Andrew Ortenberg
Show Bio
The NFL playoffs are winding down, but basketball and hockey are in full swing and baseball is right around the corner. It’s a lot, and we’re grateful for it. There are plenty of crucial contests coming up, which always attract some big public sides. Let’s take a look at where the public money is going as bettors once again try to beat the ‘books, with the Grizzlies leading the way on Saturday.
NBA: Grizzlies -5 vs Wizards
Each year there are a few top teams that the public latches on to and rides the whole way. At the beginning of the season I didn’t anticipate the Grizzlies becoming one of those teams, but here we are. Memphis has started to become a staple of this column, and bettors were all over them yesterday as well. Now they’re going right back to the well, as 86 percent of the bets and 90 percent of the public money are laying the points with them over the Wizards, per DraftKings’ internal numbers shared with us.
The fact that this is the second half of a back-to-back for Memphis isn’t enough to dissuade anyone. Washington started hot but has since been on a relatively sharp decline, so this one isn’t too shocking to see. Check out our full game preview for Wizards vs Grizzlies to see which side our expert is on.
NBA: Raptors @ Heat over 208
Elsewhere on the NBA slate, we have a big public side brewing on a total. There’s nothing the public loves more than a good over, and that’s certainly the case on Saturday. A total of 88 percent of the bets and a whopping 95 percent of the public money are coming in on the over here in Miami. Everybody saw a total in the low 200s and didn’t need to see much else.
The Heat are known for being a defensive team, so this one is a bit interesting to see. This is easily the lowest total of the six Saturday NBA games, and the public is almost never going to go under the lowest total. Head over to our NBA picks tab for free picks on the side and total for every single NBA game!
NHL: Coyotes +105 vs Sabres
Turning our attention to some hockey now. Now here’s something we don’t see every day, a public underdog! Recreational bettors love to hammer their overs and their favorites, so it’s always a nice change of pace when we get something like this. Granted the Coyotes are the slightest of underdogs, but 73 percent of the bets and 89 percent of the public money are on Arizona at home against Buffalo.
The gap between those two percentages also means there have been some large volume bets on the Coyotes as well. This might just be more of a fade of Buffalo than anything else, as bettors likely don’t think they deserve to be a road favorite over just about anybody. We’ve got free plays for every game on a big NHL weekend, and you won’t want to miss them.
NCAAB: #7 Houston -7 @ UCF
Wrapping things up with some college basketball now. We have a huge college hoops slate for Saturday, which always means some big public money sides. There’s a great game tipping off in the AAC later, and bettors know who they like. A near-unanimous 92 percent of the bet tickets are laying the points with the Cougars.
However, this one is worth highlighting because only 62 percent of the handle is on Houston. This is an inverse of the Coyotes situation I talked about above. It means even though bettors are almost exclusively backing Houston, there have been some larger volume bets on the home ‘dog UCF. Perhaps there are some sharp bettors who see some value in fading the public and grabbing the points. Check out our college basketball picks for previews of every big game to get you primed for the whole slate.
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