The Nets surprised the NBA world with their 111-102 Game 1 victory over the Sixers in Philly. Brooklyn was a consensus 7.5-point underdog prior to the tip, and the outright win paid out at +285. It also gave public bettors a reason to feel confident about taking the eight points that oddsmakers are offering in tonight's Game 2.
Sharp bettors have also taken a liking to a bet in tonight's matchup, and the tools available at Sports Insights and The Action Network help make their opinion clear.
>> All odds as of 12 p.m. ET. Download The Action Network App to get real-time NBA odds and track your bets.
Brooklyn Nets @ Philadelphia 76ers
8 p.m. ET | TNT
Sharp angle: 76ers (moved from -7.5 to -8)
At the time of writing, 57% of bettors are backing Brooklyn, but they've accounted for just 46% of actual money being wagered. That means the bigger bettors — the ones more likely to be sharps — are seeing this game differently.
In addition to the indicative bets vs. dollars discrepancy, the Sixers have triggered two Sports Insights Bet Signals in the form of steam moves. Steam refers to a heavy dose of sharp action hitting the same bet and causes a market-wide line shift — from-7.5 to -8 in this case.
For those looking to tail the sharps, our Bet Labs data suggests that might not be a bad idea. John Ewing wrote earlier today about the success of unpopular favorites in the NBA postseason, finding that favorites receiving less than 45% of bets in the playoffs have gone 142-107-7 against the spread since 2005.
