With 26 teams already kicking back for the NBA All-Star break, tonight's final slate of the week consists of just two games. Don't fret, though. The schedulers left us with a pair of entertaining matchups to close out the first two-thirds-ish of the season.
The Thunder will travel to Nola to face Zion and the Pelicans, who are looking to enter the break on a four-game heater. OKC, meanwhile, will attempt to not go in on a three-game skid.
And in a highly-anticipated rematch of what turned into a must-watch Round 1 event in November, the Celtics will look for revenge on the Clippers at home tonight.
Both games lined relatively tightly, with the Pels three-point favorites over the Thunder and the Celtics at -2 over the Clips. As you'd expect, both games are also drawing plenty of betting action.
Let's take a look at how bettors — including sharp ones — are playing tonight's matchups, and how oddsmakers are adjusting their lines in response.
Odds as of Thursday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Check out FanDuel, where Action Network users get a risk-free bet up to $500.
Thunder vs. Pelicans
8 p.m. ET | FS-OK
- Spread: Pelicans -3
- Over/under: 234
With no major competition, the Pelicans have cruised into the most popular bet position tonight. Their 83% backing is the highest of any standard bet on the slate.
And while it may make sense that the Average Joe is taking the opportunity to bet Zion as a short home favorite, it's not just the minimum-play bettors laying the points. In fact, the 82% of bettors behind New Orleans have generated an even higher 93% of actual money.
Where there are bigger bettors, there are often sharper ones, and that looks to be the case here — at least based off of the most recent line movement. Sports Insights Bet Signals have tracked three instances of market-shifting sharp action on either side of this spread, but the latest two have both come on the Pels at -2.5.
Given that the line seems to be holding steady at -3 for now (and considering that some books opened down at -1.5), it would seem safe to say that the Pelicans have drawn a bit more action from wiseguys.
The total has seen even more movement, rising from 231 to 234 since opening. And again, the bigger bettors have been among the majority.
The 68% of tickets landing on the over have accounted for 86% of money, and with two sharp-money indicators on the over to the under's one, this line hasn't had any trouble increasing throughout the day.
Clippers vs. Celtics
8 p.m. ET | TNT
- Spread: Celtics -2
- Over/under: 228
This spread has caused a bit more disagreement among the masses, though as the day has played out, the at-home Celtics have emerged as the public side.
The Celts are taking in 59% of bets, and once again, that's been the side holding bigger bettors, as they've accounted for 66% of actual dollars. Like in the game above, that's helped inch up the spread from its opener of -1.
Also helping nudge the line was an influx of smart money tracked by an SI Bet Signal at -1.5.
The total has seen yet another similar bet-vs.-money discrepancy, with 56% of bets on the over making up for 75% of the loot. As a result, the number has gone from 227 to 228, though it's worth noting that the most recent line move was downward, as it had reached a high-water mark of 229.
