NBA Picks - NBA Betting Picks and Predictions

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the most-watched professional sports leagues in the world and only continues to grow in popularity. With sports betting on the rise in the United States and beyond, it only makes sense that there are plenty of NBA fans eager to get in on the action. If you fit the bill and are ready to start betting on all your favorite players and teams, then you’ve come to the right place!

NBA Betting Lines: How to Read Them and Make the Right Bet

It is important for NBA bettors to be familiar with the three major types of bets: point spreads, moneylines, and over/under totals. These are the most common types of wagers and are typically available for any matchup in the NBA regular season or postseason.

Understanding NBA Point Spreads

Point spreads reflect the projected outcome of a game, with one team being a favorite and the other an underdog. As a result, a handicap (represented by a number and a “-” sign) is assigned to the favorite, and an advantage (represented by a number and a “+” sign) is granted to the underdog to even up the odds.

For example, the Los Angeles Lakers may be 5.5-point favorites (-5.5) against the Miami Heat. If you were to bet on the Lakers to cover the spread, they would need to win by six or more points for the wager to be successful. On the other hand, if you chose to bet on the Heat to cover the spread, the wager would be a winner if they won the game outright or lost by five or fewer points.

Moneyline Wagers in NBA Betting

If you don’t want to bet on the margin of victory or defeat, you can try to predict the winner of an NBA game by placing a moneyline wager. Betting on favorites generally offers a higher probability of success but a lower payout, while betting on an underdog offers a lower chance for success but a greater payout.

Negative moneyline odds (e.g., -120, -200, or -350) are used for the favorite in a matchup and represent the amount you will need to wager to win $100. Positive moneyline odds are used for the underdog and represent the amount you will win on a $100 wager.

For instance, if you bet $100 on the Golden State Warriors with a moneyline of -200 and they win the game, you would receive a profit of $50, plus your original wager back. Alternatively, if you bet $100 on the underdog Boston Celtics with a moneyline of +150 and they win, you would earn a profit of $150, plus your original wager back.

Over/Under Wagers in NBA Betting

If you don’t feel confident about which team will win the game, you may look to over/under totals as a way to try and predict whether it’ll be a high-scoring affair or a tough defensive battle. The sportsbook will provide the projected total of points that will be scored by both teams, and bettors will have to predict whether the actual combined total is higher or lower than expected.

Let’s say the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks, two of the top offensive teams in the NBA, are facing off against one another, and the over/under total is set at 239.9 points. Bettors will want to take the over if they think 240 or more points will be scored in the matchup, and they’ll want to take the under if they predict 239 points or less will be scored. Just like point spreads, the options for an over/under bet will offer roughly the same payout.

Use NBA Betting Trends to Place NBA Picks

NBA betting trends refer to patterns or tendencies that have emerged over a given period of time (month, season, career, etc.) that can be used to help bettors make smart, well-informed wagers. These trends analyze various factors such as team performance, player statistics, records against the spread, situational outcomes, home/road records, head-to-head matchups, and point differentials.

Although NBA betting trends shouldn’t be the sole basis for making a bet, they can be extremely beneficial and help you give a general idea of the performance you can expect from a team or player on a given night. It’s a good idea to combine relevant trends with other forms of analysis such as injury reports, coaching strategies, team dynamics, and league news.

In the 2023 NBA Playoffs, a few specific betting trends have emerged, and many bettors have used them to their advantage. This includes past playoff experience being more valuable than regular-season success, home-court advantage remaining a crucial factor, and big-market teams coming out on top.

Overall, keeping up with NBA betting trends each year during the regular season and postseason is incredibly important and can help you stay ahead of the game.

Types of Bets to Make NBA Picks on

Some of the most popular types of wagers available to NBA bettors are listed and explained below.

Moneylines

Often considered the simplest and most straightforward type of bet, a moneyline wager involves picking the winner of a game. Odds will be set based on the projected outcome, and betting on underdogs (i.e., teams that are projected to lose) will offer the potential for greater payouts than picking the favorite.

Point Spreads

Also referred to as handicaps, point spreads are another common way to bet on a given matchup in the NBA and involve betting on a team’s margin of victory or defeat. For each game, a point spread will be set indicating the amount of points the favorite will need to win by to cover. On the other hand, the underdog can cover the spread by winning the game outright or losing by less than the projected margin of defeat.

Over/Under Totals

Over/Under bets involve predicting whether the total number of points scored by both teams will be higher or lower than what is projected by the sportsbook. Just like point spreads, over/under bets typically offer the same payout regardless of which of the two options you choose for the wager.

Futures

Futures bets offer sports fans an opportunity to predict the outcome of a future event well ahead of time. Common futures associated with NBA betting include picking the winner of a division, conference champion, NBA Finals winner, and most valuable player (MVP).

Prop Bets

Short for propositional bets, prop bets typically focus on specific events in an NBA game that do not necessarily affect the final outcome. This includes wagers on various player statistical totals (e.g., points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and three-point field goals) as well as in-game occurrences, including but not limited to which player will score the first basket, what the final score will be, or whether the game will go to overtime.

If you’re interested, you can place a bet today using our expert advice and predictions on NBA player props and other picks for wagers on upcoming games.

Parlays

Parlays are multi-leg bets that combine two or more specific wagers for the potential to receive a higher payout. To win a parlay, all individual bets included will need to be successful, meaning nine out of 10 correct picks would offer no return on the initial stake. Parlays can include any number of different bet types (point spreads, over/under totals, prop bets, etc.), and they may come from a handful of different matchups or one single game (i.e., same-game parlays).

Teasers

Teasers are similar to parlays in that they combine multiple picks into a single wager. However, teasers allow bettors to adjust the point spread or total in their favor to increase the chance of success. Although the wager is more likely to win, teasers offer lower potential payouts when compared to parlays.