The Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans have scored a whole lot of points through the first two games of their Western Conference Semifinal series. Both games were won by the Warriors, with Game 1 ending 123-101 and Game 3 ending 121-116. With Game 3 on the horizon, Las Vegas has decided to respond to the trend we’ve seen out of these teams by doing something unprecedented.
The point total for Game 3 opened up at 230.5, which was half a point behind the highest total in NBA Playoff history, according to The Action Network. The previous highest total of 231 was Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers — the over hit in that game as Golden State clinched a title with a 129-120 win.
But since Game 3 opened up, aggressive action on the over has pushed the line all the way up to 232.5 at some locations (232 at others), giving it the highest point total in postseason history.
Via The Action Network:
Since the total for Game 3 opened, public bettors are relatively split, with 54% of tickets playing the under. However, sharp bettors are not scared of this historically high total.
Not only are 91% of dollars wagered on the over, but Sports Insights’ Bet Signals triggered a Steam Move Thursday afternoon at 230.5 that immediately drove the number up to 232. Over money has continued to flow since then, forcing oddsmakers to bump the total to the current number of 232.5, easily the highest playoff total in our NBA database.
The Warriors’ offense is the Warriors’ offense, while the Pelicans have been clicking on that side of the ball all postseason long, so it makes sense that the point total for Game 3 would be really high. Still, it’s a stunning number to see on the betting board, and while the initial sticker shock may point you to the under, as noted by The Action Network, the sharps are heavy on the over and expect this thing to be another wild shootout.
