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Basketball is one of the four major team sports in North America along with baseball, football and hockey. It is also one of the most popular sports in the world and as such, it is one of the richest sports in terms of bets available.
In most probability, you know how to play basketball or at least know how it works. That’s good because that is already at least halfway in your journey to basketball betting. Let us give you the other half right here:
NBA Betting
The National Basketball Association or NBA in the United States is the premier basketball league in the world. The league began to get worldwide exposure during the ’80s when the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers began. The presence of iconic players like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson also helped the league go mainstream. But the NBA reached its peak during the ’90s with the rise of Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls who won six NBA titles during the 1990s. After Jordan came Kobe Bryant and then LeBron James who continued the NBA’s ascent as one of the premier sports in the world.
Aside from the NBA, the NCAA and the Euroleague are also two leagues that are popular when it comes to basketball betting. The NCAA is the collegiate level of basketball in the United States and is the breeding ground for the NBA’s future stars. What makes the NCAA popular in betting is their yearly tournament which crowns the year’s National Champions. This is a 64-team knockout tournament which is popularly known as March Madness.
The Euroleague is the premier league in Europe and its version of the NBA. This professional basketball league attracts some of the best players in Europe and has also help produce some of the NBA’s finest non-American players like Dirk Nowitzki and now Luka Doncic. Like the NBA, the Euroleague starts with a regular season and then peaks with the Euroleague playoffs which lead to the Euroleague Final Four where the champion will be crowned.
Because of basketball’s popularity, NBA, NCAA and Euroleague bets are some of the most common in betting sites with a wide variety of bets to be made and a whole lot of cash to be won. Let’s take a look at the types of bets that can be made in a basketball game:
Outright Winner
The easiest and most basic bet in the game of basketball is betting on the outright winner of a particular basketball game. In this bet, you will use the moneyline odds which presents the two teams side by side along with their betting prices. In every game, there is a favorite and underdog. The favorite is priced at a premium, usually at a “minus”. On the other hand, the underdog comes with plus money or lesser “minus” which means you can get a better yield if they win. The plus and minus money for the teams are being used to even the field because one team is presumed to be better than the other.
Spread Betting
In spread betting, the oddsmakers come up with a spread line which will be used to handicap a particular game. So one team here will have a “minus” number of points which will be deducted to their actual final score to arrive at their betting score. On the other hand, the underdog will have a “plus” number of points which will be added to their final score total to get their betting score. Whoever has the higher score after the plus/minus are done is the winner. The purpose of the spread is to give punters a choice where they can earn a better yield on the favorite (favorites’ spread odds usually have better value than moneyline) or where they can have a better chance of winning with the underdogs (because of the plus points).
Totals Betting
The third basic bet to make during a particular basketball game is the totals betting. Under this category, the oddsmaker comes up with a certain total score which should be the total points scored by both teams during the game. Now punters are then asked whether the actual game’s total is either over or under the bookmaker’s total score. If the teams’ total combined score is higher than the indicated total and you bet on the over, you win. The same goes otherwise.
Futures Betting
There are also future bets to be made in basketball and we’re not just talking of the NBA here, we’re also talking about some of the top league’s all over the world. The most common type of futures bet is the one that asks you which team wins a particular tournament. Split further, there are also some leagues which have futures bets for conference winners, tournament quarterfinalists, semifinalists or finalists. The bigger the league and the more complex the format, the more bets are available.
For the NBA, there are also futures bets on who will win the MVP or Rookie of the Year. There are also proposition bets on who will win the NBA’s East and West Conferences as well as the divisions. There are also prop bets on how many wins a team will have during a particular season. During the NBA playoffs, there are also prop bets on who will win the series’ or who will win the conferences and then, of course, the most common one- who will win the NBA title.
Basketball Betting Tips
As I said earlier, you already know basketball – whether you play it or just follow the NBA or some other leagues. But most of you know how it’s played and who’s playing, especially the NBA. The NBA is one of the most globally exposed sports leagues and you probably are following the 2019 Playoff right now.
Now every basketball fan or follower has a favorite team. When it comes to basketball betting, you must put your heart aside and bet with your mind. If we are diehard fans, don’t just bet on the team because it’s your favorite or because your favorite player is playing on that team. Analyze every game played. Know the opponent and know their head to head history. Also, look out for injuries that may affect either side and they know the teams’ current forms by checking on winning or losing streaks. Know where the game is played and whether a team has a good home or road record.
Bet on what you know. When the NBA’s regular season begins, there are more than 10 games every playing date. Don’t just bet randomly on the favorites for every game. While the favorites have the edge, the ball is always round and anything can happen. If you aren’t very familiar with some teams, bet only on games where you know well the teams involved. Knowledge includes knowing stats on offense and defenses, results of previous games and player logs and even advances statistics.
Find the best value bet. In every game, several bets can be made and not just on the moneyline. If one team is so dominant, it’s going to be easy to pick that team. However, a huge favorite may be priced too high there may be no more value on that bet. What you do is check the spread betting or totals betting. These bets usually give you a better value on a team or a bet.
