The Houston Rockets host the Utah Jazz in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals tonight. James Harden and Company are looking to take a commanding 2-0 series lead, but sharps aren't concerned with who will win or cover.
Based on The Action Network's proprietary tools and data, it's clear that professionals are hammering the total.
In a classic Pros vs. Joes matchup, more than 80% of bets are taking the Over. However, despite this heavy Over betting, the total has fallen from 206 to 205.5 across the market, signaling sharp reverse line movement. Bookmaker.eu, one of the sharpest offshore books, is already down to 205.
Normally, if an Over is getting 75% of bets or more, the oddsmakers will raise the total to compensate for the lopsided betting and limit their risk. Instead, the exact opposite happened.
Why would the books drop the total to give public Over bettors a better number? No, they're not being generous and handing out free half-points out of the kindness of their hearts. Oddsmakers dropped the line because sharps got down hard on the Under, creating big liability.
Using Sports Insights' Pro tools, we've noticed six bet signals on the Under, including five reverse line moves. What's most notable: the moves came from six different books, an indication that sharps are united in favor of the Under all across the market.
You can monitor betting data for every game in real time using our live odds page and mobile app (download here).
Pictured: Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell drives against Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13)
