The NBA is incredibly popular as a whole, thanks to the presence of star players throughout the league and dynastic teams like the Lakers, Warriors, and Celtics that have made its postseason so compelling. And thanks to sports betting, NBA season is more exciting than ever, with numerous opportunities to get involved with NBA wagering from the opening tip of a season until the final buzzer of the NBA Finals. This guide will help teach you how to bet on the NBA.
There are several types of NBA wagering options to choose from at virtually every sportsbook, with bettors being able to do everything from selecting the outcome of one game to predicting the outcomes of entire seasons.
The most common NBA betting market at any sportsbook, the point spread requires bettors to pick a winner with a point spread or handicap applied to the number of points scored by that team in a game. If a team is favored, points will be deducted from their score, while underdogs have their total boosted by having points added on.
How big, or small, a spread is depends on what a sportsbook thinks the difference in talent is between the two teams, among other situational factors. The goal for bettors playing this market is to find the most favorable spread possible for each game they bet on.
The NBA moneyline wager is the most straightforward form of betting there is. Instead of having to predict a winner with a handicap applied or determine a number of points scored, bettors simply have to determine which team is going to win an NBA game at the end of four quarters and any overtime periods that are played.
Unlike spreads and totals that usually have odds at or near -110 on each side, moneyline betting has odds that vary greatly depending on the perceived gap in quality between teams. Backing a favorite on the moneyline might require a bettor to risk a higher amount to earn the same payout as a spread bet, while backing an underdog might require less of an investment to achieve the same result.
Another sports betting staple that can be used in NBA betting is the over/under wager. In this type of betting, the goal is to accurately predict the number of points that will be scored in an NBA game. Given how efficient offenses have become in the modern NBA by relying more on the three point shot, totals wagers can often come down to how well a team shoots the ball from the perimeter.
In the totals market, there is the ability to place bets on the total scoring done in either half, as well as the whole game. Bettors are also able to wager on the total for one or both teams over the same time period if they so choose.
Teasers are another popular form of wagering at betting sites, with bettors being able to alter betting lines slightly to be more favorable for them. In an NBA teaser, a bettor can select two or more games and move the spread or total by a predetermined number of points in each of those contests.
The more that a line is altered, the less a teaser will pay. But with all of the picks within a teaser needing to win in order for the bet to payout, that is a trade that some NBA bettors are willing to make.
Futures betting in the NBA is exciting in that there are so many different ways to get involved in the futures market. The most common of the futures markets is to decide which team is going to win the NBA championship or which teams will win the Eastern Conference or Western Conference and matchup in the NBA Finals. But that is only the beginning of what futures markets are up for grabs.
Bettors can also predict the winners of each division, with perennial powerhouses like the Lakers and Celtics typically in the mix as favorites. They can also bet on individual awards like the MVP and defensive player of the year. There are even bets available on which player will lead the league in scoring heading into the season.
While futures betting requires patience, as some bets take up to a full season to play out, that patience can be rewarded handsomely if a futures prediction comes to pass.
See NBA Championship Odds (link to futures championship url)
See NBA Win Totals Odds (link to futures team wins url)
See NBA ROY Odds (link to futures ROY url)
See NBA MVP Odds (link to futures MVP url)
Given all of the star power in the NBA, it only makes sense that prop bets on the league are popular at so many sportsbook sites. Player props in the NBA allow bettors to predict how players will perform in specific statistical categories in each game, such as points, rebounds and assists.
There are also team props available, which let bettors test their knowledge on which team will outperform the other in various facets of the game. Finally, game props let bettors wager on everything from whether or not a game will go to overtime to how long it will take for the first three point shot to be made.
Some sportsbooks even allow bettors the opportunity to build their own prop bets using a prop builder or similar tool. With build your own bets, bettors are able to choose a player, a statistical category, and decide a total to play an over/under with. Depending on how attainable that total is, the NBA Vegas odds will change for the custom bet, increasing or decreasing the potential payout.
Live basketball betting is beloved by bettors, as the fast paced nature of NBA basketball is perfect for the live betting environment. In live betting, bettors are able to wager on many of the same markets that were available before each game. The difference is that the odds and betting lines are updated based on what happens on the court.
For example, if a team was favored by five points heading into an NBA game, and starts the game on a 12-0 run, the live betting odds for that team would see them as more than a five point favorite at that point in time.
Those constantly updating odds can provide value to bettors compared to what was available before the game in some cases, especially if bettors are not afraid to anticipate the next big scoring run in a contest.
While the regular season is exciting, NBA basketball betting really gets fun during the NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals. With teams going full tilt in an attempt to earn the championship, taking on the betting odds in the postseason adds more intensity to already intense situations during the playoffs.
There are several ways to bet on the playoffs, with the traditional single game options and futures betting still possible at that stage of the season. One additional market that opens up during the postseason, though, is series betting. Series prices offer the chance to back one team over their opponent in each individual series, with odds changing after each game is complete.
Given the back and forth nature of NBA playoff series, with home court advantage playing a huge role, the changes in odds for each series offer chances for handsome profits if played well.
Not having an adequate strategy before betting is one of the biggest gambling problem areas that some bettors face. The lack of a solid strategy before placing bets can result in wagers that are not fully thought out, which can decrease the chances of winning when wagering on the Association. These strategies can help maximize a bettor’s chances of beating the sportsbook.
While it may sound obvious, the first strategy worth discussing when betting the NBA is to check injury reports and social media before placing bets. With the long season in the NBA, and a long postseason to go with it, teams tend to be cautious with injured star players. Knowing who is going to play and who is not going to play is the most important piece to successful NBA betting.
Also important from a strategic perspective is knowing how different teams perform at home and on the road. Most NBA teams will play better at home than they do away from their arena, but spotting stark differences between the two can open up value betting opportunities that many bettors will not care to notice.
Figuring out the role scheduling plays in a team’s performance is also vital to understanding how to bet NBA basketball. When teams are tasked with playing back to back games, they may reserve their energy for the second game or exhaust themselves in the first game by prioritizing the first contest. Tracking performances in unique scheduling spots is something unique to NBA basketball that can provide a strategic edge.
Finally, bettors looking to do well at NBA betting may want to avoid parlay betting. Basketball is a high variance sport thanks to all of the possessions featured in each game. And given how offensively gifted nearly every player in the league is, one run of hot or cold shooting can tank even the most well thought out parlay. Instead, the way to make money long-term in the NBA is to find advantageous single game betting opportunities.
