How to bet on NBA: best strategies, secrets and tips for beginners

The NBA has many advantages over football, but few people know how to use them.

Basketball is consistently among the top five most popular sports for bettors. It is, after all, the most dynamic ball game! And the NBA is considered to be the best league in the world by a wide margin. Below we’ll cover the basics of NBA analysis, the different types of bets, important distinctions and the main strategies.

NBA betting: features and benefits

Russian basketball players have not played in the NBA for several years, but the interest of betting fans in the league is not weakening. This is largely due to the rules and features of the game, which compare favorably with football or hockey.
One of the main trumps is the number of periods of play. As you know, in football there are only two – halves of 45 minutes each. Hockey has three 20-minute periods. In professional basketball four quarters are played, although their length varies. In Europe it is 10 minutes, while in the US and Asia it is 12 minutes.
This gives you more betting options: on quarters, halves and, of course, the whole game. It’s no wonder basketball is so popular for in-play betting. Lots of short-lived chunks give you the chance to win relatively quickly. Or to win back immediately.
As a rule, a quarter in the NBA takes about 15-20 minutes. The exceptions are endings with a lot of timeouts. By comparison, a period in hockey with all the stops takes 33-37 minutes and a half in football takes at least 45 minutes.
The second important advantage of the NBA is a huge number of statistical indicators. Both team and individual.
Third – a huge amount of statistics in the public domain. Personal and team, normal and advanced. If in football or other team sports it is difficult to assess the degree of influence of a particular performer on the game with the help of numbers, then in the NBA it is enough to look at the statistics.
Fourth – the calendar and a huge number of matches.
Fifth is spectacle. Even in an NBA outsider’s game, there are plenty of highlights.
The sixth is draws. In basketball, there are no peaceful outcomes; in the event of a draw, the opponents play a five-minute overtime. This continues until a winner is determined. Of course, with high performance, the probability of a draw during regular time is low.
There are no endless overtimes (NHL and KHL play-offs, decisive matches of major international tournaments in hockey) or extra time (at least two halves of 15 minutes and a penalty shoot-out in football). Everything will be solved quickly, there is no need to wait.

Popular types of NBA bets

Features of basketball lead to a huge number of types of bets. Let’s highlight the top five.

1. Total bets. Before the start of the match, at least three totals with a different number of points are offered in the line. Totals are available for the whole game, half and every quarter. The case is not limited to classic options for more / less than a specific performance bar. For example, you can put on the interval.
2. Let’s say 190-200 points will be scored in the match. Or the fact that in each segment (quarter or half) more than a certain amount will be collected. For example, a total over 48.5 points in all quarters will play if in each segment the teams score at least 49 points in total.
3. Outcome bets. This is a bet on the winner of the meeting based on the results of regular time or taking into account overtime. You can also bet on the result of a quarter or a half.
4. Handicap bets. In basketball matches of the leading leagues, bookmakers offer several lines with different handicaps. Due to the high performance in the NBA, handicap values ​​can vary greatly. Let’s say, depending on the tournament position and the current state of the teams before the start of the match, the bookmaker can offer both (-1.5 points) for one of the sides, and (-31.5).
5. Bets on comparison of game segments. Here the player can compare the performance of one of the clubs, as well as the total score of the match. The bookmaker offers to guess in which quarter (or half) the specified indicator will be higher compared to the other quarter. The choice of the most productive quarter (half) of the match is also popular. For example, the first half will be more productive than the second, and the third quarter will be the most productive during the meeting.
6. Bets on individual statistics. You can choose the indicators of a particular player in one of the statistical components or their sum. For example, total over 18.5 points, total under 2.5 three-point hits or total under 7.5 rebounds. It is also popular to bet on comparisons of player statistics.

How to choose a match to bet in the NBA: potential threats and factors

There are several factors to consider when betting on the NBA.

• Team calendar. It is common in the NBA for one side to have back-to-back games on two consecutive days. Quite often, one of the games is a home game and the other is an away game. Of course, flying and minimal rest time reduces the chances of winning. The coaches try to relieve the leaders or even give them a rest. In such a situation, experienced players catch high odds and bet on outsiders.
• Injuries. In the NBA it is much easier to keep track of news about the condition of players than in football. There is no mystery about it; you can even find out information on the clubs’ official social media accounts. As a rule, basketball players with injuries are given a status before each game: pass, participation unlikely, doubtful, participation likely, will play.
• Transitions. The vast majority of trades in the NBA are made before the deadline, which happens in the second half of the season. After that, clubs can still sign free agents and buy back players for a while. However, some trades do occur during the first part of the season and may affect the power play.

NBA betting strategies: tips and tricks

Basketball betting is similar to other team sports. The NBA attracts players with frequent matches and a large number of betting options. It is not surprising that bookmakers carefully think over the lines, closely follow the news and make almost no mistakes. Still, there are a few tricks.

• Bets against the favorite who has caught courage. As we have already found out, long winning streaks in the NBA are rare due to the high level of competition and the density of the calendar. Experienced players wait until one of the clubs wins several times in a row, and then bet against it according to the catch-up strategy. Here it is important to clearly calculate your strength so that the size of the bank is enough for ultimate success.
• Overtime betting. According to statistics, about 7-9% of NBA games end in a draw in regular time. The exact figure varies from season to season. At the same time, the coefficient for overtime in the pre-match often approaches 20.0. If one of the teams hasn’t gone into extra time for a long time, you can safely catch a draw in one of the next meetings with participation.
• The zigzag theory can give a result. The system consists in betting on the team that lost to the outsider in the previous meeting. As a rule, playoff-level clubs avoid bad stretches and respond well to defeats from weak opponents. Especially if next you have to fight with one of the contenders for the championship.
• But bets on underdogs in the playoffs rarely make a profit. Statistically, a team that is 0-2 behind in a series advances about 6% of the time. In the NHL, comebacks after a bad start are much more common.
• A drop in performance in play-offs and important games. A common trend in most team sports. Defending in the regular season is considered bad form, but it is different in the play-offs. Therefore the total in these matches is usually set lower.