Away from the USA, the NBA is fairly new to a lot of people. It’s a tournament you can win on, though, and our NBA betting guide is here to help you along.
Getting NBA picks is a great start before you have a bet. It’s also important to understand NBA betting first, whether you’re betting to win a less important game or on the Finals in the summer.
We, here at LordOfOdds, take you through how NBA betting works and what makes a good sports betting site to deposit and try to win on. We also look at how odds work, including the spread.
Top NBA Betting Sites
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- BETMAX365: Exclusive code
- Fair bonuses and promotions
- 24/7 customer service
Up to $100 in Bet Credits
- Up to $100 in Bet Credits for new customers at bet365. Make a qualifying deposit (min $10), place bets to deposit value, once they are settled, matched amount in Bet Credits available to use. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.
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- Lots of welcome offers
- A plethora of markets & games
- Competitve odds
Get a Free Sports Bet up to $60
- New Customers from New Zealand only. Min Deposit: 10 NZD. First deposit matched up to 60 NZD. 1 x wagering at odds of 1.75+ to unlock Free Bet. Credit Card and Debit Card deposits only. T&Cs Apply
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LeoVegas
- Excellent welcome bonus
- Great range of betting markets
- 24/7 customer support
Matched Free Bet up to $50
- 18+. New customers only. Minimum deposit $20. Place a qualifying bet of $10 or more on odds of 1.8 and receive the free bet once the bet is settled. T&Cs apply.
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- Great mobile app
- Interesting loyalty program
- Strong welcome bonus
Claim your up to €50 welcome bonus
- 18+. The minimum qualifying deposit for this promotion is €15. To be eligible for this promotion, players must input PLAY50 in the ‘Bonus Code’ field when making a qualifying deposit into their Main Cash Account (Balance). Your qualifying deposit and bonus must be wagered five times on: (1) settled single sports bets with odds of at least 1.80; or (2) settled combo bets with odds of at least 1.40 per selection before you can withdraw your bonus and any winnings resulting from it. The wagering requirements must be met within 30 days of your first deposit.10bet’s General Terms and Conditions apply.
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Stake.com
200% Deposit Bonus Offer
- 18+. The bonus is exclusive to new customers and is given only once. Canvassing leads to disqualification and closure of the account. The minimum deposit is $100. The 200% bonus up to $1000 will be credited within 24 hours of depositing and reviewing the account. The wager attached to the bonus is 40x (deposit + bonus). All sportsbook games, and casino, can use up the bonus. The bonus works in tandem to the Stake.com general terms and conditions. Once the bonus is activated, the users can check the rollover competition in the corresponding tab of the VIP section.
*Please note that the bet365 bonus code BETMAX365 can be used during registration but does not change the offer in any way.
Content Index
How NBA Betting Works
While there are many basketball games available on sports betting sites, the NBA is the top level. The season begins each autumn, with crucial December and January games beginning to show what the top teams are. The NBA Finals are then held in the summer.
Before you deposit and find odds for the game and the bet of your choice, get some expert picks. Good NBA picks are available from several experts.
As a fast-paced sport based on points, there are tons of options to bet on. Who will win the game, rebounds, the overall spread, and so many more are online all the time.
When just two teams play for so many points, a bet on who will win the game is not that appealing. That’s known as the moneyline. Single-game bets using the spread are a better option.
Totals betting is very popular, while parlays or accumulators are available for multi-game bets. Prop bets involve taking odds on specific events in the game or on specific players to win points.
Live betting is also often available, as are ante-post or ‘futures’ bets. Whatever your choice, NBA betting is full of options which we will take you through in more detail.
What Makes a Good NBA Betting Site
Picking the right site for you when betting on the NBA and sports in general is a matter of choice, and one our NBA betting guide is here to help you with. Do they have the best odds? Is each game covered? Is there a deposit bonus? Naturally, our reviews can help with that.
Look for sites that have not only a good deposit bonus and odds but even their own NBA picks. You don’t have to be a pro gambler. Simply make the most of the best expert picks for each game and play accordingly.
We’ve seen some top sports betting sites on the market in New Zealand. For example, William Hill offers plenty of spread betting options and many other odds on NBA games.
Do your research, with the help of our NBA betting guide, of course, and get the best deposit bonus and odds range for you. To help you be more successful at your NBA betting, keep an eye out for sports betting promos too.
Sports Betting Promos
The two things to remember when starting with NBA betting are getting help and getting a bonus. Always read expert picks and specific NBA picks, and always get a strong deposit bonus if you are a new player. Here are some of the common sports betting promos you may find:
Deposit Bonus
As soon as you join a sportsbook, you should get a deposit bonus. This usually comes in the form of a matched deposit, such as ‘Deposit $10, Bet With $50’. There are usually some restrictions, but your deposit bonus money will be fine to use on NBA games. However, odds restrictions may apply.
Win Bonus
This may come in the form of accumulators. If you put five or more games in your acca, you may be in line for an odds boost if you win. Taking notice of the best expert picks will help with choosing multiple games to bet on.
Free Bets
A good site for NBA betting should offer free bets. These can be part of the deposit bonus or come in the form of money back deals if you lose on one game.
There are usually more promos on NBA betting sites in January and February. There is somewhat of a lull then, but you’re well in time to take NBA picks and start to bet before the teams play the Finals in the summer.
You might also find promos on specific games. For example, when the Miami Heat is due to play the Philadelphia 76ers, specific on-the-spot promos may be added which helps.
