Useful tips to bet on the NBA playoffs in 2022

Don't panic though because we've got a guide to the betting markets that may well help you through the NBA playoffs in a winning position.

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NBA Playoffs 2022: What can I bet on?

If you're looking to get involved with some NBA betting but it's something you've never explored in massive detail in the past then simply knowing what markets are available to bet on could well be useful. You can find the complete odds here and explore different markets: https://www.bovada.lv/nba-betting

Nonetheless, before betting you should pay attention at some important tips that might save you some money in the future.

Outright Betting

Championship Betting

The first thing you can look to wager on is the outright Championship odds; this is where you'd predict who will actually win the NBA Championship. Generally speaking, the earlier you place this bet the better odds you will receive. Even in simplistic terms – which discounts things like form and the route to the Championship showdown – it's easy to understand why.

Right now, there are eight teams that are still in the race. Picking one of eight is a much harder task compared to waiting until just before the Finals when you have a choice between two teams. As a result, you'll get bigger odds. For example, the Warriors are the current favorites as +215. Last year, prior to the Finals, it was a straight shootout between the Bucks and the Suns. The Suns were favorites at just -180 with the Bucks +145 underdogs.

The trick is weighing up the betting value. There is no point betting on the Grizzlies at +5000 now if you have major concerns they won't make it to the Finals.

Conference Betting

We won't spend long talking about betting on the Conference winners as the logic behind it is very similar to what we've just discussed in the Championship betting. Nonetheless, it's another avenue you can explore and, in many ways, it's easier to predict than the Championship itself. At this moment in time, there are four teams left standing in each Conference.

What you are betting on is who will go all the way to the Finals. You could pool both Conferences together in a 'double bet' or you could select one – or both – and place them as 'single bets'.

What is the difference we hear you ask? In a single bet, you make one prediction and if that comes true, you win. If it loses, it loses. In a double bet, you would make two predictions as one bet. In order to win, both predictions need to come true. There are variations around this where you can afford to get a prediction wrong but these come with a need to multiply your stake and are much less popular.

MVP Betting

Like those betting markets mentioned beforehand, the option to bet on the MVP is something that exists all season long. That said, it tends to attract more money as the Finals get closer because the pool of contenders is squeezed considerably.

The odds metrics move similarly to the other bets we've mentioned too in that the more teams that drop out of the running, the more the odds will reduce as the probability of picking a winner increases. As for what you're betting on, you have two choices. You can either bet on the season MVP as a whole or focus on the Finals itself and back a player to win the Finals MVP award.

Series and Match Betting

What is this sort of bet?

Right, very briefly, let's just touch on what game and series betting is. Very simply, you are placing a bet across either a specific series or a specific game. Behind this though there are a few key markets that will be of interest.

Money Lines

A money line bet is the easiest bet out there; you are simply placing a bet based on how you expect the game to end. Will it be a win, loss or draw. These bets can usually be placed before the event or during the event.

Spread betting

Spread betting is a more complex form of money line betting. Ordinarily, you are still backing a team to win but the 'spread' relates to the margin of victory – or defeat. For example, in a money line if you were backing the Bucks to beat the Celtics then you'd simply need the Bucks to win. If, however, you backed them with a spread of +4.5 points then they'd need to win by a margin of five or more points. You can think of it as the team either having or facing a handicap.

Total Points

As betting markets go, the total points is perhaps the cleanest of the lot as it 'does what it says on the tin'. You are simply betting on the total number of points in a match. Whilst you can bet on the exact number of points in a game the most common type of bet in this area is betting on an over or under prediction.

In order to keep this clean bookmakers will offer something along the lines of 'over 120.5' or 'under 120.5'. If you bet on 'over' then the total points for both teams combined must be 121 or more. If you bet on under, the total points must be 120 or fewer. Beyond total points, you can also wager on the total points by team.

David Pac

Update 12 March 2022