New to NBA or basketball betting? Our guide will take you through all the essential information, including how to read NBA odds, popular NBA markets and the different types of NBA bets.
If you’re wondering how to bet on NBA games, you’ve come to the right place. Our guide is full of NBA betting advice, including where to bet on NBA games and descriptions of the most common bet types.
From learning how to read any type of NBA betting odds to how each type of bet actually works and everything else in between, you’ll soon have all the insights necessary to start betting on the world’s premier basketball leagues.
How does NBA betting work?
There are many different ways to engage with NBA betting. For example, moneyline, spread, and total bets are the most popular forms of basketball wagering, and these are the odds that go live first for each game. But it doesn’t stop there, however, and here at Betway, we also offer a comprehensive selection of props, first-half bets, and much more for each NBA game.
Outright markets are plentiful with the NBA as well. You can bet on everything from the eventual champion, to whether a team will make the playoffs or who will lead the league in scoring. And NBA betting in general will feel familiar if you have experience betting on other sports.
NBA betting concepts are mostly the same as you will have seen for football, rugby, or American football, though with a few slight differences.
How to read NBA betting odds
When betting on the NBA, odds are often presented in fractional format. This means the number on the left represents the potential winnings if you were to wager the number on the right.
A bet is considered to be odds-on if the number on the left is lower than the number on the right. For example, if the Oklahoma City Thunder were 4/5 to win the NBA Finals, a £5 bet on the Thunder would only have winnings of £4 and a total return of £9 (including your £5 stake).
Fractional odds are the easiest odds format to calculate your potential winnings. Longer odds are often presented as ‘[xx]/1’. For instance, the Sacramento Kings could be priced at 50/1 to win the Pacific Division. A £1 wager here would have potential winnings of £50 (plus your £1 stake), while a £10 wager would see a total return of £510.
NBA betting advice
Research is crucial when betting on the NBA. Bettors should make sure they are as informed as possible, with injury reports being particularly important during the regular season. With only five players on the court at a time, the absence of a key rotation player can completely transform the betting outlook for a game.
A look at how the teams have got on in their previous head-to-head matchups can be informative, and it’s always worth looking at a team’s recent results. Beyond the outcome of their games, try and spot trends like a struggling half-court offence or an inconsistent defence. These can help you to discover where betting value lies.
Wider patterns across the league can be useful. A tweak to officiating might lead to higher points totals, or it could skew in favour of teams with more of a rebounding presence. Perhaps a season has started with the over hitting far more often than the under – does that lead to an overadjustment from the bookies?
Common mistakes when betting on the NBA
There are plenty of common mistakes made by people who know how to bet on NBA action, so make sure to avoid these errors:
Ignoring advanced statistics.
Overlooking injury reports.
Not conducting sufficient research into teams and players.
Sticking with an unsuccessful betting strategy.
Overvaluing teams on reputation rather than performance.
Popular NBA betting markets
When it comes to the different NBA betting markets, here are the core ones you should know about:
NBA Championship winner: A bet on which team will win the NBA Finals. Odds are available soon after the conclusion of the previous season.
NBA teams to make the Playoffs: A wager on whether a team will make or miss the playoffs. The play-in doesn’t count as a playoff appearance.
NBA Cup winner: Recently introduced to add some competitiveness in the middle of the regular season, the NBA Cup is decided by a one-off final.
NBA teams to make the Eastern Conference Finals: This market is all about which teams win two playoff rounds in the Eastern Conference. You can also wager on whether a team will win the Eastern Conference and make the NBA Finals.
NBA teams to make the Western Conference Finals: A team needs to win the first round and the conference semi-finals to reach the Western Conference Finals. The winner of the WCF will play in the NBA Finals.
NBA regular-season MVP: Odds for regular-season MVP go live during the offseason. The award is voted on at the end of the regular season and announced during the playoffs.
Defensive Player of the Year: The award for the best defensive player in the NBA is voted on by media members and announced during the postseason.
Types of NBA bets
As for the types of bets you can make in the NBA, here are the ones we’d recommend starting with:
Moneyline: A wager on which team will win an NBA game, including overtime. There are no ties in the NBA.
Handicap: Sometimes referred to as ‘spread’ betting, handicap bets are a way of levelling the playing field. The underdog is ‘given’ points, and the favourites have to win by a certain margin to cover the handicap.
Totals: An over/under bet on the total number of points in a game, quarter, or half.
Outrights: Any bet placed on the outcome of a future event, like the next MVP, the NBA Cup winner, or whether a team will make the playoffs.
Props: Props cover a wide range of potential NBA bets, including game, team, and player markets. A prop bet is a wager on a market that doesn’t directly impact the outcome of a game.
Bet Builder: When multiple selections from one game are combined to make a wager. All of the picks must land for the bet to cash.
In play: Bets placed after an NBA game has tipped off.
How to place a bet on an NBA game
If you’re looking to place an NBA bet, then you’ll need to head to our account registration page and sign up – you just need to enter the necessary details and complete any required verification to have full access to your Betway account.
From here, select your deposit method. Enter your banking details when prompted and choose how much money you want to add to your account. With money in your account, you can browse the NBA betting markets and decide on the wager(s) you want to place. Simply enter your stake for each bet and place the bet.
Where to bet on NBA markets
Here at Betway, we provide an exceptional range of NBA markets, making us one of the premier destinations when it comes to choosing where to bet on NBA action. We cover all the popular NBA betting options, as well as boasting access to plenty of smaller markets in its basketball odds section.
So, now that you know how to bet on NBA points spread, you can get started taking on the odds. Betway has a variety of betting options available, so whether you’re just getting started with wagering on NBA games or have already honed your betting strategy, you can get started with us today!
Similar to NBA betting
Once you’ve got to grips with how to bet on the NBA, you can apply your knowledge to other hoop competitions around the world. Rapidly growing in popularity, the WNBA season runs throughout the summer months, so betting on WNBA action is a great option during the NBA offseason.
With record-breaking viewership in recent years, more and more fans are placing bets on the latest women’s college basketball odds. But hoops fans can also engage with EuroLeague betting, as Europe’s best teams go head-to-head from autumn through to early summer.
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