How to Bet on Basketball | Basketball Betting Explained 2025

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Introduction to Basketball Betting

Throughout the year, there’s always some type of basketball going on.

The WNBA season tips off in May and goes through mid-October. From there, there’s just a two-day gap before the NBA season begins.

Then, in early November, the college season starts, opening the door for college basketball betting.

Needless to say, there’s a lot of basketball, and each league has dozens of games.

The NBA has 82 games; college basketball has March Madness, and the WNBA has more viewership than ever with the arrival of players like Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever.

The NBA, along with the NFL, NHL, and MLB, is among the most popular sports to bet on in the United States.

There are numerous ways to bet on these games, from picking winners, point spreads, the total number of points, and even player props.

Given the prominence of these leagues and college sports, the best online sportsbooks for basketball tend to offer promotions and bonuses tailored to them, including profit boosts, bet-and-get offers, parlay insurances, no-sweat bets, and more.

This is especially true for March Madness, which comes shortly after the NFL season and the Super Bowl conclude, revving the betting engines back up. March Madness consists of more than 60 teams and multiple regions vying for a national championship.

Below, we’ll dive more into basketball betting, including how to bet on basketball, understanding the betting odds, popular betting markets, live betting, how to bet on games, basketball betting tips, and so much more.

Let’s dive in. 

Understanding Basketball Betting Odds

Before I discuss how odds can change and how bookmakers set odds, let’s examine the different types of odds, which include decimal, fractional, and American. 

Decimal Odds

Decimal odds are a format typically displayed at European, Canadian, and other sportsbooks outside of the United States. However, most betting sites, including new betting sites, still allow you to view odds this way if you choose. 

These odds allow you to quickly determine how much you’ll win with a wager. 

For example, say you wanted to bet on the Los Angeles Lakers at 1.50 odds, and you wanted to bet $100. 

You’d take 100 and multiply it by 1.50, and you’d get $150. This includes the $100 wager, so you’d net $50 in profit. 

You could do it with any random amount, too.

Say the odds are 2.43, and you want to bet $247.

Again, take 2.43 and multiply it by 247. This would be $600.21, with a profit of $353.31 after subtracting the initial $247 wager. 

So, for American bettors, the decimal odds are quite different in how they’re displayed, but calculating your winners and profits is done quite quickly. 

American Odds

With American odds, you’ll see a “-” and “+” sign on most markets. 

The “minus” odds indicate the favorite in most circumstances, while the “plus”  odds signify the underdog. If both teams have “minus” odds, the team with the higher number associated is considered more favored. 

For example, if the Lakers were playing the Boston Celtics and the Celtics were -130 compared to the Lakers at -120, the Celtics have a higher implied probability of winning. 

With American odds, you can quickly tell how much you’ll win or need to bet when you look through the lens of $100. 

Let’s look at some examples: 

  • The Lakers are -120. For this bet, you must wager $120 to win $100. Conversely, if the Lakers were +120, you’d win $120 with a successful $100 bet. 
  • With “+” odds, you’ll win the amount associated with the odds on a successful $100 wager. 
  • With “-” odds, you must bet that amount associated with the odds to win $100. 

Fractional Odds 

Fractional odds are typically found in the United Kingdom and British sportsbooks. 

These also readily help with estimating how much you need to wager to win a certain amount. Most often, it’s viewed through the lens of $1, but it all depends on the numerator and the denominator. 

Let’s look at some examples:

  • The Denver Nuggets are 5/1 to win the NBA Finals. With these odds, you’ll take the denominator, and that’s how much you need to wager to win the number in the numerator. So, for every $1 bet, you’d win $5. Suppose you bet $1 on the Nuggets to win at 5/1 odds. In that case, you’d receive $6, including the original wager and the number in the numerator. 
  • Now, let’s take the Lakers example above at -120 American odds. In fractional odds, it’s 5/6 odds. With this, you’d win $5 on a $6 wager. 

Why Do Odds Change? 

Odds can change for numerous reasons, including the money received on one side or the other. 

