Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
Get to know the NBA markets to guarantee yourself some winners!
Welcome to our NBA betting guide which will direct you to our free NBA tips.
Here, we’ll show to how to bet on the NBA and show you the most profitable betting markets.
With games being played nearly every night of the week from October through to June, the NBA is not just a fun and exciting sport to watch but it can also be a very profitable sport to bet on.
As with most American sports, some of the markets that are available in basketball betting differ to those that you might be used to betting on in football (soccer), so the following is a breakdown of what you might come across.
First things first, home court advantage is usually a big factor when it comes to American sports due to all sorts of reasons such as home crowd/noise level, stadium/field type, weather, travel distances etc so it is important to know which side is playing at home when you’re betting.
In the NBA, the home side will always read second; LA Lakers v Miami Heat – so Miami are playing at home. Most of the time the game will read as such; LA Lakers @ Miami Heat – therefore Los Angeles Lakers are playing at Miami Heat.
What is NBA Moneyline?
The ‘NBA moneyline‘ is simply about picking the winner of the game. There are no handicaps involved. It doesn’t matter if your team wins by 2 points or 22 points, if you have selected the moneyline of the winning team then your bet is a winner.
Moneyline odds are usually found around evens in the closer match-ups but you will regularly see a short favourite (1/5 odds on) taking on a high-priced underdog (underdog prices are very rarely no higher than 7 or 8/1).
Example: Los Angeles Lakers 7/2 @ Miami Heat 1/3
If you select the Lakers moneyline £10 returns £45 if LA win.
If you select the Heat moneyline £10 returns £13.30 if Miami win.
What is NBA Point Spread?
The ‘spread‘ or the ‘line‘ is made of one negative number – given to the favourite – and one positive number – given to the underdog. The number will be the same on both the positive and negative sides.
Example: LA Lakers +9.5 @ Miami Heat -9.5
LA must win the game outright or lose by 9 points or less to cover the spread.
If the Heat win, they must do so by 10 points or more to cover the spread.
The spread will often be set at a whole number.
Example: LA Lakers +9 @ Miami Heat -9
If the spread is set at a whole number and your selected team wins/loses by that exact number of points then your bet is considered a push and your stake will be refunded.
The odds on the point spread are always around 10/11.
What is Additional Point Spread?
The same as above but just a different number of points which you can select at different odds.
NBA (additional) point spread to odds comparison
If you are taking a smaller additional point spread on the favourite or a higher additional point spread on the underdog then your odds are going to be shorter than the point spread. If you are taking a higher additional point spread on the favourite or a smaller additional point spread on the underdog then your odds are going to be bigger than the point spread.
Additional point spread betting can be very profitable but is only offered by a select few bookies!
What is NBA Game Total?
The ‘total‘ or the ‘over/under‘ is the total number of points scored in a game by both sides combined.
Example: LA Lakers @ Miami Heat – Over/Under 190.5
A total of 191 total points needs to be scored by both teams combined to win the ‘overs’ and 190 total points or less to win the ‘unders’.
Just like the point spread, if the total points is a whole number such as 190 and the game ends with a total of 190 points scored then your bet becomes a push and your stake is refunded.
‘Additional Game Totals‘ – this is the same as above but just a different number of points which you can select at different odds. The further amount of points away (more or less) from the game total you choose, the better the odds are.
Game totals can be difficult to bet on unless you know your NBA teams really well but the additional market can again be a profitable one if you know what you are doing.
If you are betting on the unders, you’d usually want a game where good defences match-up against each other or you’d pick a game where at least 1 of the teams plays a slow-down defence.
If you are going for the overs, you’d want an offensive match-up where teams shoot a lot of 3-pointers or teams that don’t play much defence throughout the game and just rely on their offence to outscore their opponent.
What is a Parlay?
A ‘parlay’ is the same as an accumulator but just for American sports.
Make sure you place your parlays with bet365 as you can get up to 50% bonus on winning parlays! The more legs in your parlay, the higher your bonus will be and your bonus is added on to your winnings.
What are Futures?
‘Futures‘ or ‘outrights‘ are betting on a team to win either a championship, conference or division. These types of bets are usually more long-term and therefore take until perhaps the end of the season to be settled.
Make sure you get the best odds possible when placing an outright bet!
Where can I get FREE NBA TIPS?
We post free daily NBA betting tips throughout the season and also to our Facebook and Twitter pages.
If you have any questions about any of our NBA tips then please drop us a message at one of these pages and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Hopefully this guide will help you pick some winners, best of luck with your NBA betting!
