NBA Betting Sites - Top Basketball Sportsbooks Guide

With 30 teams all vying for one common goal, the NBA is the perfect combination of athleticism and entertainment. Here on BetPicks, we offer the latest information on NBA betting, featuring NBA free picks, predictions, NBA parlays and odds.

The NBA is home to the best basketball players in the world. Featuring 30 teams in two countries, the NBA is a global phenomenon watched by millions.

An 82-game season helps separate teams from the pack, making them eligible to compete for the NBA Championship. If a certain team ranks in the top 8 of their respective Conference, they will have the opportunity to challenge for the Larry O’Brien trophy. 16 teams in total will make the postseason, separated by the Eastern and Western Conference. From there, these teams will compete in a best-of-seven series, with the winner moving onto the next round until a champion is declared.

To win the NBA Championship, teams must win 4 best-of-seven playoff series. The most recent team to do so was the Los Angeles Lakers.

Every NBA game has betting odds. There are normally underdogs and favorites. The underdog has a lesser chance of winning the game but will provide great return if they win. Meanwhile, the favorite has a great chance of winning the game, but the return isn’t so great.

Understanding the top teams, players and trends will help you make educated bets. There is a wide variety of variables that can impact betting lines, from winning and losing streaks to injuries. NBA regular season odds are impacted daily, so make sure you’re staying up to date on the latest trends and news in the NBA.

30 teams are all competing for 1 championship. The NBA season isn’t anything to be taken lightly. Some teams are clear favorites on paper, but the game is played on hardwood. Anything can happen. The Association has a flair for dramatics and is easily one of the most entertaining sports in North America.

Here at BetPicks, we’re dedicated to proving you the best NBA bets you can make, absolutely free. All of our NBA picks and predictions are free, ranging from regular season odds to the NBA championship.

We search the web to find the best betting markets for our users. All of our NBA picks and predictions come backed by statistics, trends and professional opinion, meaning we spend the time researching all possible outcomes and scenarios to provide great detail and insight.

Whether it’s a regular season contest or a high-stakes parlay, we are dedicated to helping you win your next bet.

Like a buffet full of food choices, the same could be said about the NBA betting market. There is a wide variety of picks and wagers to be made. Here are some of the most common NBA bets you can make:

NBA Moneyline: Considered the most straightforward bet, the Moneyline means you are selecting a team to win straight up. If the Celtics and Raptors are going head-to-head, you’ll see a plus (+) or minus (-) sign next to the respective team. If the Celtics are listed at -120, this means that they are the favorites on the Moneyline, and to win $100, you would need to bet $120. The Raptors could then be listed at +120, which means a $100 bet would win $120.

The minus sign means that team is the favorite. The plus indicates that the team is the underdog. To win a Moneyline bet, you need the team you selected to win straight up, regardless if they are considered the favorite (-) or underdog (+). For Moneyline betting, remember that you are selecting the outright winner of the contest. All other factors do not matter, as long as the team you wagered on wins the game, you win the bet!

NBA Point Spreads: Also known as the handicap, the spread is the number of points taken from the favorite and added to the underdog. So, if the Celtics are listed at -7 against the Raptors, this means that the Celtics would need to win by 8 points to win the bet. If you think Boston will defeat Toronto by more than 7 points, you should place this bet.

Since 7 points are being taken away from Boston, you can think of those 7 points being applied to Toronto’s total.

Betting on the spread has no correlation to the winning team in real life. If you place a bet on Boston to win at -7 and the Celtics win the game by only 3 points, you still lose the bet. If you were to place money on Toronto (+7) and the Raptors LOSE by less than 6 points or WIN the game straight up, you win the bet.

Sometimes you may see the spread include .5 to the totals, this is to avoid a push, which is a tie. In our example, if the Celtics were to win by 7 exactly, the bet is considered a tie and you get your money back. To avoid a tie, bookmakers may apply half a point to the respective handicap.

Still using our example, if the Celtics are listed at -7.5 this means they need to win by 8 points to win the bet. There are no half points in basketball, so this avoids a tie. If the Raptors (+7.5) lose by 8 or more points, they would not win the bet. If they lose by 7 points, they would win the bet because of the additional .5 added to Toronto’s total.

NBA Totals. When betting on NBA totals, you are wagering on a certain statistic. The most common totals bet is the total game Over/Under (O/U) score. Basically, betting on the total points O/U means you are wagering that the two teams will score over the listed amount, or under. If the listed total is 213, you can bet on if the two teams will score 212 or fewer points or more than 213 points.

If you think the two teams will have an off-night, you can bet the under. If you think it’s going to be a shooting gallery, you can bet the over in total points. You can also bet the O/U in total point for the first half and second half, rather than betting on the entirety of the game. Depending on your bookmaker, you might be able to bet on specific quarter totals as well.

NBA totals don’t stop at the scoreboard. You can also bet on a teams’ individual totals as well. For example, you could wager on the Lakers’ total of 97.5. If you think the Lakers will score more than 97.5 points in a game, you would take the over. If you think they would score 97 points or less, you would bet the under.