How NBA and Basketball Odds Work
It’s not possible to rite an NBA betting guide without looking at the three main types of bets: moneyline bets, spread bets and totals bets. These are all available for single-game bets, though accumulators can be bet on too.
Before you make the best use of your expert picks, it’s important to know how the odds work in basketball. The spread and the moneyline will look like this:
| Game | Spread | Moneyline |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee Bucks | -6.5 (-110) | -200 |
| Golden State Warriors | +6.5 (-110) | +180 |
This is how the odds read; our NBA betting guide explains them in more detail below.
Moneyline
The simplest NBA betting option is always the moneyline. This is known as a ‘straight up’ bet, much like betting on a football or rugby team to win their game. The margin of victory is not important here.
As per our example above, the team with a ‘+’ number is the underdog. The team with a ‘-‘ number is the favourite to win the game. The numbers next to each team are the expected probability they have to win the game.
A positive moneyline, in our case Golden State Warriors +180, shows how much you can win for a $100 bet. The negative moneyline (Milwaukee Bucks -200) shows how much you need to bet to win $100. In some cases, European-style fractional odds may be shown instead.
Here then, if you bet $100 on the Warriors, you would win $180 if they were successful, for a total payout of $280. To win a $100 profit on the Bucks, you’d need to bet $200, to begin with.
Points Spread
Spread betting is popular in many forms of sports betting these days but is more prevalent in basketball. In this case, it is popular because you aren’t betting on who will win the game.
If you place a bet on the favourite, they will need to win by a certain number of points or more. If you bet on the underdog when they play, they simply have to not lose by a certain number of points.
The team featuring a negative number is the favourite, in our case, the Bucks. As we have them at -6.5, the Milwaukee Bucks will need to beat Golden State Warriors by 7 points minimum to cover the spread successfully.
If you chose to bet on the Warriors and they win, that’s great. But, even if they lose the game by 6 points or fewer, you still win in this case.
Spread betting odds can be confusing. More to the point, understanding how the spread numbers were developed is beyond many non-professionals. Always use top NBA picks. Expert picks by basketball pros will mean you don’t have to worry too much about the numbers.
Popular NBA Bets
In NBA betting, the most common bet types and those most often offered in NBA picks are the aforementioned moneyline bets and spread bets.
Simply betting on a team to win a game they play is always the easiest thing to do. Covering the spread is always a favourite pastime among those betting and looking for expert picks. However, there are other options.
Totals Betting
Known also as over/under betting, totals betting is pretty easy to get to grips with. You place a bet on the total points scored in the game. Simply use your NBA picks to decide roughly how many points each team will score, then add them together to get a ‘total points’ bet and check the odds.
This will be handicapped, just like the spread. So, if the total is set at 210.5, then you are betting that when the teams play, they together will produce more or fewer points than that.
Odds will be available on ‘over 210.5’ and ‘under 210.5’. If you believe there will be at least 220 points, for example, then take the odds on ‘over’ in order to win.
Prop Bets
Prop betting, otherwise known as ‘proposition betting’, allows you to bet on certain things in the game. Rather than the simple win result or points, you bet on specific players or events within games.
Prop betting options can include how many points a certain player will score. Also, they include which player will achieve the most blocks.
A lot of prop bet odds are offered as over/under bets. For instance, when the Miami Heat plays a game, Tyler Herro may have a points total of 22.5 sets, with odds on over/under set accordingly.
Top NBA Teams
As players are drafted and times change, the top teams in the NBA change regularly. As the game moves on, NBA picks and odds change accordingly. Right now, some of the top NBA teams are:
Eastern Conference
- Miami Heat
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Chicago Bulls
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Philadelphia 76ers
Other famous names from the Eastern Conference you will undoubtedly have heard of include Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks.
Western Conference
- Phoenix Suns
- Golden State Warriors
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Utah Jazz
- Dallas Mavericks
You’re also bound to recognise the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.
When any of these teams play, NBA betting odds are at their peak. All games the likes of Miami Heat, LA Lakers or Philadelphia 76ers play produce a ton of expert picks online and plenty of game odds.
The level and quality of expert picks on NBA matches is different in November, January and March. The bigger the game, the more NBA picks and odds you will find available.
NBA Betting Guide Conclusion
The point of NBA betting is that there are so many wagering options in every game. Straight-up moneyline bets, spread bets on points, totals betting and prop bets are all great ways to get involved, however they can be tricky to wrap your head around without a NBA betting guide.
Finding the right site to bet on is one thing, but we also reckon reliable NBA picks are important to get. Checking out expert picks versus game odds is an excellent way to pick a bet.
All NBA games are huge. An LA Lakers game in May is as big as a Philadelphia 76ers event in January, always producing plenty of odds to choose from.
NBA Betting Guide FAQ
Your key questions about NBA betting are answered here.
Yes, NBA betting is perfectly legal. You can get NBA picks and expert picks for sports betting, find the best odds and place your NBA bets with various sites.
The easy way is to find good NBA picks for each game. Bet early, study injury reports, check the odds on the spread before you play and then bet totals. This is prevalent in those crucial games before the NBA Finals.
Any good sports betting site will offer a spread of NBA game odds. Thus, join up, take a deposit bonus and play.
A draw in NBA game betting is an option on the three-way line. You can bet home, draw or away. The draw means betting on a tie at the end of the regulation play.
