NBA High Totals Articles | Gambling

By: Richard Bleuze

NBA High Totals

Sometimes the oddsmaker will do a bit of the work for us.  When you see a total that is much higher than you handicapped, it is best to either stay away from the game or tag along with the oddsmaker and play the over.

Most NBA games you will find have posted totals in the 180 to 200 range.  An exception to this general rule is when two good defensive teams meet.  The number is usually below 180.  The opposite holds true when two high-scoring NBA teams meet, the number will climb into the 210 range or higher.

You will find that occasionally there will be totals posted of 220 and higher, which is what we are looking for.

During the 2004-05 to 2008-09 NBA seasons there were 444 NBA games with totals 220 or higher.  Thus, if you had bet each of these NBA games to go over the total, you would have made a nice profit since 236 games went over the total and 208 NBA games went under the total for a percentage of 53.2.

While betting the NBA games to go over the total is not going to make you rich, it is important to remember the trend that most NBA games do total over.   

Another NBA trend that might be of interest is that games played on Saturday consistently went under the total, as there were 22 overs and 46 NBA games that went under.

While the Saturday night trend is interesting to know, it does not make  common sense.  Maybe it is because the public wagers more on Saturday and the line reflects that, but that is kind of a stretch.

Another interesting trend is to look for NBA games where teams from opposing conferences are playing each other and bet those games to go over 220.  A sports bettor who had done that would have a 31-18 record over the past five years.

However, that trend does make common sense since NBA teams are more likely to play conference games with a little more intensity.  This thus means playing tougher defense.  NBA teams within the same conference are usually familiar with the tendencies of individual players since they see each other more often.

In addition, these NBA games will usually involve several different time zones.  Thus, players might require a few days to get adjusted.  This in turn usually means that a tired player is more likely to save a bit of energy on defense, while giving more effort on offense.

Thus, anytime you see a total of 220 or more and the NBA teams are from opposing conferences, take the over.

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