How To Bet On Basketball

With no shortage of games, being available to watch throughout the night, ridiculous athletes, and a whole lot of points, wagering on basketball is one of the main American sports where any and every night provides back-and-forth, highlight-reel action. Learning how to bet on basketball can increase your betting enjoyment throughout the year.

There's no shortage of ways on how to wager on basketball now that legal sports betting has taken center stage in the United States, so below is a guide on how to possibly make a profit off some of basketball's brightest stars. Learn how to bet on basketball and win more frequently.

How to Bet on Basketball – Moneyline, Point Spread and Over/Under Basketball Betting

This trio has always been around, just maybe not always at a customer's fingertips on their phone, tablet or whichever mobile device used to operate their legal sportsbook account.

A moneyline basketball wager is simply picking a winner between two teams with the odds associated with each team. If the Philadelphia 76ers are -150 odds against the New York Knicks with +125 odds, a customer will have to risk $150 to win $100 if selecting the 76ers or can win $125 from risking $100 if selecting the Knicks.

How to Bet on Basketball – What is Point Spread Betting in Basketball?

The point spread is the preferred market for customers wagering on basketball as it levels the difference between the two teams. For example, the 76ers are -5.5 point spread favorites hosting the +5.5 underdog Knicks. For the 76ers to cover the spread, they must win the game by six (6) points or more. For the Knicks to cover the spread, they must either win the game outright or lose by five (5) points or less. Pretty straightforward how to bet on basketball point spread, really.

How to Bet on Basketball, Over/Under Basketball Betting Explained

The third tried and true basketball market is taking the over or under total points in a game. Unlike the moneyline and spread, the over/under doesn't care about which team wins, just about how many points are scored. For example, the over/under total between the 76ers and Knicks is 222.5 points. A bet on the over needs the game’s final score to total 223 points or more to win, while a bet on the under needs 222 or fewer points. Again, how to bet on basketball over and under is quite simple.

Basketball Props Markets in Sports Betting

With the promotion of same game parlays and expanded online sports betting across the United States, the basketball props markets menu has exploded over the past couple of years. Basketball prop wagers focus on game events, such as a particular team's performance as a whole or individual player performances within the game.

Basketball Individual Player Props Markets

There are too many to list at this point in the development of the player prop market menu, but classic examples of basketball prop markets include Total Points for Player X (Over/Under), Total Assists for Player X (Over/Under), Total Points + Assists + Rebounds for Player X (Over/Under), Total Three-Point Field Goals Made for Player X (Over/Under) and so on and so forth.

Customers can also select if Player X will get a double-double, a triple-double or which player will score the First Field Goal of Game.

Basketball Team Props Markets

Instead of individual player markets, those same type of wagers listed above can be made in favor of one team.

Team prop markets such as Winning Margin (76ers Win By 1-3 points, 4-6 points, 7-9 points, etc), Double Result (Halftime/Fulltime Leader) and ‘Will There Be Overtime?' are common team prop markets offered by sportsbook operators.

Same Game Parlays Basketball Markets

Customers could be fine with just wagering on Joel Embiid's over/under rebounds, Jalen Brunson's total number of assists and if James Harden will make more than three (3) three-pointers, but same game parlays allow customers to put multiple player props from one game on a single wager slip.

Combining these sorts of player prop markets was not commonplace a few years ago but has been one of the most significant growth spots for legal online sports wagering in the United States.

Each sportsbook operator has a different menu or set up to get into their same game parlay menu, so customers should make sure they're comfortable with the interface of the app they're using before diving into their multi-leg same game parlay.

What’s the Point In a Same Game Parlay in Betting on Basketball?

The goal in a same game parlay in basketball betting is to choose correlated events within the same game to create a small wager with a large return. An example of creating a same game parlay that all connects is if the customer thinks the 76ers are going to dominate inside against the Knicks in an upcoming game.

Instead of taking the 76ers to cover the -5.5 spread against the Knicks, a same game parlay wager slip can look like this:

Embiid To Record Double-Double
Embiid To Score 30+ Points
Embiid To Record 2+ Blocks
Harden To Make 2+ three-pointers
Harden To Record 6+ Assists

Instead of a single spread wager, a customer can create a smaller wager ticket with high + odds (+500, +600, +700 odds etc.) that all correlate with the 76ers putting it on the Knicks. Customers can also mix and match player props from both teams and does not have to be just one team of the two.

How to Bet on Basketball : Wagering Tips and Trends

For anyone that keeps up with current basketball trends, star players tend to take a night off for rest/maintenance and player performance tends to go down when teams play on back-to-back nights that may or may not include travel.

There are many factors to include before placing basketball wagers, so staying on top of injuries, lineup changes, and the team's recent schedule and form can be important factors to becoming a successful basketball bettor.

For example, the 76ers defeat the Knicks on Tuesday 120-114 at home in Philadelphia. When looking at lines in the morning, a customer sees the 76ers being five-point favorites on the road against the last place Indiana Pacers. It may be advantageous for customers to wait and see if Embiid and Harden are both going to play on a back-to-back with travel, before placing their 76ers -5 wager.

The line could swing 1-5 points depending on if Embiid and/or Harden will suit up that night. Checking updates for injuries and rest games from star players may sound like a chore, but one cannot successfully wager on basketball frequently within being in tune with how a team operates or may operate.

Want to Learn More about Sports Betting?

WagerTalk offers an expansive group of guides to all elements of sports betting. Learn how to bet on various sports, like how to bet on baseball, how to bet on soccer, or how to bet on the puck line. Or, learn about more sophisticated terms like what is hedging a bet, what is the vig in betting, or what is hedging a bet.

Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?

Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.

Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)

Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.

Make sure to bookmark all the above!

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Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?

• Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
• Last-Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
• Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.

Make sure to bookmark all the above!