Betting NBA
Point Spreads
Betting NBA
point spreads is one of the more common ways bettors wager on sports.
Key
Points
- Betting
NBA point spreads is one of the most common ways to bet on the NBA.
- Bettors
can look at a variety of information to help them make sound decisions
when betting NBA point spreads.
Betting NBA
Point Spreads
It’s one of
the most popular ways to bet on NBA
basketball. Betting NBA point spreads can be both fun and
profitable if you have a working knowledge of what you are doing.
Getting on
the right side of a point spread bet consistently takes some time and effort.
There are ways to gain an edge and come out ahead.
Here is how
you can conquer betting NBA
point spreads.
NBA Point
Spreads Example
The point
spread is the great equalizer. You have two teams of different abilities. One
team may be hot, the other cold. One team has players injured; another is
healthy.
Whatever
the case, the point spread can account for these differences. Let’s take the
following example of the game between the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks.
Milwaukee -2.5
(-110)
New
York +2.5 (-110)
In this
case, the point spread is 2.5 and Milwaukee is the favorite as indicated by the
minus “-” sign. The Bucks are considered 2.5 points better than the Knicks and,
in order for a bet to win on Milwaukee, the Bucks will have to win by at least three
points.
A winning
bet on the underdog Knicks will win if New York loses by two or fewer points or
wins the game outright.
The odds of
-110 indicate that a bettor must wager $1.10 to win a dollar on either side of
the bet. Anyone betting
on basketball needs to know about point spreads.
Bet Early
Lines
One of the
ways to take advantage of a point spread is to bet early. Typically, bettors
can get odds early in the morning for that night’s games. The top online sportsbook
will have sharp lines out early.
Having
information is the key to setting these odds. As a day progresses, oddsmakers -
as well as bettors - have access to more information. This information can have
an effect on the point spread and the odds. Offshore sports odds
are normally the best in the business.
If mistakes
are made in setting a line for an NBA game, it is typically made early. That’s
why NBA bettors should consider betting early.
One of the
keys to becoming a consistent NBA winner is beating the closing line. For every
half-point you beat the closing line by, your winning percentage increases by 1
to 3 percent.
Editor’s
Choice: Tips
for Betting NBA 2nd Half Odds
Check
Injury Reports
Looking at
an injury report is an easy way to gain an edge in NBA betting. The absence of
one key player is a much bigger deal in basketball than it is in football.
If there
are injury issues, you may want to reconsider betting early too. You’ll need to
look at the final injury report which comes out about 5 p.m. before night
games.
Bettors
also need to be on the lookout for players resting. It is common these days for
starters, especially elite players, to rest on the second night of back-to-back
games.
Scheduling
Advantages & Betting NBA Point Spreads
That leads
right into looking at scheduling advantages. A team coming off a game the night
before may be fatigued against a team that had the previous night or two
off.
There are
teams that will play eight games in 12 nights. That can be a huge burden
especially if any of those games go to overtime. That is another thing to look
for - teams playing the night after an overtime game. Not only are they playing
on back-to-back nights, but they also played more minutes than usual.
All of
these can influence a decision when betting NBA point spreads.
Our last
article focused on betting
Super Bowl props. Go check it out.
