Winning NBA Online Betting Tips & Strategies
Our NBA online betting guide has the best tips, comprehensive resources, and expert picks — so you can have the knowledge and tools to make confident betting choices.
Want to learn how to bet on the NBA at the best online sportsbooks? We’ve got everything you need to conquer the world of NBA betting. Let’s dive in!
In This NBA Sports Betting Guide:
NBA Betting Guides and Resources
The Sports Geek offers you a wealth of knowledge when it comes to betting on the NBA. Our guides can help you find the best NBA betting sites, tried NBA and WNBA wagering strategies, updated NBA news, and winning AI-generated game picks:
The Best NBA Betting Sites The best sports betting sites for wagering on the NBA.
NBA Betting Strategy Guide Tips & tricks to create a winning NBA betting strategy.
WNBA Betting Guide Tips & strategies for betting on the WNBA.
NBA Picks The best NBA picks in the business from our AI engine.
Basketball Blog Top-shelf analysis & picks from our sports betting experts.
NBA News Stay up-to-date on the most recent NBA news.
NBA Betting Blog
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LeBron James Next Team Odds: Where Will King James Play?By Kyle Eve May 3, 2024 6 minutes min
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NBA Playoffs 2024 First Round Predictions & Betting OddsBy Kyle Eve Apr 19, 2024 8 minutes min
Expert NBA Picks
See All NBA PicksBenefit from a winning edge in NBA betting. If you want to know who to bet on in the NBA, our mix of expert and AI-generated picks and predictions is your go-to guide. Our team of basketball enthusiasts watch each game to provide a ton of valuable insights, while our AI-generated NBA picks analyze a multitude of factors. Picks include home/away records, points per game, defensive aspects, and many more stats. Look for The Sports Geek’s prime NBA bet of the week to help you select your future wagers.
Recent NBA News
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Mitchell Favored To Join LeBron In LA If He Leaves ClevelandBy Elliot Nield May 17, 2024 3 minutes min
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LeBron James Favored To Be Next Athlete Roasted On NetflixBy Kyle Eve May 10, 2024 3 minutes min
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Lakers Fire Darvin Ham, Looking For Next Head CoachBy Kyle Eve May 3, 2024 2 minutes min
How To Bet On The NBA
You could be betting on NBA match-ups in minutes. To do so, you’ll need to choose a site from our recommended NBA sportsbooks, head over there, and sign up for a free account. You’ll then be able to make your first deposit, claim a bonus, and place your first NBA bets. It’s as easy as that!
There are a wide variety of NBA bets available at top sportsbooks. If you need a rundown, here are the most common lines you’ll see:
NBA Moneyline Bets
NBA moneyline betting is one of the simplest NBA bets you can make, as it’s a straight bet on the outcome of the game.
Moneyline Example:
Let’s say the Lakers are favored at -130 in their upcoming game against the Pelicans. The Pelicans are the underdogs at +110. With American odds, the favorite to win the match will always have a negative sign, and the underdog, a positive sign. With these odds, a $130 bet on the Lakers would win you $100. If you bet $100 on the Pelicans, you would win $110.
Spread Betting in the NBA
Point spread betting is betting on a certain amount of points a team has to win or lose by.
Spread Bet Example:
What does +4.5 mean in basketball betting?
It’s important to know that there are no half-points in basketball, so you will round the numbers up and down. In this example, if you were to see the Pelicans +4.5 and Lakers -4.5, it means the Pelicans will win their bet if they lose by less than 4 points. On the flip side, the Lakers will be favored at -4.5, which means they have to win by 5 points or more.
NBA Totals (Over/Under)
Betting on totals for the NBA is also known as betting on the over/under. The sportsbook will set a value for the total number of points in a game, and you bet whether the actual total will be over or under that number.
Over/Under Example:
If BetOnline has the total points in a game set at 231, you would be on the over at -107 (a $107 bet will get you $100), or the under at -113 (a $113 bet will earn you $100). If the final total lands on 231, that is a push, which means you get your money back.
NBA Parlay Betting
Parlay betting is when you combine two or more bets into one larger wager. Generally, the odds will be worse for you, but the payouts will be bigger.
Parlay Example:
If BetOnline has the Lakers at -125 in their next game and the Pacers are +180 in their game against the Bucks, you could bet on both games. If you bet on the Lakers and the Pacers, your total wager would be +404. This means you win $404 on a $100 bet. You can add as many bets as you want, but you need all of your teams to hit in order to win.
NBA Prop Bets & Player Props
NBA prop betting is when you wager on factors beyond the outcome of the game. You can bet on player props and team props, as well as in-game events such as the winner of the coin flip.
