Basketball betting is rising rapidly in popularity. Whether you’ve bet before or you’re just getting started, there are a few betting basics you should know. Learn NBA moneylines, point spreads, totals, parlays, and more in this comprehensive NBA betting guide.
How to Bet on Basketball
There are ways to gain an edge betting the NBA. With a new season on the horizon, there’s no better time than now to discuss my approach to betting NBA on a nightly basis and learn more about how to bet on basketball effectively.
- Bet Early – start betting as soon as the markets open each morning. oddsmakers and bettors get more information on games as we get closer to tip-off, so betting early allows you to capitalize on the mistakes on the initial lines that oddsmakers release before they are corrected.
- Study and React to Injury Reports – Bet in the early morning, but make sure you’re available in the afternoon to stay tuned into injury news and look to bet on games where an injury could have a significant impact to game.
- Look for Scheduling Advantages – Keep in mind that some teams would have some back to back games during the season and look to fade these teams during these stretches where they’re likely to have tired legs.
- Totals: How Many Possessions Will a Game Have? – Pace is one of the biggest factors when handicapping totals in the NBA. The number of possessions in a game can determine how high-scoring a matchup will be just as much as a team’s offensive efficiency.
- Live Betting – Since in-game odds change frequently based on what’s happening, bettors can use the ever-changing odds to their advantage, capitalize on the volatility of a game, set up arbitrage or middling opportunities, and even hedge previous bets to make a profit.
- Line Shopping – Always have access to multiple sportsbooks to shop for the best line to make the most strategic NBA picks.
- Track Your NBA Bets – One of the best things you can do to become a profitable NBA bettor is to track your bets — everything from a point spread to moneyline to a prop bet, ideally using the sportsbook’s app. After tracking your bets in our app, you’ll know where to put your energy going forward when placing wagers.
Most Common Basketball Betting Types
Point Spread Betting – Like with NFL betting, when two NBA teams aren’t evenly matched, the point spread gives NBA bettors an alternative to picking one team to win over the other. The dog is given an advantage before the game starts, and the favourite is put at a disadvantage. In the NBA, betting against the spread is a great way to make every game interesting, even while the game is live. With 82 games in a season, even the best teams will lose to major underdogs and of course there are plenty of momentum swings, resulting in huge runs. Savvy researchers who pay attention to fatigue, home/road splits, player injuries and coaching changes can all find an edge against their competition.
Point Totals – To make a totals bet, you would wager on whether the combined final score will go OVER or UNDER a set number of points. The NBA is the highest scoring sport of all the major U.S. sports, so it is not uncommon to see totals in the +220’s. When betting on the “total,” you are no longer concerned with which team will win the game. Instead, your focus is strictly on how many points will be scored overall. You may also hear this type of bet referred to as “over-under betting.”
Moneyline – Also known as a straight-up bet, the moneyline is a bet that involves picking a winner. For example, if the Toronto Raptors are the favourite in their matchup against the Boston Celtics, you can bet on them to win outright. Betting basketball moneylines is the most straightforward and basic betting market available, simply allowing you to bet on which team you think will win the game. Sportsbooks most often display moneyline odds in hundreds (American odds). American odds show one team set as the favorite (indicated by a negative value) and one team designated as the underdog (positive value).
Parlays – this type of bet allows you to bundle two or more wagers on one betting slip. Parlays let you take the moneyline from one game, the totals from another, and the spread from a different matchup. With this kind of bet, all wagers on your ticket must hit, otherwise it’s deemed a bust. If you have even one loss, you lose the entire bet. You can also make cross-sport parlays and include college football and NHL bets with your basketball picks. In fact, you can create tickets with any sports that are played concurrently with the NBA season.
Now that you’re all warmed up, pick a sportsbook from our list and bet like you’re Barkley!