NBA Prop Betting: Prop bets are wagers placed on certain statistics and outcomes, rather than the final score of the game. If you’re placing a prop bet, you could be wagering on how many rebounds Kawhi Leonard will have, or how many free throws will be made by Jayson Tatum.

There are many different prop bets, but one of the most popular totals would be the over/under for a player’s total points. If there is a prop bet for LeBron James’ total points over/under 32.5, you can either bet and say James will score 33 or more points or wager that James will score 32 or fewer points

You can wager on several different statistics, ranging from rebounds, points, steals, blocks, fouls, etc. Depending on your bookmaker, they should have a list of different prop bets eligible for a specific game.

Prop betting is one of the more fun bets to wager upon because you are not fixated on the outcome of the game. Instead, you are rooting for (or against) a certain player and their success during the game.

Live Bets: NBA Live Betting is the act of betting on a game that is already underway. Also known as In-Play betting, betting on games that have already tipped-off will yield a variety of results.

If you want to bet on an NBA contest and the game has already started, prepare for odds to be vastly different from before the game was underway. What I mean by this is that you can still bet on popular wagers like the Moneyline, but if team A is down a significant amount after the first quarter, they will be heavily regarded as underdogs.

For example, if the Lakers are listed at -120 before opening tip-off, the Lakers’ odds of winning on the Moneyline (straight up) will vary depending on how the game is currently unfolding. If the Lakers have a huge lead, expect the odds to drop to -300 for LA to win because there is less time on the clock and the Lakers are winning.

In-play betting features the same bets you can normally make. The only difference is that once the game is underway, odds and values will change drastically than before the ball was ever put into play. Bettors may also wait for In-play betting because they like to see the flow of the game. If the Lakers are predicted to win the game but are off to a cold start, that may entice the better to wager AGAINST the Lakers, despite being the favorites.

NBA Futures: Think you can predict the future? Betting on NBA Futures is basically a prediction for the upcoming season. When betting on futures, you can wager on team success (like the NBA champion) or individual success (like the Defensive Player of the Year).

Before the start of the season, you will see favorites like the Los Angeles Clippers listed at +600 to win the NBA Championship. Lesser teams, like the Charlotte Hornets, will have worse odds to win the NBA title and could be listed at +30000.

Futures bets are trickier to make because normally these bets are a long time away. During the regular season, you might be able to bet on specific futures bets, but it all depends on your bookie. Odds will change throughout the regular season as well.

When futures betting, you’re predicting a certain outcome. More popular wagers include outcomes like the NBA Champion, but you can also bet on a teams’ specific win/loss record as well. As mentioned, futures bets will vary by bookmaker, but the most popular bets include team honors and individual awards.

NBA Parlays: NBA Parlays is the combination of multiple bets into one single bet. Normally, you can bet on the Raptors ML, Bucks ML, and total points for Los Angeles vs. Houston, which would produce individual odds.

However, if you want to bet on all three of those contests in one single bet, this is what we call a Parlay. The risk is that if one of those bets fails, the entire bet fails. So, you could be right on the Raptors and Bucks ML, but if the total points are under what you picked, your bet fails. The same could happen if you were right on the Raps ML and O/U for Houston and LA, but the Bucks lost on the Moneyline.

It`s definitely one of the riskier bets to make in regards to NBA betting, but it can also produce some amazing odds and value. The downside is that one incorrect bet will ruin your entire bet. This isn`t a wager for the faint of heart, but if you have a great feeling about multiple NBA games or picks, parlaying your bets could produce fantastic results.

Do you know how much NBA teams practice? Every time they hit the court, they have done their research on the opposition so they know what to expect.

The same way you would study for a test, NBA teams pick apart their opposition’s routines and plays so they can be well prepared for a game. Like being an NBA athlete, you too should do your research and create strategies so that when you’re in the betting game, you are well prepared.

There are a number of different strategies and betting tips to be found on the internet. Here are some of our favorite tips and strategies to help you stay successful with your wagers.

Play the Percentages: Everyone loves a good underdog story. The caveat is that they are rare. If you are starting your betting career, don’t be afraid to throw money on expected winners. There is a reason these teams the favorites. Of course, anything can happen in the sport which makes it electric. However, betting on the favorites is a nice way to help boost your bankroll as well as get your winning percentage up.

Do Your Research: Remember, this is your money at stake! Don’t randomly throw money just for the sake of betting. Instead, look up player statistics, trends, injuries, roster transactions, and other factors before making a bet. While our NBA bets are freely listed, here at BetPicks we spend loads of time researching our bets. Like LeBron James practicing and preparing for a game, you should prepare for every bet made.

Follow Trends and Adjust Accordingly: If the Lakers destroyed the Hornets by 30 last night, would you put money on the Lakers to win by 30 in their next game? Probably not. Why? Well, that score is an outlier and doesn’t necessarily reflect the probabilities of NBA betting. Don’t be fooled by a statistical or betting anomaly.