These odds can also change due to injury, coaching changes, players sitting out for rest, and more. 

How Do Sportsbooks Set Odds? 

Basketball betting sites set odds while considering many of the parameters mentioned above. They also use advanced algorithms that take into account numerous factors. These are known as the opening odds and can change before the start of the game. 

Popular Basketball Betting Markets

Moneyline Bets

The moneyline is the simplest betting market. You simply pick the winner of the game without any caveats.

7-3 final score on a LED scoreboard

Point Spread

The point spread indicates the gap in power between two teams. 

With American odds, if a team is -5.5 on the point spread, it must win the game and do so by six or more to cover. As for a team that's +5.5, it can cover the spread by winning outright or losing by five or less.

large plus sign with smaller plus and minus signs on either side

Totals (Over/Under)

With a totals bet, you’ll wager on the combined number of points scored in the game. The sportsbook will provide a line, and you’ll bet over or under on it. 

So, if the Lakers and Celtics play and the total is 222.5 and the Lakers score 120 and the Celtics score 124, you add them together, it’s 224 points, and if you bet “over,” your bet would win.

red up and down arrow

Prop Bets

Prop bets in basketball come in three ways: player, game, and team props. The most popular are player props. These allow you to bet on individual player performance and ignore the game's outcome. 

For example, you could bet on LeBron James’ point total. Like over/under bets, you’ll get a line and bet over or under on it. Let’s say his line is 28.5, and you bet under. If he scores 29 or more, you lose; if he scores 28 or less, you win.

Black basketball with red and blue glowing lights

Futures Bets

With futures betting markets, you’ll be wagering on events that’ll resolve in, well, the future. Examples of futures bets include betting on the NBA Finals winner in October or the MVP winner. These markets remain up throughout the season, but the odds can swing massively throughout the season.

red, black, and blue trophy

Live Betting on Basketball

In addition to the betting markets mentioned above, there’s also live betting. 

Live betting, also known as in-play betting, is a totally separate market that sportsbooks often dedicate a unique page on their platforms.

With live betting, most of the markets mentioned above are available, but with basketball, the odds can shift extremely fast as you’ll be betting on the game in real time. You might be interested in betting on a game, but a player may have an injury heading into it, and you want to see how he plays before placing a bet. After seeing how the player does, you can let the first half go and place a wager during halftime. 

I love using live betting to hedge my pre-game betting line. With this, you can limit your losses. 

For example, if you bet the Lakers' moneyline at -120 before the game and they’re trailing by five points in the fourth quarter, you could choose to ride it out or bet on the opponent’s moneyline to help limit the losses in the event the Lakers don’t make a comeback. 

Some of the top basketball betting sites will not only provide an interface for betting on games live, but some have live trackers so you can keep up with the game, and some offer live streaming to watch the game on their platform. Sites also provide statistics during and before the game to help you make educated and informed decisions. 

Basketball Leagues to Bet On

As mentioned above, there are numerous basketball leagues you can wager on, which I’ll discuss below. 

The abovementioned betting markets are also available in all leagues, including the NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and the EuroLeague. 

NBA

The NBA is the top professional basketball league in the world. It features 30 teams and a regular season that lasts 82 games. After the regular season, there are the playoffs, which feature eight teams from each conference competing in three rounds—the First Round, Conference Semi-Finals, and Conference Finals—before the last two standings compete in the NBA Finals. 

These series are all best-of-seven, so if a team managed to go seven games in all four series, there would be 110 total games. 

Throughout the season, there are numerous events to wager on at NBA betting sites, including the following for the 2024-25 season:

  • Opening Night: October 22
  • NBA Mexico City Game: November 2  
  • All 30 teams in action: November 4
  • Emirates NBA Cup: November 12
  • Emirates NBA Cup championship: December 17
  • Christmas Day games: December 25
  • NBA All-Star 2025: February 14-16, 2025  
  • Regular season ends: April 13, 2025  
  • Play-In Tournament: April 15-18, 2025  
  • Start of NBA Playoffs: April 19, 2025
  • NBA Finals begin: June 5, 2025

College Basketball

College basketball teams can play up to 40 games depending on whether they make or miss the NCAA Tournament, also known as March Madness.

