It's a busy day in the NBA. As teams approach their final four to five games of the season, the schedules begin to line up, which leaves bettors with some pretty hefty slates. Tonight's, for example, includes 12 games ranging from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET.
But even with so many matchups from which to choose, most bettors are more focused on baseball this time of year. The current most heavily bet NBA game doesn't match the bet count of even the least heavily bet MLB game.
While overall action may be down, sharps are still finding value on two NBA matchups tonight: Bulls-Wizards and Spurs-Nuggets.
Chicago Bulls @ Washington Wizards
7 p.m. ET
Sharp angle: Bulls (moved from +11 to +10)
Most bettors aren't really interested in putting their money behind the 21-57, 13th-place Bulls, go figure. To be exact, Chicago has drawn just 33% of bets in this game.
Despite their lacking support, the Bulls have fallen from +11 to +10 since opening. Right off the bat, that should serve as a sign of sharp action landing on Chicago, and taking a look at money percentages and Sports Insights' Bet Signals only further serves that indication.
The one-third of bettors taking the points have generated an impressive 78% of dollars wagered on the matchup. While that creates a liability for sportsbooks, it more importantly reveals how their sharper bettors are playing the game, since sharps are more likely to be the ones making bigger bets.
Two Sports Insights Bet Signals, in the form of steam moves, have also hit Chicago. "Steam" refers to a large number of professional bettors getting down on the same side over a short period of time, causing a market-wide line shift.
San Antonio Spurs @ Denver Nuggets
9 p.m. ET
Sharp angle: Nuggets (moved from -4.5 to -5)
Now for a game that should attract some more bettors. With both teams in playoff position, the 4.5-point opening spread had a fair number of bets hitting each side. As of now, Denver is pulling away with a slight 57% majority, but relative to the slate, this is the third-most evenly bet game among the 12.
As far as sharp betting goes, it has been a bit more one-sided. For starters, that 57% Denver backing has accounted for 82% of actual money being wagered on the matchup, once again revealing the opinion of bigger, sharper players.
On top of that, the Nuggets have triggered two steam moves of their own, both coming at -4.5 and driving the number to its current listing.
