NBA Second-Half Stats Totals Betting

When Michael Jordan began his NBA career in 1983-84, teams averaged 110.1 points per game.

When Jordan finally retired after the 2002-03 season, the average points scored per team was 95.1 per game, 15 points less than when MJ started.

This year, just over 20 years after Michael hung up his Air Jordan’s, scoring across the league is at its highest total since the 1969-70 season.

NBA teams are averaging over 115 points per game, 20 more than when the game’s greatest scorer retired.

All these points might have coaches pulling out their hair, wondering what happened to team defense. They might also signify an opportunity for NBA bettors to cash some winning tickets.

Let’s examine how this league-wide scoring trend could impact betting on NBA Second-Half totals.

If you enjoy betting NBA second-half totals, you will also enjoy NBA 3rd QTR and NBA 4th QTR point spread betting.

Betting NBA Second-Half Totals

NBA Totals betting, also commonly referred to as Over/Under betting, is all about predicting the total number of combined points both teams will score.

For those already familiar with NBA Over/Under betting, betting second-half totals will be a quick study.

The only difference between traditional NBA O/U betting and Second-Half O/U betting is that we only try to predict the combined points of the game’s final two quarters.

Understanding how teams perform in the second half and trying to identify team trends we can take advantage of, can be advantageous for bettors.

It is important to realize that the sportsbooks that offer this bet do so only at the end of the first half (before the second half starts).

A bettor has a very small window of opportunity to find this bet, but many believe bettors have an advantage because sportsbooks have little time to set odds properly.

Let’s have a look at some of the 2023-24 data that could prove beneficial.

2023-24 Top 5 Teams – Points Per 2nd Half

Teams	2nd-Half PTS	Overall PTS	Rank	2ndHalf PTS %
Milwaukee	62.8	124.4	2	50.4%
Indiana	62.6	124.5	1	50.2%
Oklahoma City	60.8	121.2	3	50.1%
LA Clippers	59.1	118.2	10	50%
Golden State	59	118.6	9	49.7%

Many of us already know that historically, the fourth quarter of an NBA game averages the fewest points. Teams, on average, score slightly more points in the first half than in the second half.

Our table above shows us that the teams that lead the league in second-half scoring score more points in the second half than in the first.

Finding teams who score as much or more in the second half, compared to the first half, might be an opportunity for bettors against sportsbooks, who typically set 1st-half totals higher than 2nd-half totals.

How BestOdds.com Stats Hub Can Help

The BestOdds.com stats hub has some truly amazing information for many different NBA niche prop bets, including Second-Half totals betting.

Many great stats are being tracked that will simplify the handicapping process and allow us to make the most informed decisions possible.

Let’s examine some of those key stats now.

Second-Half Over/Under Record

Let’s not over think things.

Finding a team’s second-half O/U record hasn’t always been easy to do (until now), but it is a great starting point for researching some potential 2nd-half O/U bets. 

Whether a team is on a long Over or a long Under streak, that information is always good to know before we get our bet down.

Second Half O/U Margin

The second-half O/U margin is interesting because it provides a more detailed look at a team’s O/U record.

The margin tells us how close a team is on average to the total set by sportsbooks.

For example – The Milwaukee Bucks have a margin of +3.19 for this bet. This tells us that Milwaukee games are averaging 3.19 points more than the total being set by sportsbooks.

Team Points Scored Per Second-Half

It’s not hard to search the web and find out how many points every NBA team is averaging per game. However, finding how many points each team scores in the second half is not nearly as easy.

Until now.

If you like betting second-half totals, you really have to bookmark this page.

Team Points Allowed Per Game

There are two ends to an NBA court, and although many basketball purists will tell you that teams only play at one end of the court these days, the reality is we need to understand how good a team is offensively AND defensively.

BestOdds.com gives you access to a team’s second-half offensive points scored, and we complete the picture by also providing the number of second-half points teams allow.

NBA Second-Half Over/Under Odds

Understanding how the odds work for NBA Second-Half Totals betting is quite easy, especially if you are familiar with reading odds for other types of NBA bets.

Matchup	Game Total (O/U)	2nd Half Total (O/U)
Milwaukee vs Denver	Over 237.5 | -110	Over 120.5 | -120
	Under 237.5 | -110	Under 120.5 | -110

Our table above shows a couple of key numbers a bettor needs to focus on.

The first number is the actual total set by the sportsbook. In our example above, the second-half total has been set at 120.5 points.

As a bettor, we must decide whether the Bucks and Nuggets will combine to score More (over) or Less (under) than 120.5 points.

The second number we have to be aware of is the moneyline associated with both sides of this bet.

We can see that the 120.5 Over has a moneyline of -120, and the Under is at -110.

If you are a $10 bettor, the -120 odds on the over mean you could earn $8.33 in profit if the over comes through.

If you are a $10 bettor, the -110 odds on the under mean you could earn $9.09 in profit if the under comes through.

Similar NBA Bets To Consider

Not every online sportsbook offers Second-Half totals betting. Instead, some prefer to offer a total on the 3rd QTR and the 4th QTR individually.

An example of one sportsbook who prefers to do it a slightly different way is FanDuel.

In our Milwaukee Bucks vs Denver Nuggets example above, we found a sportsbook offering the 2nd-half total at 120.5 points.

FanDuel Second-Half Totals Options

Matchup	3rd QTR O/U	4th QTR O/U
Milwaukee vs Denver	Over 60.5 | -115	Over 59.5 | -120
	Under 60.5 | -105	Under 59.5 | -110

The table above shows that FanDuel offers a very similar overall total for the Bucks vs. Nuggets second half, but they break it down into a third-quarter and fourth-quarter wager.

Where To Find NBA Second-Half Totals Betting

Not every sportsbook offers a second-half totals line for bettors.

FanDuel, BetMGM, and several other sportsbooks prefer to offer 3rd Quarter and 4th Quarter totals instead of a second-half total.

For those looking for a sportsbook offering Second-Half totals specifically, DraftKings is the most popular sportsbook for this bet.