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Betting Guide
The NBA is one of the best leagues to bet over/unders on. With the advancement of the three-point shot over the past several seasons and more athletic players than ever, we are seeing the scoring go up and up. It’s a ton of fun to bet the totals as the scoring continues to rise.
A typical over/under or game total is set and then the odds are stagnant at -110 whether you bet over or under. For some, this is enough. For others, we want a little bit better action. This is where alternate game totals come in. If a game is set at 220 total points and you like the over, you can get much better odds if you bet over 225.
This article is going to explain a bit more about how to bet these alternate game totals, but first let’s get into the best places to bet them.
Where To Bet NBA Alternative Game Totals:
America: There is always a huge selection of alternative game totals at Bovada. They typically have lines plus or minus another six points.
Canada: Bodog offer a ton of alternative game totals for each NBA game.
Everywhere Else: One of the best sites for betting these is 888. They offer them on every NBA game of the night.
What are NBA Alternative Game Totals?
An NBA Alternative Game Total is a prop bet where the total on the game is set at a different number with much different odds.
The best example of this would be a game with a total set at 220.
If you bet over or under on a total of 220, the bet is going to be -110 odds. With an alternative point spread, you would get odds that look something like this:
Over 214: -200
Under 214: +150
Over 226: +145
Under 226: -190
These can be great when you think a line is really off in one direction or the other. You can get much better odds on a total.
Those would be the extremes of that line, but you could also bet something like this:
Over 218: -160
Under 218: +120
Over 222: +105
Under 222: -135
This can be a great betting option for when you think a line is a bit too high or too low.
The line is typically set within six points either direction of the regular game total.
Common NBA Alternative Game Totals Questions:
How much has scoring risen over the years?
The 2011-2012 NBA season wasn’t all that long ago, but in the grand scheme of the NBA it feels like a million years ago. That season saw teams averaging a low 96.3 points per game. This was the lowest season per game average since 2003-2004. Ever since that season, the point totals have continued to rise.
The per game shot up to 102.7 in 2015-16 and then jumped again to 105.6 in 2016-17 and then jumped all the way to 111.2 in 2018-19. As players get better at shooting threes and teams realize just how important shooting threes is, there really doesn’t seem to be a limit on just how high this number can get.
How to Bet NBA Alternative Game Totals:
Bovada/Bodog: Head to the basketball section and find the game you are looking to bet on. There will be a game listing with the spread and game total, and then a number with more odds. Click that and you can find alternative point spreads.
888: After searching “Basketball” and getting the list of games, just click on the list of games to expand the betting options. There will be a tab that says “Handicap & Totals”, scroll to “Total Points” and click “show list view” to show all of the alternative point spread options.
NBA Alternative Game Totals Betting Strategy:
One good way to find potentially strong over bets is to look at team’s three point shooting percentages and then the team they are facings three point shooting percentage allowed. If you get two great shooting teams with so-so defenses than that is really a great opportunity for teams to blow away the posted game total.
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