There are several NBA bet types that we will highlight on this page on a regular basis. These are the most common types of NBA wagers, which we will go over here.
Spread Bets
Point spread wagers allow NBA fans to bet on one team or the other in a game, with a point spread being applied to the side that they wager on. For example, the Boston Celtics could be a three-point favorite against the Sacramento Kings. In that scenario, Boston would have three points subtracted from their score, or the Kings would have three points added to their score. The team with the higher score after that handicap is applied wins for the purposes of this market.
Over/Under Bets
When it comes to the over/under, or totals market, it does not matter which team comes away with the win. Instead, the goal is to predict the total points that will be scored by the two teams in this matchup. This is a betting market where advanced analytics can really help make the best NBA picks today, such as tempo and efficiency metrics. The total is often closely correlated to the outcome of player props such as player points and threes made.
Moneyline Bet
Finally, the moneyline is a market where the goal is to simply predict which of the two teams will win an upcoming game. This market is available for every game throughout the season, and features odds that are very different than you will find in spread and total markets.
When betting on the moneyline, the team that is the favorite will come with odds that require a higher risk amount to earn the desired profit. The team that is the underdog, meanwhile, will come with odds that require less risk to win that same amount. The task at hand is to navigate those different odds to determine which team has the most value to win the game.
