NBA Betting

The fast-paced, high-scoring nature of the NBA makes professional basketball betting one of the most exciting forms of sports betting on the internet. Multiple lead changes, last minute changes in momentum and high pressure free throws all make NBA betting both thrilling and stressful.

Getting started with NBA betting is as easy as learning a few simple bets and then choosing a quality online sportsbook. There are plenty of games to bet on during the season so you will definitely never have a lack of options. If you’re willing to do a little homework, you might even manage to pull a consistent profit by betting on NBA games. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s cover the most common types of NBA bets:

NBA Point Spread Betting

Most NBA betting takes the form of point spread betting. In point spread betting, the goal is to predict which team will win an upcoming game. The point spread itself is used to account for uneven matchups. The team that is expected to win the match is required to win by a certain number of points for it to be considered a win.

For example, if the Denver Nuggets are expected to beat the Boston Celtics, the bet may look something like this:

Denver Nuggets -7
Boston Celtics +7

If you bet on the Nuggets in this game, you will only win if the Nuggets win by more than seven points. If the Nuggets lose the game or they fail to cover the spread, your bet will be considered a loss. If you bet on the Boston Celtics, you will win the bet if the Celtics lose by 7 points or less or win the game.

The payouts for all successful bets are 10/11. That means you are asked to wager $1.10 for every $1.00 in winnings. So if you wager $110 on the game and win the bet, you will receive $100 in winnings.

NBA Money Lines

NBA money lines are the same as moneylines found in every other sport. Instead of using a point spread to even the betting action, sportsbooks offer different payout odds for each team. This makes it so that you win less when you bet on the favorite and you win more when you bet on the underdog.

A typical NBA money line is listed like this:

Denver Nuggets -120
Boston Celtics +135

The Denver Nuggets are expected to win this game so you are asked to risk $1.20 for every $1.00 in potential winnings. The Celtics are viewed as the underdog so you only have to risk $1.00 for every $1.35 in potential winnings.

NBA Totals

Totals are NBA bets in which you try to predict whether the combined score of both teams will be greater than or less than a number that the sportsbook chooses. So let’s say the total for an upcoming Nuggets – Celtics game is 160. You can choose to bet on the “over” or the “under.” If the final score is 82-84, the people who bet on the over win their bets. The people who bet on the under lose their bets.