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Making winning Bets on the National Basketball Association (NBA)

Many basketball leagues crisscross the globe. Some are good, some are average but all the players in those leagues want to give their best in every game that they play. The pinnacle of basketball leagues is found in the United States of America and it’s known as The National Basketball Association (NBA). Bookmakers across the world offer odds on different types of bets on all of the NBA games.  

How do you make winning bets on NBA games? With the sophistication of online betting continuing to evolve, bookmakers offer a plethora of bets on NBA games. When these bets are combined with the multitude of websites that provide the person placing a bet with all the statistics for teams and the individual players. Placing winning bets will be at the preference of the bettor after combining all the statistics on their preferred online statistical website to make an informed bet decision when placing their bets. 

There are many types of bets available when betting on NBA games. The below are the most popular and the ones on which statistically the most money is wagered on when placing bets on these games.

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Moneyline Betting: Choosing a Team to Win

A Moneyline bet is just a head-to-head wager in which you predict which side will win the game including the possibility of the game going into overtime. The below is a typical Moneyline betting schedule for an NBA game.

Raptors v Pistons – Moneyline

Toronto Raptors200

Detroit Pistons +200

If you on the Pistons to win at +200, that implies you’d earn $2 on a $1 wager, for a total payment of $3. It is critical to remember that the “line” is +100, and therefore if the odds are 200, divide the 200 by 100 to calculate your winnings. If you bet on the Raptors that pays -200, you will gain $.50 on a $1.00 wager, for a total payoff of $1.50. Because the line here is 100, you take the 100 and divide it by the absolute value of the Moneyline price and therefore -200 becomes 200. 

As you would assume, the more a team is favored to win, the less money you will win betting on them. In contrast, the more a team is projected to lose, the more money you will win by betting on them.

Which team will cover the point spread?

Raptors v Pistons – Spreads

Toronto Raptors (Spread -10.5)

Detroit Pistons (Spread +10.5)

Many gamblers like betting spread because they either obtain a greater return on investment when betting on a favorite or want the underdog to keep the game close but not necessarily win. Normally the Moneyline odds on the spread bet will be -110/+110 with the spread being the equalizer between the two teams.

Raptors v Pistons – Spreads including Moneyline Odds

Toronto Raptors (Spread -10.5) (ML odds -110)

Detroit Pistons (Spread +10.5) (ML odds +110)

An against the spread (ATS) betting is one of the traditional big three betting choices, along with money lines and total points scored in a game. Point spreads are a common wagering option in both pro and collegiate football, as well as basketball.

Favorites are always given a negative (-) point spread line, while underdogs are given positive points spread line. In the NBA scenario above, the Raptors would have to beat the Pistons by more than 10 points to cover the spread. 

NBA Totals Betting: Combined Score

A totals bet is betting on whether the combined final score will be OVER or UNDER a certain amount of points. If the Toronto Raptors were to play the Detroit Pistons, the odds would look to be as follows:

Option Points\s

OVER 220

UNDER 220

If you choose the OVER, you must have a total point total of more than 220 to win your bet. If you bet on the UNDER, you must have a total score of 219 or less to win. This is a relatively easy bet to understand, but it does not make the bet any less popular.

Betting with Live Odds – In-Play Betting

While the game is in progress, betting sites will publish live odds. In-play betting allows you to bet on individual plays as well as things like the next team to score or altering spreads. When you find live odds that you like, grab them as soon as you can since they will go immediately. The quicker you can make your selections on live lines, the better.

Whether you are following the game on television, streaming via your laptop, or following on your mobile, In-Play betting allows the bettor to adjust their bet types as the match progresses, which might have been different before the match had started.

Futures Trading: Long-Term Betting

NBA futures are wagers on events that will occur in the future. The most popular future bets available from bookmakers are listed below and are relatively self-explanatory. 

• Win totals in the regular season for each team

• Will Team X qualify for the playoffs?

• Who will win the championship?

• Who will win the Rookie of the Year award?

• Who is the frontrunner to win the MVP award?

Futures bets may be placed at any time before the event. Oddsmakers will announce odds before the start of the season, so it’s ideal to place your bets on your favourites as soon as possible before the lines shift.

Parlays are several bets on a single ticket. 

This sort of bet enables you to combine two or more bets on a single betting slip. Parlays let you take the Moneyline from one game, the totals from another, and the spread from a separate game and combine them. All wagers on your ticket must win for your ticket to be paid out by the bookmaker. 

Basketball Betting Predictions – How to consistently make winning bets

When oddsmakers establish the lines, they take into account a variety of criteria. They consider previous performances, coaching, and players that have run into a vein of form/those that are struggling. 

Consider which team is playing at home when selecting your bets. It’s critical to consider home-court advantage, especially if the opposition team’s previous matches on the road have resulted in many defeats or if their better players seem to be suffering from fatigue because of those away matches.

Momentum is is another betting strategy to explore. When a team is continuously winning, it can frequently go on massive winning runs both straight up and against the spread, and even playing away from home and fatigue will be negated by winning consecutive matches. Be vigilant for these momentum surges in teams at certain points in the season and seize the odds as soon as they appear.