Knowing how to make NBA picks today is just as important as knowing what teams you should be wagering on. Betting on the NBA is a bit different than betting on the NFL or other sports, and you are actually going to find that there are plenty of options available.
There are some common NBA betting options that most people tend to focus on, but you can also look deeper and potentially find some more value. You are still going to have to do the research, but this guide will help put you on the right path.
Here are some of the top NBA bets to make the next time that you want to wager on the league.
Betting Against the Spread
When it comes to betting on the NBA, most of the money is going to come in the form of spread betting. Betting against the spread is extremely popular in many sports, and that includes basketball and the NBA.
Betting against the spread can be a bit difficult as you have to make a very solid prediction about how a game is going to play out. A team can win a game but still lose the wager if they don’t win by a certain number of points.
You can also bet on the losing team, and they would just have to keep the game closer than the odds would suggest.
Picking the Winner
You can also just focus on picking the winner of an NBA game, and that is called betting the moneyline. Moneyline betting has its advantages and disadvantages, but sometimes it is going to be the best option to look at.
You won’t always get great odds when betting the moneyline, and that is when you want to stay away from this type of wager. If there is a small spread, though, then simply picking the winner is going to be the way to go.
Over/Under Betting
Besides betting against the spread, the next most common way to bet on the NBA is to bet on the total number of points scored. This is sometimes called total betting, or you will also hear people call it betting the over/under.
One nice thing about this wager is that you don’t have to bet on the winning team, and that can make things a bit easier for you. You are still going to be sweating things out until the fourth quarter, as the lines are usually close to the total number of points scored.
Player Prop Betting
There are still some sports in which prop betting isn’t that common, but that’s not the case with the NBA at all. Player prop betting is huge when it comes to the NBA, and you are going to see some great options for every player set to play in that game.
One great thing about player prop betting is that you are typically going to get great value with this type of wager. That’s not always the case, but you will find plenty of options to choose from.
Futures Betting
You don’t even have to look at individual games to find some of the best NBA betting options out there, as futures betting can provide plenty of value. You can make a futures bet at any point during the regular season, but you usually win more money the earlier that you make that bet.
Predicting the next NBA champion is one of the most popular ways to bet on the NBA, but you could also bet on the players that will win individual awards. Be sure to keep a close eye on these odds, as they will be changing often.
Live Betting
You might actually find that the best time to bet on the NBA is when the games are taking place, as live betting just continues to get more popular. The odds are going to come and go quickly when it comes to live betting, but there is usually plenty of value to be found.
If you are going to make a live bet, then you have to be ready to make a decision in a hurry. You will also need to lean on the research that you did pregame so that you know the betting options that you should be looking for.
