Understanding NBA betting

With over two thirds of US states now having some form of legalized sports betting, millions now have the ability to wager on the NBA and have taken full advantage.

For those that are new to betting on the NBA lines though, it may be tough to understand at first. If you are one of these people then look no further: here is a guide to understanding NBA betting.

Before we get into what you can wager on, it is important that you understand how the odds work. Every market is priced with either a positive (+) or a negative (-) number. The positive numbers tell you how much the bet would win from a $100 wager whilst the negative numbers tell you how much you would need to wager to win $100. And that is pretty much all there is to it. If you are still confused let's use an example. Say you wanted to bet on the Lakers/Nuggets game. The Lakers are priced at +150 and the Nuggets are priced at -150. So in this example, a $100 on the Lakers would win you $150 whilst a $150 on the Nuggets would win you $100. Every bet you place with real money also returns your stake. Now we will have a look at what markets you can wager on.

Picture 1 of Understanding NBA betting

Moneyline

The moneyline is the easiest bet to understand in sports betting. You are simply backing a team to win the game. This will include overtime in the NBA and NFL should the score be tied in normal time. If the game is still tied following OT, the bet is settled as a loss. The moneyline is an easy bet to understand but generally offers lower returns when backing the favourite.

Point Spread

This is only a little more in depth than the moneyline and is one of the most popular bets to make amongst sports bettors. The spread is essentially a virtual handicap that is handed to the favourites before a game. The line is set by the sportsbook you are betting with. So for example let's say the line is set at +/- 1.5. In this scenario, the favourite would be -1.5 and the underdogs +1.5. This means that the favourite would have to win by 2 or more clear points for your bet to win should you back them. On the flip side, if you backed the underdogs they must lose by no more than 1 point. The reason this is such a popular bet is because it is a great way to wager on favourites without the lower returns/odds of the moneyline.

Points total

The total is another easy bet to understand. You are wagering on the total number of points to be scored in a game between both teams. The lines are set by the sportsbook with over/under numbers. For example, will the total points scored in this game be over or under 198.5. So in this scenario, over would be 199 points or more and under would be 198 or less. This market is good for beginners as not a lot of in-depth knowledge is needed.

Player Props

Player props are some of the most exciting bets to place on the NBA, especially if you are watching the game itself. These are bets placed on specific players in the game to reach (or not to reach) particular milestones. These could be points scored, rebounds, assists, blocks, steals and more. These lines are again set by the sportsbook. So, for example you could bet on LeBron James to score over 28.5 points in a game or Nikola Jokic to make under 12.5 rebounds. Whilst these bets are very exciting, they do require research and you will want to be confident of your wager before you make it.

Futures

Futures are also straightforward to understand. You are betting on the future outcome of events in the league. For example, who will win the conference or the finals, who will reach the playoffs or even who will be the end of season MVP. These can be fun to make at the beginning of the year as you can track the progress of the bet all the way through the season.

There are other kinds of bets you can place such as same game parlays where you can combine multiple selections from a single game in one bet. You can also place parlays across multiple different games. These up your odds but are of course tougher to win the more selections you choose.

From this article you should have a better understanding of NBA betting. Enjoy wagering on yet another incredible season of action in the biggest basketball league in the world.

Kareem Winters

Update 07 November 2022