The Best NBA Betting Sites for 2024

NBA Moneyline Betting

Moneyline betting is the simplest form of NBA betting. There are no point spreads to cover or any other stipulations. You simply predict which team will score the most points and win the game outright (or half/quarter).

For instance, you might bet $100 on the Chicago Bulls winning against the Boston Celtics at odds of +200. If the Bulls were to win, you would receive $200.

NBA Point Spread Betting

For each NBA game, there is a standard point spread, with an underdog and a favourite.

If you wanted to take the Los Angeles Lakers -5 against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers would have to win by 5 points or more for you to win your bet.

If the Lakers win but only win by one point, you will lose your bet. If the Lakers win by exactly 5, the bet is a ‘push’ and your bet is refunded.

NBA Total Points Betting

Most NBA betting sites also offer totals, which is an over/under of combined points of both teams.

If you wanted to take the over 203.5 in a Phoenix Suns at New York Knicks matchup, both teams combined will need to score 204 points or more, for you to win your bet.

Alternative Game Totals

This is effectively the same bet as total betting listed above but NBA bookmakers offer different lines so that punters have a choice of larger odds. If you think there will be a high-scoring game, for example, you might find very juicy odds on over 200 points.

Double Result

The double result gives you the chance to select which team will be winning at halftime and at fulltime. This is a good way to boost the odds of a selection, but it does come with greater risk attached. For the bet to win, you must correctly predict the result of both halves of the match.

Winning Margin

As stated, this is a bet on the winning margin of your selected team. Your chosen side must win for the bet to land, and you generally have options to back a winning margin of 1-2 points, 3-6 points, 7-9 points, and so on, up to 21+ points. There are some huge odds in this market, but clearly, the risks of losing are far higher.

NBA Team Futures

Who will win the NBA championship? This is always the burning question on everyone’s lips during the countdown to the first game of the new season. The futures market for the NBA championship lists each of the 30 teams and their respective outright betting odds.

Outright NBA betting odds are often released just weeks after the curtain is drawn on the previous season. This gives you an opportunity to bet on your favorite team, or if you’re thinking with your head and not your heart – the team which has assembled the best squad and has attractive betting odds.

However, the NBA team futures betting market is much more than predicting which team will be crowned champions. You will also find futures betting markets for division and conference winners, as well as more interesting wagers such as which team will score the most points or record the most rebounds during the season.

NBA Player Futures

NBA player futures bets are interesting, to say the least.

The most common of all is the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award. Online sportsbooks price hundreds of players before the season even begins, with star players such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo featuring among the favourites. As the playoffs draw nearer, dozens of players are wiped from the list as their dreams of becoming an NBA Finals MVP are dashed.

The NBA players’ futures betting market doesn’t revolve around who will be crowned MVP. Here’s some examples of typical player futures that you may find listed at the top NBA betting sites:

• How many triple-doubles will LeBron James score in 2022-23?
• How many assists will Kevin Durant record in 2022-23?
• How many rebounds will Andre Drummond record in 2022-23?
• How many games will it take Giannis Antetokounmpo to reach 100 triple-doubles?

Interestingly, many NBA betting sites accept bet requests. This means you can request odds for a player achieving something during the course of the season. They may reject your request, but it never hurts to ask if you have an inkling that a certain player will exceed expectations.

Read NBA Injury Reports

Injuries, especially to key players, are factored heavily into NBA betting lines. When injury news breaks, certain games will have reduced limits or may be pulled off the board completely. In some cases, teams will play better despite an injury to a star player. Other times, an injury can be devastating to a team’s chemistry.

There are so many ‘game-time decisions’ for players, that it’s especially hard to gauge if a player is going to give it a go or sit this one out. Always consider how an injury will affect a team’s play.

NBA Scheduling

It is important to be aware of a team’s schedule and how they’ve played coming off back-to-back games. Most teams will go through periods of playing two games in three nights, and this especially affects older squads.

Tired legs have led to short jumpers and sloppy basketball. Coaches may give players a rest or slow the tempo down to give their teams a chance to catch their breath.

Home and Away Form

Some NBA teams may feed off their home crowd especially well and have a great record at home. However, on the road, they struggle. It also should be noted that generally, bench players are most affected when you compare home and road splits.

Educate yourself before making a play on how your team reacts to the arena they are playing in.

Matchups Matter

Another factor to consider when betting on the NBA is matchups. If a team is very weak at center or a backup is starting and they are facing a great rebounding team and/or a great frontcourt, you may want to consider a play.

Although this is factored into the line, by knowing the lineups and players, you can help determine how well the oddsmakers are valuing the injury. If you spot a matchup where you see a clear advantage, you may want to look more closely at that game.

Don’t Overvalue Trends

Some bettors don’t really like to bet/follow trends. We’re very wary of capping solely based on trends because that will surely lose you some money in the long haul. Trends, though, are still viable to use when capping NBA games, but they must not be the only factor.

We’re all for betting on a team which isn’t getting the respect of the oddsmakers and has covered the last five games against the spread, but sports bettors must cap based on a variety of factors. So, beware of overvaluing a trend.

Philippine Basketball Association

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is widely considered the next most popular basketball league in the world after the NBA. It’s the second-longest running basketball league after the NBA and was established in 1975. The history of the sport in the Philippines dates back much further than that after it was introduced (along with baseball) by American teachers through the YMCA and school system.

March Madness

March Madness is the biggest college basketball event in the United States. It’s a tournament series that consists of a 68-team bracket playing for the chance to advance to the Final Four (the top team from each region) and compete to become champion of the series. The Final Four is played over a weekend ending on a Monday each year and is one of the most watched games broadcasted in the United States.

EuroLeague

The EuroLeague, also known as the Turkish Airline EuroLeague for sponsorship reasons, was inaugurated in the year 2000. It is a European-wide professional basketball league for top-tier club sides throughout the continent. Real Madrid is the most successful side in the history of the competition, having won the title ten times to date.

Basketball Champions League

The Basketball Champions League (BCL) is an annual basketball club competition organized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) for club sides which excel in their national leagues. However, the tournament has been the source of controversy as FIBA and EuroLeague basketball wrestle for control of top-level European competitions.

FIBA Basketball World Cup

The quadrennial Basketball World Cup is considered the pinnacle of international basketball, alongside the Olympics. It has been running, in one format or another, since 1950 and is the flagship event of FIBA. Spain defeated Argentina in the final of the 2019 tournament to become champions for the second time. The USA and Yugoslavia have won the prestigious competition five times each.

EuroBasket

EuroBasket, also known as the European Basketball Championship, is an international tournament that is contested by 24 European teams. Slovenia will enter EuroBasket 2022 as the defending champions from 2017. Historically, the competition was dominated by the former Soviet Union, who won the EuroBasket eight times in a row while notching their record haul of 14 titles.