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David Purdum, ESPN Staff Writer
The first NBA Cup semifinal between the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks features the highest betting total on any game since 1991.
The over/under on Pacers-Bucks was 257.5 as of early Thursday afternoon at ESPN BET, five points higher than any other game in more than 30 years and the highest NBA total since the March 21, 1991, contest between the Denver Nuggets and the Golden State Warriors (259), according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Pacers and Bucks tip off at 5 p.m. ET in Las Vegas. Barring dramatic line movement, the total will be the seventh game since 1991 with an over/under total of greater than 250, with four of those instances occurring this season.
The Pacers and Bucks are combining for 250.7 points per game entering Thursday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the second-most combined points per game in NBA history (1961 Cincinnati Royals-San Francisco Warriors, 252.3). Pacers games have gone over the total in 16 of the team’s first 19 contests this season, while 14 of the Bucks’ first 21 games have gone over.
The early betting action on the Pacers-Bucks total was divided at sportsbooks, with DraftKings reporting Thursday that 55% of the bets were on the under while 57% of the money wagered was on the over.