NBA betting offers a wide range of options for adding excitement to the game.
From moneylines and spreads to totals, props, futures, and more, there’s a wager for everyone.
To be successful in NBA betting, bettors should do their research, stay up-to-date on the latest news and trends, and make informed decisions based on various factors.
With a bit of skill, knowledge, and luck, bettors can enjoy the thrill of NBA betting and potentially earn some profits along the way.
Moneylines
Moneyline betting in the NBA is a type of wager where you simply bet on which team will win the game. You’re not concerned with whether a team wins by a certain number of points, but rather if they win the game outright.
Each team is assigned odds by the sportsbook based on their perceived chances of winning the game, and that can change based on activity by bettors on both sides.
A favorite team will be assigned a negative odds value, while the underdog team will be assigned a positive odds value. The size of the odds value indicates the payout you can expect if you place a winning bet.
For example, let’s say the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing against the Brooklyn Nets, and the Nets are -175 favorites to win the game.
If you wagered $175 on Brooklyn to win, you would net $100. Conversely, if the Cavaliers are the underdogs with a moneyline of +225, a successful $100 bet on Cleveland would net $225 if it won the game outright.
Moneyline betting can be a great option for beginners who are new to NBA betting or for bettors who want a simple, straightforward wagering experience.
However, it’s important to note that the odds assigned to each team reflect the perceived likelihood of them winning. As such, favorites will have lower odds and betting on them will require a larger investment to win less money. Meanwhile, underdogs will have plus-money odds, and a smaller bet is capable of returning a larger payout.
Spreads
Spread betting in the NBA is a type of wager where you bet on the point difference between two teams in a game. The sportsbook assigns a point spread for each game to even out the odds, making it more challenging to pick the winner.
The point spread is designed to give bettors a more balanced betting experience by making it more difficult for the favorite team to win by a large margin, and conversely, making it easier for the underdog team to cover the spread by either winning outright or losing by a small margin.
For example, let’s say the Boston Celtics are playing against the Miami Heat, and the Celtics are favored by 6.5 points.
In this situation, the Celtics need to win the game by seven points or more to cover the spread. Conversely, if you bet on the Heat at +6.5, your wager is successful if Miami loses by six or fewer points or wins the game outright.
Spread betting can be a useful option for NBA bettors who want a more challenging betting experience.
However, it’s important to note that the point spread assigned to each team reflects the sportsbook’s estimation of the point differential between the two teams. Do your research and consider factors such as team performance, injury reports, and home-court advantage before placing a spread bet.
Totals
NBA totals betting involves wagering Over or Under on the total number of points that will be scored in a game.
In NBA totals betting, it is paramount to account for the pace and efficiency of each team. Pace refers to how quickly a team plays, while efficiency refers to how well a team scores on each possession.
Teams with a fast pace and high efficiency tend to score a lot of points, which can lead to high totals. Conversely, teams with a slow pace and low efficiency tend to score fewer points, which can lead to lower totals.
For example, if the Golden State Warriors are playing against the Houston Rockets, and the total assigned by the sportsbook is 220.5 points, you can bet on whether the two teams will score more than 220.5 points or less than 220.5 points. If you bet on the Over and the final score is 121-100, the total points scored would be 221, which means you would win the bet.
Totals betting can be a great option for NBA bettors who want to focus on the overall score of the game instead of which team will win or lose. By considering factors such as pace and efficiency, bettors can make informed decisions and potentially earn profits from NBA totals betting.
What other types of NBA Betting odds are available?
In all of these types of NBA betting, it’s important for bettors to consider various factors, such as team performance, injury reports, and home-court advantage, before placing a wager.
Being an informed bettor increases your chances of success.
Futures Betting
Futures bets in the NBA are wagers on season-long events, such as predicting the winner of the NBA Championship, the league’s MVP, Rookie of the Year, or Sixth Man of the Year.
Most NBA futures betting tends to take place during the offseason. However, you can still place wagers on many of these awards up until the time they are handed out.
For example, you can back a talented prospect like Victor Wembanyama to win Rookie of the Year or a player like Immanuel Quickley to win Sixth Man of the Year.
These bets can offer higher payouts than single-game bets, but are also riskier since the outcome is not immediate. Trades, injuries, and more in-season variance can affect these markets at any time.
Prop Betting
Prop betting in the NBA is a great way to add some excitement to any game you’re watching.
Prop bets are wagers on specific outcomes within a game, and are generally categorized under player props and team props. Examples of these include the total points scored by a particular player, the total number of rebounds for a team, or the first team to score.
NBA prop betting offers up a vast array of options, making it arguably the most popular market among basketball bettors.
For example, you can place a prop bet on LeBron James to score Over/Under 30 points in a particular game. If James scores 31 points or more, an Over bet would cash. Conversely, if James scores 29 points or fewer, an Under bet would pay out.
Parlay Betting
NBA Parlay betting can be an attractive option for bettors looking to take advantage of multiple opportunities.
Let’s say you want to place a parlay bet on three NBA games: Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers vs Golden State Warriors, and Brooklyn Nets vs Milwaukee Bucks:
- For the first game, you bet on the Celtics to win with a moneyline of -120.
- For the second game, you bet on the Lakers to cover the spread of -2.5 with odds of -110.
- And for the third game, you bet on the Nets and Bucks to score Over 226.5 total points with odds of -115.
If all three of your bets are correct, your parlay bet would win, and you would receive a payout based on the combined odds of all three bets.
Parlay bets offer higher potential payouts than single bets, but are riskier because all of the individual bets must be successful for the parlay bet to win.
For example, let’s say you placed a $100 parlay bet on the above three games. The Celtics win their game, the Lakers cover the spread, and the Nets and Bucks score Over 226.5 total points. The combined odds of these three bets would be approximately +540.
This means that if your parlay bet is successful, you would win $540 in addition to your initial $100 bet. However, if even one of your individual bets is incorrect, your entire parlay bet would lose.
Teaser Betting
Teaser betting is less popular in the NBA than it is in the NFL, where points are harder to come by and spread betting is much more popular.
Unlike football teasers that swing the spread by 6-7 points, basketball teasers typically allow for 4-6 points of movement in either direction.
While these every point can make the difference, bettors must strike a balance between the potential payout and risk when making teaser bets.
Round Robin Betting
NBA round-robin bets are also relatively rare.
Round robins allow a bettor to make multiple parlay bets at once, with each consisting of a similar group of individual plays.
For example, let’s say you like four underdogs on an NBA slate: the Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, and San Antonio Spurs.
Instead of placing individual bets on each team, you can create a round-robin parlay that accounts for all the possible outcomes of those teams winning.
For instance, one of the three-team parlays could be Bulls, Hawks, and Heat, while another could be Hawks, Heat, and Spurs.
NBA round-robin bets offer bettors a chance to potentially profit from multiple outcomes. However, remember to consider the different combinations of selected teams and managing the cost of your tickets.