STAY CONNECTED: Have the stories that matter most delivered every night to your email inbox. Subscribe to our daily local news wrap.

Just 23 per cent of Proline bettors predicted Eastern Conference’s NBA all-star win

Feb 21, 2024 | 10:09 AM

Most Proline bettors didn’t see the Eastern Conference winning the NBA’s annual all-star game.

The East defeated the Western Conference 211-186 on Sunday, the first time one team has cracked the 200-point plateau.

According to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., just 23 per cent of Proline players picked the East to win while only 16 per cent had the squad +3.5 points. But 66 per cent expected a high-scoring affair, correctly taking the total over 355.5 points.

On Saturday night, Damian Lillard (three-point contest) and Mac McClung (dunk) were repeat winners. Thirty-six per cent of bettors took McClung to defend his title while Lillard garnered 24 per cent of the action in his.

Steph Curry captured the three-point challenge versus Sabrina Ionsecu. Sixty-three per cent of wagers were on underdog Ionescu.

Both super boosts cashed, with Curry’s three-point challenge win and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 20-plus points in the all-star game. The Oklahoma City Thunder star had 31 points for the Western Conference.

Meanwhile in the NHL, Auston Matthews had three goals to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 9-2 win over Anaheim on Saturday night. Ninety per cent of bettors had Toronto -1.5  while 69 per cent had the total over 6.5 goals.

On Monday, Toronto extended its win streak to four games with a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Sixty-eight per cent of customers took the Leafs to win while 59 per cent had them -1.5 goals,

But just 32 per cent correctly picked the total under 6.5 goals.

The NFL season ended with last weekend’s Super Bowl but despite their loss the San Francisco 49ers (+500) opened as the early pick for next year’s title. Defending-champion Kansas City (+700) and the Buffalo Bills (+800) were just behind.

A Proline digital player cashed in by correctly predicting 12 different American university basketball totals. That turned a $5 bet into a $16,140 payout. 

A retail player won $2,774 from a $2 wager on a nine-pick soccer/hockey parlay.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press