NBA Betting Odds, Picks & Expert Analysis

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The NBA Finals are the annual championship in which the Eastern and Western Conference Champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion.

In 2020 the NBA Finals were watched by an average of 7.5 million viewers in the US. In Nevada alone it is estimated that bettors staked almost $10 million dollars per game throughout the playoffs.

NBA Moneyline

A  moneyline  wager in basketball betting is a bet on which team you think is going to win the game. There’s no set number of points a team has to win by, or total points you need to predict, you simply choose who will win the game outright.

NBA Over/Under

An  over/under bet , also known as a total bet, allows bettors to choose whether the number of cumulative points scored by both teams will go over or under the listed amount. Overtime is included in basketball betting online.

NBA Spread Betting

A spread bet is a wager on how a matchup will play out with point handicaps given to each team by a sportsbook. Basketball  point spread betting is recognizable by the use of (-) or (+) symbols, with the negative sign indicating the favorite, and positive sign signifying the underdog. You are betting on a team to win by more than the set spread, or the underdog to come within that allotted spread total or win the game outright.

NBA Parlay Bets

A  parlay  wager is a single wager but which includes multiple selections. Each selection, or leg, must be successful in order to win the wager. The odds of each selection are multiplied to offer bigger odds, but it’s a lot more difficult to hit. You can even combine a variety of different picks from different markets, including moneyline, spreads, totals and even props.

NBA Prop Bets

NBA prop bets, or NBA proposition bets, are wagers on the statistical performance of players and teams. For NBA player prop bets, these are based on a player's statistical performance during a game. You can bet on particular categories individually or a combination of points, rebounds, and assists.

NBA team prop bets revolve around a team's performance, but not necessarily the outcome of the game itself. A common NBA team prop bet is a race to score 15 points first, or betting on a team's final total points scored.

NBA Teasers and Pleasers

An NBA teaser bet is a combination wager of at least two different selections. The idea is to adjust the bets with the advantage of points or totals in exchange for a lower payout. In order to win an NBA teaser bet, all your selections in the bets must be correct.

The more points you move, or ‘tease’, shifts the line or spread in your favor, the more of a premium (or slightly less payout) will be available on your bet. NBA pleaser bets do the opposite, pushing the spread towards the sportbook.

NBA Futures

NBA future bets are wagers on events that have yet to occur. Betting on futures allows basketball fans to wager on NBA teams or NCAAB teams to win their respective divisions, conferences or who will win the championship outright. In NBA basketball betting, there are also futures available in the proposition market such as betting on a player to win NBA MVP, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man, Most Improved, or even Coach of the Year.

Live betting on the NBA allows you to place a wager during a match even though the game has already started. Sportsbooks are constantly adjusting their odds depending on how the game is playing out. Live betting, or in-game betting, is a popular way to bet the NBA because it allows you to see how momentum is swinging in a game before locking in a wager.

Here’s an example: the pregame betting line is set at Boston Celtics -3.5 over the Dallas Mavericks. At halftime, the Celtics are leading the game by 10 points. Look for the in-game spread to have adjusted to how the game is playing out. At this point it is probably closer to -6.5. This is a good time to back the Mavericks to keep it close. Alternatively, if it looks like a blowout is about to ensue in the second half, we could take the larger spread knowing how both teams are playing.

Closing lines:

Even the best gamblers struggle to beat NBA closing lines. When it comes to NBA betting, the closing line is the last odds provided by a sportsbook before an event takes place. It is widely understood that by the time a LA Lakers vs Golden State Warriors game is about to begin, all relevant information has been factored into the odds and that the closing line for that game is far more accurate than the opening line was.

If NBA online betting is something you want to do, then make it a priority to be checking odds early on game day or maybe even the night before. Waiting until the last moments before LeBron James tips off against Steph Curry means that you will be dealing with the sharpest and most accurate odds on that game.

Unders and underdogs:

One of the toughest things for anyone who enjoys NBA betting is to put money down on a team who you don’t think will win the game. However, when it comes to NBA online betting, we have to remember that underdogs come through as often as the favorites, once you factor in spreads.

Last year, there was a point in the season when the New York Knicks were a .500 team, but were covering the spread 61% of the time. The Knicks were losing the same amount of games as they were winning, but from a betting the spread standpoint, they were one of the best teams in the league. There is a difference between teams who win and teams who cover.

The same applies for betting on unders. It is widely known that the general public would much prefer to watch a game that is high scoring and are therefore more likely to bet the over on that game. Great NBA online bettors know that betting underdogs and unders will payout as often as favorites and overs will.

Be an expert:

Being an expert when it comes to NBA betting means limiting the number of teams and games you bet on. There are 30 NBA teams and very few of us are experts on every team and every division. Don’t be afraid to lock in on just a few teams or on a particular division.

If you are a fan of the Boston Celtics, then maybe focus the majority of your betting time on other teams in the Eastern Conference, like the Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets or Miami Heat. Becoming an expert on a couple of teams or one division can give you an edge over those who are wagering on every team in the league.

Shop around:

There are lots of options when looking for NBA betting sites, but when it comes to finding the best NBA betting sites that meet all your needs, you have to shop around. Most of the sharp bettors will have multiple accounts at different sites. This isn’t because of the amount of money they bet, it’s because a skilled gambler knows to look at NBA odds from multiple NBA betting sites and then pick the best lines and spreads that interest you the most.

You might like the Philadelphia 76ers to beat the Atlanta Hawks. If you shop around with different online sportsbooks, you will find there are probably three or four different spreads or moneylines for that one particular game – now as an educated gambler who has shopped around, you can pick the odds that work best for you.

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