The NBA season is off and running, Halloween has come and gone (though it's still socially acceptable to wear costumes to bars this weekend) and college basketball starts next week.
Before we know it, a new decade will be starting up … yikes.
Right now, the NBA dominates the Friday sports slate when it comes to betting. With eight games tonight, bettors have a nice selection of games from which to choose.
Here are two Friday matchups that sharp bettors have hit particularly hard.
Odds as of Friday at 1 p.m. ET and via PointsBet, where Action Network users can access an exclusive promotion to get a 200% deposit match (deposit $50, bet with $150).
Houston Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets
7 p.m. ET | ESPN
The Rockets are coming off somewhat of a barn burner — a 159-158 win over the Wizards, which finished with the third-most points ever scored in a game with no overtimes.
The new-look Rockets can certainly score, but their defense is lacking. Here's how many points they've allowed in their four games so far:
- 117
- 123
- 112
- 158
Houston's most recent game certainly skews things, but it ranks first in scoring and first in points allowed per game. The Rockets' 108.75 pace ranks second in the league to the Grizzlies, and their opponent tonight, the Nets, rank seventh.
We might see some points scored tonight, eh? Sharps certainly think so.
After opening at 241, this over/under initially dropped to 239.5, but it's now up to a whopping 244 — one point shy of the highest total we've ever tracked, dating back to 2005.
Both totals of 244+ we've tracked are from 2009 Suns games and both went over, one by 40 points.
To my surprise, the under is getting 52% of bets, but it's the over that's getting 70% of the money. These large bets have helped boost the total into historic territory.
In case you're wondering, unders have gone 15-10 in games with totals of 240 or higher per Bet Labs.
Sharp Angle: Over (moved from 239.5 to 244) [In New Jersey? Bet now at PointsBet]
Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers
7 p.m. ET | FS-IN
This total isn't nearly as high and certainly doesn't have as much buzz as the Rockets-Nets game, but sharp bettors are hitting the over just as hard.
This bad boy opened at 211, but also fell in the early going to 210. Since then, money has flowed in on the over like the beer flowing in Aspen.
The over is slightly more popular in this game (52%), but the money is stacking up at an even higher rate (92%). It's no surprise that the total is up to between 214.5 and 215.5 around the market.
We've also tracked three steam moves on the over — two at 210.5 and one at 214. I'd be a little surprised if more sharp action struck the over given the extreme line movement we've already seen.
In fact, I'd keep an eye out for buyback on the under.
Sharp Angle: Over (moved from 210 to 215) [In New Jersey? Bet now at PointsBet]
