Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

sports betting:

Vegas Play of the Day: Utah at Houston

USA Basketball Announces Team

Steve Marcus

James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder arrives at a news conference for the twelve players selected for the 2012 U.S. Olympic mens basketball team at the Wynn Las Vegas Saturday, July 7, 2012.

Here’s the latest installment of the Play of the Day, which uses odds from the South Point.

Our three sports writers started with a $10,000 bankroll — fictional, of course.

Utah at Houston, Total Under 205: $440 to win $400 : I rarely bet totals under in basketball, dreading the uncertainty at the end of a game — fouls to extend play or overtime can push the total over. But we’ll make an exception today because both teams played Sunday and shouldn’t have much left in the tank. That means Utah, one of the NBA’s worst teams, will be giving quality minutes to its reserves.

Yes, Houston is the third-highest scoring team in the NBA with 106 points per game and the Rockets’ James Harden can score 40 points seemingly at will. But Utah barely scores 90 points per game, meaning double-digit favorite Houston should have a victory in the bag by midway through the third quarter. The fourth quarter would simply be going through the motions.

Standings: Bern (14-10, $10,440), Keefer (11-12, $8,897), Brewer (7-12-3, $6,390)

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21

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