Andrew Ortenberg
Show Bio
The Super Bowl is officially in the rearview mirror, 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 some big contests coming up, which always create 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 Mavericks leading the way on Thursday.
NBA: Mavericks -3.5 @ Pelicans
It’s the last day before the NBA All-Star break, and bettors are celebrating accordingly. The public is never afraid to lay points on the road, and that’s certainly the case on Thursday. A total of 78 percent of the bets and 89 percent of the public money are taking the Mavericks as a favorite on the highway, per DraftKings’ internal numbers shared with us.
This is the second time this week that bettors are lining up to fade New Orleans. Clearly nobody has been swayed by the Pelicans’ recent addition of CJ McCollum. The Pels have had some solid showings recently, but that isn’t enough to garner much interest. Head over to our NBA page for free picks on the side and total for all seven games tonight.
NBA: 76ers @ Bucks over 224
Nothing the public loves more than a good over. Bettors often like to root for maximum excitement and action for marquee matchups, and by far the most highly anticipated NBA showdown of Thursday is this battle on TNT between the 76ers and Bucks. Accordingly, 79 percent of the bets and 81 percent of the public money are coming in on the over.
The 76ers are coming off a game where they mustered only 87 points, but even that isn’t going to scare anybody off this over. I’ve got this game as part of my Thursday NBA mega parlay (+1880), and you won’t want to miss it after we’ve hit two of our past three NBA megas!
NCAAB: Washington State @ UCLA over 132
Shifting our attention now from pro hoops to college hoops. See what I mean about the public and their overs? One of the most interesting Thursday NCAAB games is this PAC 12 showdown between Washington State and UCLA, and bettors want to see lots of points here as well. A total of 88 percent of the bets and a near-unanimous 96 percent of the public money are taking the over 132 here.
This one is interesting because both of these teams are defensive-oriented squads that play at very slow paces, and even *that* isn’t enough for anyone to want to take a nibble on the under. I’ve got this game as part of my Thursday NCAAB mega parlay, which has odds of +1146!
NHL: Bruins +100 @ Islanders
Wrapping things up with some hockey now. Oddsmakers have this game as virtually even, but bettors don’t see it that way. For this Eastern Conference matchup between Boston and New York, 63 percent of the bets and a whopping 89 percent of the public money are coming in on the Bruins at even money.
The gap in those two percentages means that the large volume bets have been on the Bruins as well. Boston has lost six of their last nine games, so this one might be a fade of the Islanders more than anything else. New York has lost six of eight themselves. Be sure to check out our NHL plays for the entire slate.
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