NBA Odds and Online Betting Lines

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NBA Betting 2024

Betting on the NBA and claiming the best NBA betting promos for the playoffs can be done by bettors of all experience levels. Whether you’re a fan of a particular team or just looking to get some skin in the game, laying down an NBA wager adds another layer of excitement.

Here’s a look at how to bet on the NBA playoffs and the most popular types of bets you can place.

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How to Bet on the NBA Playoffs

No matter what type of NBA playoff bet you want to place, it all starts with signing up and creating an account with a legal online sportsbook. All of the best sports betting apps will offer odds on the NBA playoffs, but we’ll use BetMGM as our example.

  1. Click the banner above to sign up with BetMGM Sportsbook. and claim the current welcome offer.
  2. Be sure to enter promo code USBETTING to get your welcome bonus.

Once you register your account and claim your NBA playoff promo, you’re good to go!

NBA Betting Types

The following NBA betting types cover the vast majority of wagers fans will place during the NBA playoffs. Each sportsbook offers varying amounts of market depth and variety, so be sure to check out multiple betting apps to find the best one to fit your betting needs.

NBA Moneyline Bets

Moneyline bets are the most straightforward way to wager on your favorite NBA team as you’re simply betting on who you think will win. The margin of victory and total points scored have no bearing on the outcome of your moneyline bet. If the team you bet on wins, you win.

The moneyline odds associated with a team tell you who sportsbooks and odds makers view as the favorite and underdog to win a particular NBA playoff game. If a team has a negative number next to their name, that’s the favorite. Seeing a ‘+’ next to an NBA team’s moneyline odds tells you that team is the underdog in that specific game. Let’s use a hypothetical example of an NBA Finals game between the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns.

  • Celtics: -130
  • Suns: +110

Here, the Celtics would be the favorites with the Suns as small underdogs. You can also use moneyline odds to determine wager amounts and potential profit. With the Celtics, for example, you would have to wager $130 to win $100. For the Suns, however, a $100 wager would result in a $110 hit if Phoenix were to win.

Don’t worry about figuring this out on your own, as all online sportsbooks will calculate your potential payout automatically when you select your wager amount in the bet slip.

NBA Spread Bets

When you bet on the spread in the NBA, as well as other sports, you are placing a bet on whether or not a team will win by a predetermined margin of victory. These numbers also appear with “+” and “-” next to the underdog and favorite, respectively.

If you are betting on the favorite, they have to win by a certain number of points for your spread bet to hit. Conversely, underdogs can lose by a certain number of points (or win outright) for your wager to be successful. You’ll hear the phrase “cover the spread” in connection with spread bets.

Here’s an example from Game 2 of the series between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers:

  • Nets +10
  • 76ers -10

Here, the Nets are “getting” 10 points against the 76ers. As long as they lose by 9 or fewer points, Brooklyn would cover the spread. On the flip side, the 76ers would have to win by 11 or more points for your spread bet to win. Note that a margin of victory of exactly 10 points would result in a push.

Betting on the spread can provide more appealing odds compared to the moneyline, especially when it comes to heavy favorites. In the above example, Philadelphia’s moneyline odds are -500 or more whereas a spread bet typically carries odds between -105 and -115.

NBA Over/Under Bets

NBA Over/under bets, also known as point totals or just simply totals, is another way to bet on the NBA playoffs. In this type of bet, you simply wager on whether the total points scored by both teams will be over or under the line set by the sportsbook.

If you see a point total set at 222.5, the two teams would have to combine for at least 223 points for the “over” to hit. On the other hand, a combined score of 222 or lower would be in favor of the “under”. Similar to spread odds, over/under odds don’t fluctuate the way moneyline odds do and generally stay at -110.

NBA Parlay Bets

Placing an NBA parlay bet is when you combine two or more bets (each bet is commonly referred to as a ‘leg’) into a single wager. Parlaying bets together is a popular way of getting higher odds and therefore increasing your potential profit. It’s not all sunshine and roses, however, as parlay bets also carry more risk.

In order for you to cash your parlay, all of your selections have to hit. If you place a four-leg parlay and only three of your legs win, your wager loses.

With the majority of sportsbooks now offering same game parlays, you can even combine bets from the same NBA playoff game rather than multiple games.

NBA Prop Bets

NBA prop bets, and prop bets in general, have exploded in popularity in recent years. NBA prop bets are typically wagers on events that aren’t necessarily tied to the outcome of a particular game.

The most popular type of prop bets are player props, where you can wager on an individual player’s performance. For the NBA, this means betting on statistical outcomes like points scored, rebounds, assists, three-pointers attempted, and more.

This means you could bet on LeBron James to score more than 27.5 points and your bet can still hit, even if the Lakers lose their game.

Author

Pat McLoone is an editor overseeing coverage for USBettingReport.com, among other duties. Pat spent more than 40 years at the Philadelphia Daily News, where he became managing editor, and later the Philadelphia Inquirer, as managing editor for Sports.