The NBA is the largest professional basketball league in the world, with players from all across the globe coming to try to make it in the NBA. There are currently 30 teams in the NBA, with 15 teams being in the Eastern Conference, and 15 in the Western Conference. The NBA Playoffs are one of the biggest post season tournaments in professional sports, with 8 teams making it from each conference. Teams are seeded by record between 1 and 8, and the top seed plays the bottom seed and it works its way in. The NBA season is 82 games long, with each post season series a best-of-seven format. The league was originally created in 1946 in New York City. NBA betting became very popular as the league got popular. Today, NBA betting is one of the most popular forms of betting out there; with 82 games in a season, and games almost daily, it leaves quite a few games to bet on. The NBA Playoffs are also very popular to bet on, with a best-of-seven series giving sports bettors a whole different type of angle to look at when betting on the NBA.
NBA Odds and Betting Types
With NBA betting, you’re offered some of the most options on different sports betting options. The first is of course the standard spread betting. Spread betting is when there is a spread set on a game between two teams and the odds are set. For example, if the Los Angeles Lakers are playing the Dallas Mavericks, the Lakers may be favored by -2 with odds of -110; while the Mavericks are +2 with odds of -110. This bet means that if you bet the Los Angeles Lakers, they must win by more than 2 points in order for you to win your bet. Spread betting is the most popular form of NBA betting, but can also be one of the hardest bets to judge and win.
Another type of NBA bet is total betting. Total betting is available in almost every sport, but is not nearly as popular as it should be. For NBA betting, totals are the projected total points between the two teams playing, and you either bet the over on that number or the under. The odds are pretty set on that, only varying a small bit. An example of a total bet, is; say the Charlotte Bobcats are playing the Atlanta Hawks and the total was set at 189.5, the odds would be around -105 or -110. If you were to bet the over, in order for you to win that bet the two teams would have to combine to score 190 or more points; otherwise the under bet would win. Total bets are sometimes called over/unders, and are offered on almost every sports betting site.
The most “unknown” NBA betting type, is prop betting. Prop betting offers quite a few different options as you can take game props, or player props. Game props are props such as, “which team will be the first to score 20 points”, or “which team will score the first basket”. The odds on these prop bets do vary depending on which team has been more consistent at hitting this stat. So if the Miami Heat are playing the Chicago Bulls and you’re betting on the Chicago Bulls to score the first basket, the odds might be -140 if they’ve been more consistent than the Heat have at scoring first.
The other type of prop bets are player props. Player props put a players totals on either just points, points+assists, points+rebounds, or points+assists+rebounds. The total is set at a number, and the odds are set off of that number and are pretty standard. For example if Derrick Rose’s total points+assists are set at 32.5 with odds of -110, and you bet the over; Rose’s total points and assists must add up to be 33 or more for you to win your bet.
Major NBA Events to Bet On
The biggest event for you to bet on in the NBA, is the NBA Finals. The NBA Finals is a seven game series with the two winners of each conference playing for the title. The NBA Finals gives you options for betting on who you think will win the Finals match-up when it’s already been set, or even before the season. Of course if you were to bet the Finals winner when the match-up is set, you won’t get nearly as good of odds as you would if you bet it before the season. For example, if you bet the Chicago Bulls to win the NBA Finals before the season, the odds may be +800, or if you bet them when it’s down to two teams; it may be even -120 if the team is favored in the finals. The NBA Finals gain a huge following not just from fans, but also from sports bettors for it’s excellent number of game prop and player prop bets offered as well.
Tips and Betting Strategy for NBA Betting
When NBA betting, always make sure to do your homework. Also don’t feel like you’re forced to bet the spread on a game just because it’s the most popular bet. Always check out the totals and game props that are offered as well. Another tip is to make sure that you don’t get too crazy when betting on a team to win it all before the season. Just because betting a team gives you great odds, doesn’t make it a great bet. If a team was a lottery team the year before and didn’t improve their roster, it might not be the best bet to make; even if you’re getting very high odds such as +2200. Another thing to remember, is to always read up on any bet that you make. Just because a total bet seems very low, doesn’t mean it is; there’s probably a reason for it being so low, so read up on it a bit and find out why. The biggest tip in NBA betting and any betting, is to make sure you manage your bankroll and make smart bets; if you do that, you’ll be profitable. So get out there and make some NBA bets!