The National Basketball Association, more commonly referred to as the NBA is not only one of the most popular sports leagues for basketball fans, it is one of the most heavily bet professional leagues in the United States. The best way to get in on all the action for any US or Canadian sports bettor is to open an account at any of the sportsbooks listed on the Sports Betting Stats’ website. These are some of the most trusted names in the sports betting industry and they are more than willing to help you bet on some NBA games.
Betting on basketball is very similar to betting on the sport of American football. The most basic bet involves the use of a designated point spread where the favored team in a particular matchup will give the underdog a set number of points in an attempt to even the playing field when it comes to betting on the game.
Unlike football where many of the point spreads take shape around a three-point field goal or a seven-point touchdown, the spreads in basketball can be all over the board. The sportsbook’s goal is to even-out the money wagered on either side of a matchup so do not fall into the trap of thinking the spread is a projected margin of victory. Another thing to keep in mind is that many times the point spread in the NBA is weighted more towards the favored team given the overall betting public’s propensity towards betting on favorites.
Another popular bet when it comes to betting on the NBA is the total line. The bettor, in turn, will place wagers on the total combined score staying “under” or going “over” the set betting line. Many of the 32 NBA teams in the league average more than 100 points a game, so it is common to see total lines set well above 200 points. This is especially true when two offensive powers that are a bit laxed on playing defense face one another. Once again, keep in mind that the total line is often weighted towards a play on the “over” considering that is the way the betting public often leans with this type of NBA bet.
The money line bet is also offered with the majority of NBA games. This is a head-to-head straight-up matchup, where the playing field is leveled by the amount of money you have to risk to bet on the favorite verse the amount of extra money you stand to win by going with the underdog. There is a pretty large disparity between the top NBA teams in the league and the bottom feeders at the opposite end of the spectrum so it is very common to see some pretty wide variances in the money line for each side.
While it is rare that a heavy favorite in the NBA loses a game to a big underdog, especially when playing on its home court, but occasionally it does happen. In a recent regular-season matchup between Golden State and the Los Angeles Lakers, the money line on the visiting Warriors was set at -4000, while the betting odds on the Lakers was set at +2000. The Lakers went on to win that game 112-95 so the “Any Given Sunday” warning in the NFL also applies to the NBA.
One of the other popular options when it comes to betting on the NBA is the ability to parlay bets together. For instance, if you bet three separate games for $100 each, certain sportsbooks will give you the opportunity to parlay all three of these games into one $100 bet. The one caveat is that you have to win all three games to cash-in. The standard return if you are correct on all three picks would be $600, but always remember that the odds are stacked against you in what can be an extremely hard bet to hit.
The best course of action is to check-out any number of betting strategies and tips located in the NBA section of the Sports Betting Stats website to further educate yourself on how to bet on the games. The more you know, the better chance you will have to generate a solid return on investment.