by Will Rogers
Sunday, Dec 03, 2023I'm dating myself but it doesn't seem like so long ago that NBA totals were regularly in the 180s. Sometimes, scores were a lot lower than that. Companies used to do promotions where they'd give away something free, like a slice of pizza, if the local team would reach 100 points. Those days are long gone. This season, totals are regularly in the 220s and 230s. I recently saw one in the 250s. Even that still wasn't nearly enough. That game finished with 309 points! Are all the high scores leading to more games going over the total than normal? Let's check it out.
If it feels like games have been flying over the total, it's because they have been. Through nearly 300 games, there has been 159 overs compared to 131 unders. That's almost a 55% to 45% split. These things tend to even out. Lines will continue to creep up and eventually the unders should close the gap. Remember last year's games
Fittingly, the 309 point game mentioned above featured the Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers. It should come as no surprise that the Pacers and Hawks were involved. Not only are the Pacers scoring the most points (128.98) in the league, they're also allowing (125.94) the most. Their games average nearly 255 points. The Hawks rank #2 in scoring and are 4th worst in scoring defense.
Top 10 Over Teams
Indiana 16-2
Phoenix 14-6
Dallas 13-6
San Antonio 13-6
Milwaukee 13-7
Charlotte 12-6
Philadelphia 12-6-1
Atlanta 12-7
Washington 12-7
OKC 11-8
Even the best defenses in the league, teams like the Knicks, T-Wolves, Rockets and Celtics are allowing more than 105 points a game. Scoring was way up last year but both the Cavaliers and the Knicks managed to allow less than 100 points a game. The Clippers and Rockets are a pair of teams which are bucking the over trend. They are 11-6 and 12-7 to the under.
I've taken a cautious approach out of the gate with my NBA totals. I've only played five of them, winning three. I was 2-1 with overs and 1-1 with unders. Rest assured, I'll be playing a lot more of them as the season progresses. Again, I look for the unders to even out a little bit. I'll check back a bit later in the season to see if that was the case.
Unless they change the rules, I guess we will have to get used to it. Players are more skilled. The officials seem to give them more space than ever. Call me old-fashioned but I miss seeing the occasional 84-80 game!
If it feels like games have been flying over the total, it's because they have been. Through nearly 300 games, there has been 159 overs compared to 131 unders. That's almost a 55% to 45% split. These things tend to even out. Lines will continue to creep up and eventually the unders should close the gap. Remember last year's games
Fittingly, the 309 point game mentioned above featured the Atlanta Hawks and the Indiana Pacers. It should come as no surprise that the Pacers and Hawks were involved. Not only are the Pacers scoring the most points (128.98) in the league, they're also allowing (125.94) the most. Their games average nearly 255 points. The Hawks rank #2 in scoring and are 4th worst in scoring defense.
Top 10 Over Teams
Indiana 16-2
Phoenix 14-6
Dallas 13-6
San Antonio 13-6
Milwaukee 13-7
Charlotte 12-6
Philadelphia 12-6-1
Atlanta 12-7
Washington 12-7
OKC 11-8
Even the best defenses in the league, teams like the Knicks, T-Wolves, Rockets and Celtics are allowing more than 105 points a game. Scoring was way up last year but both the Cavaliers and the Knicks managed to allow less than 100 points a game. The Clippers and Rockets are a pair of teams which are bucking the over trend. They are 11-6 and 12-7 to the under.
I've taken a cautious approach out of the gate with my NBA totals. I've only played five of them, winning three. I was 2-1 with overs and 1-1 with unders. Rest assured, I'll be playing a lot more of them as the season progresses. Again, I look for the unders to even out a little bit. I'll check back a bit later in the season to see if that was the case.
Unless they change the rules, I guess we will have to get used to it. Players are more skilled. The officials seem to give them more space than ever. Call me old-fashioned but I miss seeing the occasional 84-80 game!
