | 82 | 14 | 17% | 22 | 27% |
| Bam Adebayo | MIA | 74 | 14 | 19% | 20 | 27% |
| Wendell Carter Jr. | ORL | 84 | 14 | 17% | 19 | 23% |
| Brandon Miller | CHA | 67 | 13 | 19% | 25 | 37% |
| Jalen Duren | DET | 83 | 13 | 16% | 23 | 28% |
| De’Aaron Fox | SAS | 92 | 13 | 14% | 19 | 21% |
| Devin Vassell | SAS | 87 | 12 | 14% | 21 | 24% |
| Alperen Sengun | HOU | 78 | 12 | 15% | 20 | 26% |
| Desmond Bane | ORL | 88 | 11 | 12% | 25 | 28% |
| Luka Doncic | LAL | 64 | 11 | 17% | 20 | 31% |
| Julius Randle | MIN | 91 | 11 | 12% | 20 | 22% |
| LeBron James | LAL | 70 | 11 | 16% | 18 | 26% |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | NYK | 93 | 11 | 12% | 17 | 18% |
| Tyrese Maxey | PHI | 82 | 11 | 13% | 17 | 21% |
| Chet Holmgren | OKC | 83 | 11 | 13% | 16 | 19% |
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | PHI | 53 | 11 | 21% | 14 | 26% |
| Michael Porter Jr. | BKN | 52 | 10 | 19% | 22 | 42% |
| Luguentz Dort | OKC | 83 | 10 | 12% | 22 | 27% |
Highest first basket rate for their team (30+ starts)
| Player | Team | Starts | First basket for team | Rate | First basket of game | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Porter Jr. | BKN | 52 | 22 | 42% | 10 | 19% |
| Victor Wembanyama | SAS | 77 | 32 | 42% | 20 | 26% |
| Ivica Zubac | LAC | 42 | 17 | 40% | 4 | 10% |
| Brandon Miller | CHA | 67 | 25 | 37% | 13 | 19% |
| Joel Embiid | PHI | 45 | 16 | 36% | 8 | 18% |
| Anthony Edwards | MIN | 68 | 23 | 34% | 15 | 22% |
| Jalen Green | PHX | 33 | 11 | 33% | 5 | 15% |
| CJ McCollum | ATL | 31 | 10 | 32% | 6 | 19% |
| Evan Mobley | CLE | 81 | 26 | 32% | 16 | 20% |
| Jalen Brunson | NYK | 92 | 29 | 32% | 19 | 21% |
| Luka Doncic | LAL | 64 | 20 | 31% | 11 | 17% |
| Nikola Jokic | DEN | 71 | 22 | 31% | 10 | 14% |
| Lauri Markkanen | UTA | 42 | 13 | 31% | 8 | 19% |
| John Collins | LAC | 56 | 17 | 30% | 7 | 12% |
| Neemias Queta | BOS | 81 | 24 | 30% | 16 | 20% |
| Khris Middleton | WAS | 34 | 10 | 29% | 4 | 12% |
| Pascal Siakam | IND | 62 | 18 | 29% | 8 | 13% |
| Kel’el Ware | MIA | 35 | 10 | 29% | 6 | 17% |
| Quinten Post | GSW | 35 | 10 | 29% | 6 | 17% |
| Desmond Bane | ORL | 88 | 25 | 28% | 11 | 12% |
| Jamal Murray | DEN | 81 | 23 | 28% | 16 | 20% |
| Zaccharie Risacher | ATL | 46 | 13 | 28% | 4 | 9% |
| Jalen Duren | DET | 83 | 23 | 28% | 13 | 16% |
| Onyeka Okongwu | ATL | 69 | 19 | 28% | 8 | 12% |
| Bam Adebayo | MIA | 74 | 20 | 27% | 14 | 19% |
Which teams score first, and who wins the tipoff
Scored first is the share of games in which the team made the game’s first field goal. Tipoff is the opening jump ball.
