New Year's Day is annually dominated by college football — at least in the sports betting world. And while that tends to reduce action across other major sports, sharp bettors will look in any direction that offers value.
In today's case, that's led them to the NBA, where they've affected lines on two of Tuesday's five games.
>> All odds as of 2:40 p.m. ET. Download The Action Network App to get real-time college football odds and track your bets.
Utah Jazz @ Toronto Raptors
7:30 p.m. ET | NBA TV
Sharp angle: Jazz (moved from +3 to +2)
Only 40% of bettors have taken the points with the Jazz in this one, but the line has dropped from +3 to +2 as of writing (see live odds here), which makes the sharp side relatively clear on its own.
Why would oddsmakers make it easier for more players to win money by giving them a smaller margin for Toronto to cover? Well, they're following the signs from their sharper customers, who have been all over Utah today.
Per our Sports Insights' Bet Signals, wiseguys have hit the Jazz six times, at lines ranging from +3.5 to +2.5.
Philadelphia 76ers @ Los Angeles Clippers
10:30 p.m. ET | PRIME
Sharp angle: 76ers (moved from +3 to +2)
An impressively similar story is taking place in tonight's final tip. Like Utah, Philly is seeing only 39% of bets, but has dropped from a 3-point dog to +2.
The Bet Signal count hasn't been quite as high with the Sixers only triggering three moves, but they do feature another sign of wiseguy activity.
The 39% of bettors playing Philadelphia have accounted for 68% of actual dollars being wagered on the game, meaning the Sixers' average bet size has been much bigger than those on LA. And since sharps generally make bigger bets than squares, that discrepancy once again points to professional action on the dog.
