Bad beats: Three bad betting moments from the past week includes a missed NBA Finals halftime over

Needing one made free throw to hit the halftime over, Jimmy Butler came up empty and left bettors hanging during Game 4.

by Devin Jackson

Published June 12, 2023, 12:15 p.m. ET

In sports betting, aside from shopping around for the best odds and picking the most reasonable scenario and prop to win your bets, a little bit of luck is involved to hit big.

On the flip side, nothing is more gut wrenching than getting close to hitting a bet, only to watch it miss in an unfortunate circumstance. We’re here to focus on the latter, highlighting what is called a “bad beat.”

It could be a dreaded backdoor cover. One assist shy of your parlay being completed. An unexpected comeback that not only loses your bet on the spread line, but even on the money line as well.

We’re here to highlight the collection of “bad beats” from bets across sports over the last week. From the NBA Finals point total to a late, near-impossible goal in soccer with just over a minute to go in the match, here’s a look at this week’s unfortunate bad betting beats.

Bad Beat No. 1: Missed free throws causes bettors to miss out on over 106.5 halftime points in Nuggets-Heat Game 4

After the Heat and Nuggets combined for a lowly 41 points during the first quarter of Game 4, the scoring picked up significantly in the second quarter. Near the end of it, the score was closing in on the 106.5-point halftime over/under at Caesars Sportsbook. With 30 seconds left in the half, the score was 55-51 after a Bam Adebayo dunk that cut Denver’s lead to four points.

After a Nikola Jokic offensive foul, Jimmy Butler forced a Michael Porter Jr. shooting foul, leading to a free throw opportunity. Butler needed to make just one free throw for the halftime over to cash with three seconds left in the half. Entering Game 4, Butler had missed one free throw on 11 attempts and was shooting over 80% from the stripe in each of the last two series.

Unfortunately, Butler missed both free throws.

The Heat went on to lose Game 4, 108-95, and face an elimination game Monday night.

Bad Beat No. 2: Dodgers blow late lead to Reds after leading by five runs after five innings

The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a rough stretch over the past week, losing two of three to the Cincinnati Reds and the Phillies. They have dropped at least two games in four of their last five series, and none of their losses may have been as bad as the one they suffered on June 6.

Entering the game, the Dodgers were a -190 favorite at Caesars to win over the Reds (+158) on the money line. After racing out to an 8-3 lead entering the bottom of the fifth, the game seemed well in their control. According to the Action Sports app, the Dodgers had a 96% chance to cover.

The Reds slowly chipped away at the lead, led by their rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz, and trailed 8-6 entering the bottom of the ninth. After loading the bases, Dodgers reliever Caleb Ferguson walked Curt Casali, scoring a run, then he hit Jake Fraley with a pitch, scoring T.J. Hopkins and tying the game at 8.

Ferguson was pulled in favor of Shelby Miller, who gave up the game-winning hit to Matt McLain the next at-bat, scoring Stuart Fairchild and giving the Reds the win as a +158 underdog. Talk about a bad break for Dodgers bettors.

Bad Beat No. 3: Late goal in Columbus-Chicago MLS game causes under 2.5 goal bettors to lose

After a scoreless first half between the Columbus Crew and Chicago Fire on Saturday night, bettors who took the goal total under of 2.5 at FanDuel had to feel pretty good about themselves. Fourteen minutes into the second half, the Crew scored thanks to a Cucho Hernández strike from outside the box to give the Crew a 1-0 lead.

The lead remained until the 88th minute, when the Fire tied up the game with a Xherdan Shaqiri goal. Still, with the 90th minute approaching, bettors still were within range to hit the under on the goal total.

With a minute and a half to go on the four added minutes, the Fire attacking in the Crew’s side of the pitch, a turnover left an open opportunity for Columbus to make a late run. Lucas Zelarayán blasted a shot from the pitch’s midfield, and it found the back of the net from more than 35 yards away, absolutely stunning the Chicago fan base and breaking the hearts of bettors. An unbelievable game-winning goal with an even more unfortunate ending for bettors.