Rob Nelson, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Weekend's worst bad beats

null, College Football, NFL, NBA, Men's College Basketball

Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the weekend's gambling action.


Friday

Oklahoma City Thunder at Philadelphia 76ers

Line: Over/under 213.5 total points

It's one thing to lose an under bet when a game goes to overtime, but it's just that much worse when it takes multiple overtimes. Those who took the under here learned that the hard way with what went down in Philadelphia on Friday night.

The Thunder led 94-83 with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter but went scoreless down the stretch and allowed an 11-0 76ers run that sent the game to overtime. Even with those five extra minutes on the clock, bettors on the under still had life. The 188 combined points at the end of regulation still cleared the closing over/under line by 25.5 points. But after blowing the late fourth-quarter lead, Oklahoma City rallied from down five with 1:07 left in overtime to send the game into double overtime at 102 apiece. That pretty much sealed the deal for the unlucky bettors, who saw the total finally go over midway through the second overtime period.

Final score: Oklahoma City 119, Philadelphia 117 in 3OT (total goes over)


Saturday

Syracuse Orange at Georgetown Hoyas

Line: Syracuse -5

Another overtime game, another bad beat for bettors. This time it was those who backed undefeated Georgetown as a home underdog who were doomed by a bonus five minutes of play.

Georgetown led by 13 with just over 10 minutes left, but Syracuse started to slowly chip away. The Orange eventually tied it up at 69 apiece with a minute left, as overtime was starting to look like a real possibility. After the Hoyas came up empty on yet another possession down the stretch, Syracuse had three shots to win the game -- and ensure a Georgetown cover -- in the final seconds but couldn't get one to fall. In overtime, the Orange missed just one field goal, while the Hoyas continued to throw up bricks. Syracuse went up seven in the final seconds before Georgetown's Jagan Mosely had one last chance to cover with a 3-pointer. He missed, as bettors watched the Hoyas finish 0-for-6 from deep in the overtime frame.

Final score: Syracuse 86, Georgetown 79 in OT (Syracuse covers)

Boise State Broncos at Oregon Ducks

Line: Over/under 63 total points

It's only fitting that the lone bad beat in college football over the weekend came in the Las Vegas Bowl. Bettors who took the under were doomed by late scores in both halves.

Boise State led 24-0 late in the first half, before Oregon rallied with two touchdowns in the final 37 seconds. Neither came on offense. While a 24-14 halftime score wasn't ideal for those on the under, the scoring slowed down in the second half. The Broncos had the ball up 31-21 with less than three minutes left. Ryan Wolpin's 1-yard touchdown with 2:22 left sealed the win for Boise State, putting the Broncos up 38-21. Bettors on the under now needed to avoid another late touchdown, but they would have no such luck. Oregon's Justin Herbert hooked up with Jaylon Reed for an 8-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 1:12 left to push the total over.

Final score: Boise State 38, Oregon 28 (total goes over)


Sunday

New York Jets at New Orleans Saints

Line: Over/under 47 total points

The Saints entered as a 15.5-point favorite, the most they've been favored by in franchise history, but the story for bettors would be what happened in the final minutes in regard to the over/under.

New Orleans led 24-13 at the two-minute warning, with those on the under just needing to avoid multiple scores. A Bryce Petty-to-Elijah McGuire touchdown made it 24-19 with 1:51 left, but when the Saints recovered the ensuing onside kick, it looked like that would be the game's final score. Mark Ingram had other ideas. With New York out of timeouts, Ingram broke free for a 50-yard touchdown to crush those on the under, victims of 13 points scored in an 18-second span.

Final score: New Orleans 31, New York 19 (total goes over)

New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers

Line: New England -2.5 and over/under 53 total points

This game more than lived up to its hype both on the field and in the betting world.

When Jesse James put the Steelers up 30-27 with 28 seconds left, it looked like the road to the Super Bowl was going to go through Pittsburgh in the AFC. It also meant that bets on over 53 points and Steelers +2.5 would be winners. But in a shocking call, it was ruled incomplete since James didn't "survive the ground." Even after the touchdown was taken off the board, the Steelers were still in a position to have their worst-case scenario be a field goal to send the game into overtime, but Ben Roethlisberger was picked off by Duron Harmon in the end zone with five seconds left to stun both Pittsburgh and those on the over.

Final score: New England 27, Pittsburgh 24 (New England covers and total goes under)

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