Great to see the mecca of basketball matter again! When Madison Square Garden buzzes the whole world hears the hum. Huge game tonight with the New York Knicks hosting the Indiana Pacers in Game One of their second round Eastern Conference series. Let’s see how sharps (professional wagerers) have been betting that marquee attraction as well as Game Two out West featuring the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.
Indiana at New York (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)
Opening line of New York -6.5 fell quickly to -6. That showed sharp skepticism right away for the Knicks in this price range. Sharps who like a favorite lay the points right away in advance of standard public sentiment for favorites. Dog lovers often wait to see if recreational bettors drive a number higher. This fell right away. After a long stay at six, it fell AGAIN to New York -5.5, then to a floor of New York -5. Very clear sharp sentiment for the fast-paced energetic Pacers a dog of +5.5 or more.
Resistance to the fall finally showed at five. Public money started coming in at that lower number. Possibly some sharps on the Knicks, influenced by series openers in the last round. Indiana lost 109-94 at Milwaukee as a short favorite. New York beat Philadelphia 111-104 laying -4.5. That opening line of New York -6.5 certainly suggested that oddsmakers were “expecting” sharp support for the Knicks to control the series. Those oddsmakers may have just mis-guessed what the “right number” was that expressed series dominance in the opener.
For now, we have a floor of New York -5 and a ceiling of Indiana +6.5. Sharps LOVE the Pacers at +6.5, with many others still liking +6. Money from both pros and the public showed on New York when the five was broached.