Prop Example:
An NBA player prop would be LeBron James to go over or under 2.5 three-pointers. The under is favored at -145, while the over is rated at +112. Other prop bets could be, will the Lakers make their first shot attempt (-109 for Yes, -122 for No), or will there be overtime (-10000 for No, +1031 for yes).
NBA Futures Bets
Betting on futures in the NBA is wagering on a future outcome. You can usually bet on these NBA odds all year round.
Futures Example:
The most popular NBA future is betting on who will win the Championship next year. Sites like BetUS have the Championship future available year-round. Keep in mind that each betting site will have different odds, so it’s important to understand their calculations. You can use our betting odds calculator to work out your potential payout, as well as the implied probability of it paying off.
Guide To Live Basketball Betting
Live betting on the NBA is to wager on ever-changing odds during a game. For example, in a Pelicans/Lakers game, the Lakers may start out at -4.5 favorites. If they get a hot start with a 15-point lead at the end of the 1st quarter, then you might see the odds jump up to -9.5 or higher. You could decide to wager on the new odds, especially if you bet on the Pelicans. This is called hedging your bets, when you have money on both sides in order to come out even or on top.
Bovada Best Sportsbook For NBA Live Betting
Bovada is the best sportsbook for live NBA betting. You can find the Live Betting tab in the top-left part of the screen with an icon that looks like a satellite tower. Your bets will go straight to your bet slip in the lower right-hand part of the screen.
Sports Welcome Bonus: 50% up to $250
Crypto Welcome Bonus: 75% up to $750
Simple live bets interface
In-play bets work well on mobile
Extensive NBA prop builder
NBA Live Betting Tips
Watch The Game
It makes sense to place live bets on a game that you are actually watching. You will get a better feel for the game in terms of how the teams are playing, and you’ll be able to see if one team’s star player is having an off-night, how the referees are calling the game, and more. This is your best bet for success in NBA live betting.
Don’t Over Hedge
Don’t try to keep up with the game’s changes by over-betting. If you think you’re going to lose your initial bet, it’s fine to make another one to hedge, but don’t go overboard if that bet starts losing as well. That isn’t smart sports betting bankroll management.
Wait Until Timeouts To Make Your Bet
You can get caught up in the speed of the game — and basketball is very fast. We recommend that you wait until timeouts to make decisions that aren’t under the pressure of time.
Keep your eyes on the odds as they can change rapidly from basket to basket. We highly advise learning how to read betting lines before you start placing bets under pressure.
Best NBA Betting Site For Beginners
The best beginner betting site for the NBA is BetUS. The site has a clean interface that is easy to navigate (go to the Sportsbook tab and the NBA odds are listed under Basketball on the left). They also have a ton of helpful resources. BetUS TV has daily NBA picks and analysis on its YouTube channel, and their Locker Room blog features daily picks on everything from player props to road-underdog analysis.
BetUS
NBA Betting Tips
Solid NBA betting strategies vary, but our experts have a few key tips to get you started. These guidelines, along with the resources above, will help to get you on the winning side of your online NBA bets.
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Research a team’s trends to make informed bets. Factors to research include home and away records, whether they score more in the first half than the second half, and whether one team has a matchup problem with another team.
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Check the injury report before making a bet. The strenuous NBA schedule means that players are often rested for a game. For example, if Anthony Davis is taking the night off, that might mean that LeBron James will pick up more of the slack than usual.
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Is a team playing their fourth game in five nights? Have they been on the road for all of those games? They might tire out by the time they get to the fifth game.
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NBA sports betting should be fun, so make your budget stretch as far as you can. Create a budget and stick to it, no matter what. If you need to reduce the amount of your wager, that’s ok.
More Basketball Betting Guides
The Sports Geek experts cover more than the NBA. We have fantastic betting guides for NCAA basketball that you can refer to all year long. Get started early in the season and be ready when the ball tips off on March Madness.
College Basketball Betting Sites Find the best sites for betting on college basketball.
NCAA Basketball Betting Guide Get tips for betting on NCAA hoops.
March Madness Betting Strategy See the best strategies for betting on March Madness.
Betting On The NBA Online
Betting on the NBA at trusted sportsbooks is a lot of fun, but it can seem overwhelming at first. If you’re a beginner, focus on learning the most basic kinds of bets like moneylines, futures and spread betting, and take it from there. Sportsbooks like BetUS have plenty of excellent free content including picks and analysis to help inform your bets. You can also find free NBA picks right here on The Sports Geek!
When you’re more comfortable with how the odds work, you can try out live NBA betting at a site like Bovada. Stick to your betting strategy, stay calm, and research every bet you make. The NBA sports betting experts at The Sports Geek are rooting for you!