With multiple games on the schedule almost every day during the season, the NBA offers sports bettors the opportunity to consider how to make outcome-based predictions on a nearly daily basis. Here are some terms worth knowing if you want to become more familiar with NBA betting:
The term “lines” refers to odds for bettable outcomes in NBA games, including money lines, spreads and totals. Betting on the money line means placing a wager on the winner of the game, no matter the final score. The favored team will return a lower profit than the underdog in the event of a win, with the odds correlated to the likelihood of each side winning as set by the sportsbook. If a money line is presented with a negative number, it represents the size of the wager needed to win $100. If the odds are positive, they represent profit potential on a $100 bet. For example, a -200 favorite would require a $200 bet to have the opportunity to win $100, while a +200 underdog would pay $200 in profit on a successful $100 wager. Spreads bring scoring margin into play while providing payouts closer to $100 no matter which side a bettor takes. For a 3.5-point spread, a favorite indicated by -3.5 would have to win by four or more points in order to cover, or win the bet. The +3.5 underdog would cover by winning the game or losing by fewer than three points. Spreads involving whole numbers such as 4 also bring the potential of a push, which happens when a game lands exactly on the spread and results in refunded stakes to bettors on each side.
Wagering on totals involves taking a position on the number of points scored in a game or a portion of the game, such as the first half or first quarter. Totals will be listed with a line and bettors can decide whether the combined score of both teams will be more (Over) or less (Under) than the line, with payouts also listed for each side of the total. For example, a total of 229.5 with an Over of -115 and an Under of -105 would return $100 in profit for a $115 bet if the combined score of both teams in the game is 230 or more, while a $105 bet on the Under would return $100 in profit if there are no more than 229 points in the game.
Aside from the standard markets listed above, proposition bets (also known as props) give bettors the opportunity to wager on other, more specific outcomes in a game. These can include player props, such as the number of points or rebounds a certain player accumulates; team props, such as whether one team will go over its own point total set by the sportsbook; or game props, such as the largest comeback in the game Player props are one of the most popular ways to bet on the NBA and feature heavily in same-game parlay betting. Players on each team have lines assigned to outcomes involving their statistical output, and bettors can make wagers on whether they finish with a total over or under the line. This could involve number of points, rebounds or assists, or any combination of the three, as well as other categories like steals and blocks. Bettors can also wager on outcomes like whether a star player finishes with a double-double or triple double. Team props include betting on team totals, which in effect splits the game total into a unique number for each team correlated with the spread and allows bettors to take positions on only one team. Some markets can also involve both teams or neither team scoring above a certain points threshold. Game props involve betting on other outcomes not related to a specific player, such as whether a team wins without trailing in the game or selecting both the winner of the first quarter and full game in a single bet. Bettors can also take positions at some sportsbooks on events like the largest lead or largest comeback in the game.
Sportsbooks also offer a way to bet on games after the opening tip via live betting, adjusting both standard and prop markets to reflect how each game is playing out in real time. Bettors are able to take into account the flow of the game, key injuries or other factors and react to changing information or evolving matchup advantages and place bets against real-time odds offered by each book.Live betting provides the opportunity to also target teams or players that do better or worse during specific parts of the game, or back smart coaches out of timeouts. In games that are close enough to project ample free-throw opportunities late, bettors could anticipate more scoring during clock stoppages. Hedging also is a key strategy for some live bettors, which allows the opportunity to make a second bet opposite a position taken before the game started at a better number. For example, if a pregame underdog bet at +3.5 takes an early lead and drops to +1.5 on the live line, taking the other team at -1.5 would guarantee that one of the two bets would hit while providing the opportunity to win both if the underdog loses by 2 or 3 points.
Futures betting involves markets based around future outcomes rather than what happens in a specific game. Examples of future betting include betting on the eventual NBA champion, the winners of each conference and division, making the playoffs or even earning a specific seed. Another way to bet on future outcomes is through win totals, where bettors can take positions on whether a specific team will win more or less games than the lines set by sportsbooks. A win total of 49.5 would pay to the Over if the team wins 50 or more games and to the Under if the team wins 49 or fewer games. League awards are also a featured part of futures betting, giving bettors the opportunity to predict who wins honors such as MVP, Finals MVP and Rookie of the Year. These awards may only be available in certain markets where allowed by state regulations. Another way to back particular players is to bet on them to lead the league in a particular category such as scoring or rebounds.