| Team | Games | Scored first | Rate | Home | Away | Tipoff wins | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 100 | 61 | 61% | 54% | 68% | 64/97 | 66% |
| San Antonio Spurs | 104 | 61 | 59% | 60% | 58% | 81/103 | 79% |
| New York Knicks | 100 | 58 | 58% | 57% | 59% | 49/99 | 49% |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 92 | 54 | 59% | 59% | 59% | 62/91 | 68% |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 94 | 53 | 56% | 57% | 55% | 50/94 | 53% |
| Orlando Magic | 88 | 50 | 57% | 59% | 55% | 62/86 | 72% |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 96 | 49 | 51% | 49% | 53% | 44/92 | 48% |
| Detroit Pistons | 95 | 49 | 52% | 50% | 53% | 39/90 | 43% |
| Toronto Raptors | 89 | 49 | 55% | 55% | 56% | 38/88 | 43% |
| Phoenix Suns | 88 | 48 | 55% | 60% | 49% | 60/85 | 71% |
| Boston Celtics | 89 | 47 | 53% | 58% | 48% | 37/89 | 42% |
| Miami Heat | 83 | 47 | 57% | 66% | 48% | 51/80 | 64% |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 94 | 46 | 49% | 55% | 43% | 47/89 | 53% |
| Denver Nuggets | 88 | 46 | 52% | 55% | 50% | 45/83 | 54% |
| Utah Jazz | 82 | 45 | 55% | 61% | 49% | 46/81 | 57% |
| Charlotte Hornets | 84 | 43 | 51% | 52% | 50% | 34/82 | 41% |
| Golden State Warriors | 84 | 42 | 50% | 56% | 44% | 38/83 | 46% |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 88 | 41 | 47% | 51% | 42% | 43/87 | 49% |
| Houston Rockets | 88 | 41 | 47% | 50% | 43% | 32/87 | 37% |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 82 | 40 | 49% | 54% | 44% | 20/80 | 25% |
| Atlanta Hawks | 88 | 40 | 45% | 52% | 39% | 42/86 | 49% |
| Sacramento Kings | 82 | 40 | 49% | 56% | 41% | 40/77 | 52% |
| LA Clippers | 83 | 39 | 47% | 52% | 41% | 39/82 | 48% |
| Indiana Pacers | 82 | 36 | 44% | 39% | 49% | 40/82 | 49% |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 80 | 35 | 44% | 45% | 42% | 31/80 | 39% |
| Dallas Mavericks | 81 | 34 | 42% | 41% | 42% | 29/80 | 36% |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 82 | 34 | 41% | 39% | 44% | 24/81 | 30% |
| Brooklyn Nets | 82 | 32 | 39% | 37% | 41% | 44/79 | 56% |
| Washington Wizards | 82 | 29 | 35% | 44% | 27% | 27/81 | 33% |
| Chicago Bulls | 82 | 27 | 33% | 27% | 39% | 29/80 | 36% |
How first baskets are scored
| Method | First baskets | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 3-pointer | 402 | 31% |
| Other 2-pointer (jumper, hook, tip) | 396 | 30% |
| Layup | 361 | 27% |
| Dunk | 157 | 12% |
In 108 of 1,316 games (8%) the game’s first points came from a different player than its first field goal, usually a free throw. That is the difference between a first points market and a first field goal market; our first basket guide explains which books use which.
2024-25 leaders
| Player | Team | Starts | First basket of game | Rate | First basket for team | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alperen Sengun | HOU | 82 | 21 | 26% | 34 | 41% |
| Ivica Zubac | LAC | 87 | 17 | 20% | 28 | 32% |
| Bam Adebayo | MIA | 83 | 16 | 19% | 23 | 28% |
| Desmond Bane | MEM | 74 | 15 | 20% | 22 | 30% |
| Jalen Brunson | NYK | 83 | 14 | 17% | 24 | 29% |
| Jaylen Brown | BOS | 74 | 14 | 19% | 25 | 34% |
| Evan Mobley | CLE | 79 | 14 | 18% | 20 | 25% |
| Julius Randle | MIN | 84 | 13 | 15% | 26 | 31% |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC | 98 | 13 | 13% | 19 | 19% |
| Tobias Harris | DET | 79 | 13 | 16% | 18 | 23% |
Team pages
Atlanta Hawks · Boston Celtics · Brooklyn Nets · Charlotte Hornets · Chicago Bulls · Cleveland Cavaliers · Dallas Mavericks · Denver Nuggets · Detroit Pistons · Golden State Warriors · Houston Rockets · Indiana Pacers · LA Clippers · Los Angeles Lakers · Memphis Grizzlies · Miami Heat · Milwaukee Bucks · Minnesota Timberwolves · New Orleans Pelicans · New York Knicks · Oklahoma City Thunder · Orlando Magic · Philadelphia 76ers · Phoenix Suns · Portland Trail Blazers · Sacramento Kings · San Antonio Spurs · Toronto Raptors · Utah Jazz · Washington Wizards
Who scored the most first baskets in the NBA in 2025-26?
Victor Wembanyama, with 20 first baskets of the game in 77 starts (26%). Jalen Brunson was second with 19.
How often does the home team score first in the NBA?
In 2025-26, the home team made the first field goal in 52% of games.
How often does the team that wins the tipoff score first?
In 833 of 1,315 games with a recorded opening tip (63%), the team that won it also made the first field goal. Winning the ball helps, but a missed first shot hands the chance to the other side.
Are these the picks?
No. This page is history. The picks come from our models, which combine this history with tonight’s starting lineup, the opponent, pace and the price at each book, and post to Discord when a price is better than the projection. See NBA first basket picks.
Source: NBA play-by-play and box scores, 2025-26. Updated October 13, 2026. Back to all stats.