The NBA is one of the world’s most popular sports leagues. Though basketball tends to be clumped under the umbrella of North American sports, along with football and baseball, it has a global appeal. That’s thanks to the game’s quick pace, stylish flare, and straightforward set of rules.
To put it simply, the NBA is supremely watchable. Whether or not someone has watched a game before or shot a free throw, it doesn’t take long to pick up the game’s nuances. Compared to other sports, the offensive creativity displayed by certain players and teams is simply unmatched. Throw in the fact that more international players are starting to leave their mark on the NBA and it’s obvious why this league will continue to appeal to sports fans around the world.
But it’s not only a highly watchable league. The NBA is also one of the best leagues for bettors to wager on both in terms of being able to make informed bets and also in terms of the excitement factor. Once again, this excitement falls back to the game’s quick pace and that most games are close contests. Favorites aren’t quite as significant and the regular season includes a massive number of games, which adds yet another layer of intrigue for bettors.
Bonus bets are available on the league, including offers from www.oddschecker.com, which aggregates deals like those from BetMGM and other major brands. The availability of these types of welcome deals makes it even easier to start wagering on the NBA, along with guides that break down what bets you can place on the NBA and how you can get the most out of them.
In case you haven’t read through any of these lists before, we’ve got a handy guide that breaks down the most popular bets on the NBA and how they work.
The Basics: Point Spreads, Moneylines, & Over/Unders
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let’s cover the three most basic bet types. Moneylines are simply wagers that cover the outright winner of a game. Point spreads take a closer look at how that win pans out, requiring favorites to win by a certain margin. Over/unders, also called totals, are wagers that estimate how many total points will be on the scoreboard at the final buzzer.
Futures
Futures bets cover any outcome that’s scheduled ahead of time on the NBA calendar. The most common type of futures bet is on the NBA Championship, but division and conference champions are another popular wager. Futures bets are known for offering a high value because these lines are set during the preseason and at the start of the season. That means there’s less information for bookmakers to use, which makes it harder to forecast a favorite—but highly lucrative for those who can spot a dark horse early on.
General & Player Props
Props are proposition bets, which are types of wagers that are placed on anything aside from the game’s outcome. Props might be more general or they could apply to certain players, which are known as player props. Let’s take a look at both examples.
One of the most popular general props on the NBA is halftime lines. First-half lines and halftime lines cover the total number of points on the board at certain intervals. You can place these types of wagers for each quarter, as well. If you know of a solid ‘fourth-quarter team’, then this bet should be your go-to.
Player props cover the performance of individuals. Anyone who adores the NBA knows that single players can make a huge difference. Player props are all about zeroing in on the performance of stars, including the total number of points, assists, and rebounds they log, along with other things like how many three-pointers a player will sink. Most of these are written as over/unders.
Live Bets
Live betting is one of the hottest trends in the sports betting world. These wagers let you bet on outcomes in live games, such as whether a player will make a free throw or adjustments to the game’s over/under line. However, given the lightning-fast nature of basketball games, we recommend wagering on these bets at your own pace. Most people focus their live betting on when there’s a surprise twist or unexpected change mid-game, as these last-minute changes can impact the outcome of other bets.
Parlays
Parlays are multi-leg wagers that only pay out if all bets are met. These types of multi-bet wagers can be placed on single games or across multiple games. Given the complex nature of these bets, many sites offer a parlay calculator, which makes it easy to figure out how much a bet could pay out based on each wager amount. Depending on the provider, you’ll have dozens of options to piece together your perfect parlay based on all the bet types listed above.
