How is NBA first-quarter scoring measured here?

Every number comes from logged final quarter-by-quarter scores — 970 games over the last year. "For" is what the team scored in the opening quarter; "against" is what they gave up.

How do bettors use first-quarter stats?

Mostly for first-quarter and half-time markets: if a team consistently starts fast or slow, that's worth knowing before taking an early-game over, under or lead bet. Check the number, then check the price on the live odds board.

NBA · 970 games logged

Who starts fast: first-quarter scoring

Q1 is the highest-scoring quarter in the NBA (average 57.9 combined points). The fastest starters are Miami Heat at 31.6 first-quarter points a game, against a league average of 28.9.

Q157.9

Q257.2

Q357.7

Q454.6

Average combined points per quarter, league-wide.

Team	Games	1st-quarter points for	Against
Miami Heat	60	31.6	29.6
San Antonio Spurs	82	31.4	27.1
Los Angeles Lakers	70	30.2	29.2
Denver Nuggets	65	29.9	28.8
Atlanta Hawks	64	29.8	29.7
Portland Trail Blazers	62	29.7	29.8
Memphis Grizzlies	57	29.6	30.4
Oklahoma City Thunder	73	29.6	27.1
Indiana Pacers	58	29.4	30.3
Charlotte Hornets	61	29.4	27.9
Cleveland Cavaliers	73	29.3	28.0
Dallas Mavericks	56	29.2	32.1
Golden State Warriors	62	29.1	28.9
New Orleans Pelicans	56	29.1	30.6
Detroit Pistons	72	29.0	27.7
Boston Celtics	65	28.9	26.0
New York Knicks	79	28.8	28.4
Minnesota Timberwolves	72	28.8	27.6
Utah Jazz	58	28.8	30.8
Phoenix Suns	64	28.7	27.9
Philadelphia 76ers	72	28.6	29.4
Toronto Raptors	64	28.6	27.2
LA Clippers	57	28.4	28.2
Sacramento Kings	58	28.1	30.0
Chicago Bulls	60	28.0	30.4
Orlando Magic	66	27.9	28.2
Houston Rockets	66	27.7	27.4
Washington Wizards	60	26.8	31.6
Milwaukee Bucks	59	26.3	29.7
Brooklyn Nets	60	26.0	30.7

Last 400 days of completed games; teams need at least 8 logged games to appear. Rates update as new games are logged. Last build: 2026-10-29 12:52 UTC.

These numbers meet a price: first-quarter and half-time markets are on the live NBA odds board — or start with our free NBA pick.

Other leagues: MLB · WNBA · AFL · NFL · NHL · NRL · NCAAB · Premier League · Serie A · La Liga · Bundesliga · Ligue 1 · MLS

ATP 8 games

WNBA 1 game

Serie A 2 games

NHL 11 games

Brazil 2 games

NCAAF 4 games

NFL 1 game

WTA 2 games

Cricket 2 games

Ligue 1 2 games

EFL 1 game

La Liga 1 game

UFC 3 games

Who starts fast: first-quarter scoring

Get tomorrow's free pick by email