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 Team LeBron leading the way on Sunday.
NBA: Team LeBron -6 over Team Durant
All-Star Saturday was a ton of fun yesterday, with Karl-Anthony Towns winning the three-point shootout while Obi Toppin took home the dunk contest title. Now the actual All-Star game will take place on Sunday, and the public knows who they like. A total of 67 percent of the bets and 63 percent of the public money are laying the points with Team LeBron here, per DraftKings’ internal numbers shared with us.
For whatever reason everyone is counting out Team Durant, as their money line price has climbed up to around +200. That’s pretty steep for an All-Star game. We’ve got all sorts of content for the big game, including a same game parlay with +2274 odds and a player props article.
NCAAB: Rutgers @ #5 Purdue over 139
Shifting our attention from pro hoops to college hoops now. Nothing the public loves more than a good over. Recreational bettors are almost always going to prefer rooting for points rather than a defensive struggle, and that’s certainly the case on Sunday. A total of 87 percent of the bets and 84 percent of the public money are taking the over 139 for this Big Ten battle between Rutgers and Purdue.
This one is a bit interesting since Purdue’s offense has cooled lately. The Boilermakers have been putting up historic numbers for much of the season but now they’ve failed to top 70 points in three straight games. Even that isn’t enough to generate any interest on the under. Check out our full game preview for Rutgers vs Purdue to see if our expert agrees with the public here.
NCAAB: #17 USC -7.5 vs Washington State
From the Big Ten to the Pac-12. #17 USC is hosting Washington State at 7:30 pm ET on FS1, and bettors are flocking to lay the points. A whopping 91 percent of the bets and 85 percent of the public money are taking the Trojans as a sizable favorite. USC only beat the Cougars by two when these teams played in Washington earlier this year, and things will need to be more comfortable here.
The Trojans did just scored a big win over UCLA a couple games ago, which could be what is freshest in everyone’s minds here. Wazzu is riding a 4-game losing streak, so this one isn’t too hard to understand. We have free picks for all the day’s biggest NCAAB matchups.
NHL: Wild @ Oilers over 6.5
Wrapping things up with some hockey. See what I mean about the public and their overs? The same is true on the ice as it is on the hardwood, and we’ve got a big public over brewing for one of the NHL slate’s nightcaps. A total of 73 percent of the bets and 85 percent of the public money are on the over 6.5 in Edmonton.
The gap in those two percentages means some larger volume bets have come in on the over as well. It has to be said that 6.5 is a pretty high total for hockey, and even that isn’t enough to scare anybody away. Head over to our NHL page for free picks on the side and total for every game as well as parlays and prop picks.
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