NBA Betting – The Basics

NBA betting can be complex as there are so many variables to consider. Factors like stats, analytics, current trends, home-court advantage, and player performance drastically impact the outcome of a game. Even the enthusiastic NBA fan may find it hard to stay abreast with ever-evolving news related to the league.

It can be a daunting task to make well-informed basketball bets and even more difficult to consistently pick winners. So in this article, we will provide you with the basic information that you need for betting on different sports and leagues such NBA.

Let’s get started.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the top-tier professional basketball league in the world, with teams in the United States and Canada. Established in 1946, the NBA boasts a rich history and culture.

With the current roster of 30 teams, each team plays 82 games during a regular season before qualifying for the postseason. The top eight teams from both conferences advance to the playoffs culminating with a championship series between the Eastern and Western Conference Champs.

As one of the most-watched American sports leagues worldwide, players from many different countries now compete at the professional level making it the most diverse league around today. 

Moneyline bets are bets on which team will be victorious in a game without considering a point spread. Sportbooks will set odds on each team to win the game outright. Favorites will have negative odds, while underdogs will have positive.

For example, if the odds for a certain game were:

This means you would need to risk $134 on a Lakers victory in order to potentially win $100 or bet $100 on a Heat victory in order to potentially win $115.

This is a more complex type of bet than moneyline bets. Point spread bets are based on the number of points a particular team is expected to win or lose by. Oddsmakers will set up a point spread and then you can choose which team you believe will cover that spread.

For example, the Orlando Magic will visit the Boston Celtics. The oddsmakers set a point spread of 6.5 points, with the Magic being the favorites and the Celtics being the underdogs. If you bet on Orlando to cover this spread, they would need to win by 7 or more points in order for your wager to be successful.

Totals bets are a type of bet that involves predicting whether the total number of points scored by both teams in a game will be over or under a certain amount.

For example, let’s say the oddsmakers set an over/under the line of 225.5 for an upcoming game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns. If you bet on the “over”, then for your wager to be successful both teams would have to combine for 226 points or more. If you bet on the “under” then both teams must combine for 225 points or less.

These are bets on specific occurrences within a game rather than the outcome of the game itself. There are three kinds of props:

These betting markets add a new level of excitement to NBA games, as they allow you to wager on what you think will happen within the game rather than just waiting for the conclusion.

A parlay is a type of bet that involves “linking” two or more individual wagers together. If any of the wagers involved in the parlay lose, the entire parlay is considered a loss. However, if all wagers are successful, then you stand to win significantly more money than you would have by just placing each wager individually.

For example, let’s say you wanted to parlay the following NBA games:

If all three of these wagers were successful, then you would win your parlay and stand to make significantly more money than if you had just placed each bet separately. Parlays offer higher rewards due to the increased risk taken on when placing them but they can be an effective way to add excitement to NBA betting markets.

Futures bets are wagers made on the overall outcome of a season or an entire series. They involve predicting which teams will make it to the playoffs, win their divisions, or even go all the way and win the championship.

These bets offer higher payouts due to the long-term nature of the wager and the greater probability of the bet being successful.

Betting in the NBA requires knowledge and experience in order to be profitable in the long run. There are some basic strategies you can use to increase your chances of success:

By following these strategies, you should be able to make more informed decisions and increase your chances of success when betting on the NBA.