# NBA First Basket Picks Today (May 13, 2026) - Top Plays > First basket picks for May 13, 2026 - 1 games scored across 10 factors including tip-off advantage, first-shot usage, and opponent defense. Updated daily. **Date:** 2026-05-13 **Author:** Jason Bowman **Tags:** First Basket, NBA, Daily Picks, Player Props, Betting Strategy **Full article:** https://heatcheckhq.io/blog/nba-first-basket-picks-may-13-2026 **Live picks & dashboards:** https://heatcheckhq.io --- **Today's best NBA first basket picks for Wednesday, May 13, 2026** are Jarrett Allen (Score: 87 — Jarrett Allen posts a 87.2 composite score tonight), Jalen Duren (Score: 56 — Jalen Duren posts a 55.6 composite score tonight). Rankings are generated by HeatCheck HQ's 10-factor composite scoring model, updated daily. # NBA First Basket Picks Today - May 13, 2026 Jarrett Allen leads the board tonight. > [First Basket dashboard](/nba/first-basket) - live lineup confirmations before locks. > **Yesterday's picks:** [NBA First Basket Picks - May 12](/blog/nba-first-basket-picks-may-12-2026) ## Tonight's Slate - CLE @ DET ## Pick 1: Jarrett Allen — CLE @ DET *23.9% FB rate · 16.4% first shot · 65.6% tip win · L10 3/10 (30.0%) · DvP 28th vs Cs* **Top first-basket play tonight.** 16 first baskets in 67 starts is a 23.9% rate — the kind of stable signal that rewards repetition. Caveat: he's been cold lately — only 1 first basket in his last 5. The season rate is the lean, but size accordingly. ## Pick 2: Jalen Duren — CLE @ DET *16.3% FB rate · 8.8% first shot · 44.1% tip win · L10 2/10 (20.0%) · DvP 19th vs Cs* 13 first baskets in 80 starts is a 16.3% rate — the kind of stable signal that rewards repetition. Caveat: he's been cold lately — only 1 first basket in his last 5. The season rate is the lean, but size accordingly. > **Want the full board?** See all of today's plays on [Top Plays](/top-plays), or dive deeper on the [First Basket dashboard](/nba/first-basket). ## Related Guides - [First Basket Betting Guide](/blog/nba-first-basket-betting-guide) - [NBA DVP Matchups Explained](/blog/nba-dvp-matchups-explained) - [NBA Dashboard Quickstart](/blog/nba-dashboard-quickstart-for-beginners) ## Before You Lock Confirm lineups on the [First Basket dashboard](/nba/first-basket) - starters can change up to 2 hours before tip. Check sportsbook odds against each player's actual first basket rate to see where the line has value. For the complete breakdown of our scoring methodology, tipoff analysis, and bankroll strategy, see the [First Basket Betting Guide](/blog/nba-first-basket-betting-guide). **More from HeatCheck HQ:** - [Live First Basket Dashboard](/nba/first-basket) - real-time data for all tonight's starters - [Streak Plays Tonight](/nba/streaks) - players on hot streaks vs their lines - [First Basket Betting Guide](/blog/nba-first-basket-betting-guide) - full methodology *Picks update as lineups confirm. Bookmark [heatcheckhq.io](https://heatcheckhq.io) for today's full slate.* ## Related Resources - Parent hub: [NBA Props Hub](/blog/topic/nba-props) - Daily stream: [NBA First Basket Picks](/blog/stream/nba-first-basket-picks) - Author: [Jason Bowman](/blog/author/jason-bowman) - Browse all posts: [Sports Betting Insights & Guides](/blog) --- *Data powered by HeatCheck HQ — sports analytics platform. Free tools at https://heatcheckhq.io*