The season spans across 21-22 weeks.

These are the key events and dates you can wager on throughout the season at college basketball betting sites

  • Opening Day: November 4
  • Maui Invitational: November 25-27
  • Regular Season concludes: March 16, 2025
  • NCAA Tournament Begins: March 18, 2025
  • First Four: March 18-19, 2025
  • First Round: March 20-21, 2025
  • Second Round: March 22-23, 2025
  • Sweet Sixteen: March 27-28, 2025
  • Elite Eight: March 29-30, 2025
  • Final Four: April 5, 2025
  • NCAA Championship Game: April 7, 2025
blue circle NCAA logo

WNBA

The WNBA is the leading professional basketball league for women. The regular season lasts 40 games. Twelve teams make up the league, and the top eight make the playoffs.

The first round is a best-of-three series, while the semi-finals and WNBA Finals are best-of-five. You can bet on these games at WNBA betting sites.

Here are the key dates you can wager on throughout the season. At the time of this overview, the 2024 season is winding down, so the 2025 dates are subject to change:

  • Regular Season begins: May 14
  • WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Tournament: June 1-13
  • WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Tournament Championship: June 25
  • WNBA All-Star Game: July 20
  • End of Regular Season: September 19
  • Start of Playoffs: September 22
  • Last possible date of the season: October 20

EuroLeague

The EuroLeague is the most popular professional basketball league in Europe. It is regarded as the next-best league in skill after the NBA.

In this league, there are 18 teams, and they play 34 rounds, playing each team home and away.

The top eight teams from the league make the playoffs and participate in a best-of-five series. 

Finally, there’s the EuroLeague Championship.

Here are the key dates for the 2024-25 season you can bet on at EuroLeague betting sites: 

  • Start of Season: October 2
  • Regular season ends: April 11, 2025
  • Play In Games: April 15 and 18, 2025
  • Playoffs begin: April 22, 2025
  • EuroLeague Final Four: May 23-25, 2025

How to Bet on Basketball Games

Choosing a Sportsbook

Before doing anything else, you want to find the best betting sites for you. To get started, start by checking out which sites are available where you live.

Once you’ve learned that, you can, if you want, make accounts at all of those sites, but if you prefer just one or two, there are numerous ways you can discern between sports betting sites.

I look at the welcome bonus, other sportsbook promos, the quality of the sports betting apps, and the customer support options.

Most sportsbook's welcome bonuses are straightforward.

As for additional offers, sportsbooks can vary in how much they offer.

You can always sign up at all sites available to you and test them out to see which you enjoy playing the most. 

1

Register & Deposit

Creating an account at an online sports betting site is quite simple. While registering for an account might differ depending on where you play, you’ll need to provide the same information to verify your identity. 

This information includes your name, date of birth, address, and the last four digits of your social security number. 

After you’ve created your account, you’ll need to add funds. 

You’ll often find a link to the deposit page in the upper-right corner of the sportsbook. Here, you’ll find various methods to choose from, including debit cards, online banking, PayPal, and more.

2

Place Bets

With funds loaded into your account, it’s time to wager. 

Scan the available betting markets across whatever basketball leagues you want to wager on. 

When you find something you like, click on it, and it’ll be added to your betslip. 

The betslip is where you add the amount you want to bet on a game and see what you’ll win. 

You can also build parlays, which are bets that include multiple wagers on one ticket. All bets on a parlay need to win for the wager to settle as a win. So, if you pick three teams to win, all three need to win. 

The betslip is where you’ll place wagers and organize them, especially if you want to participate in parlay betting

3

Analyze Games

While betting on sports, you want to learn to analyze recent games to see what went wrong, how things could improve, and notice trends.

This could include keeping up with the injury report, looking at past games between two teams, and even analyzing stats like defensive rating, points allowed per game, rebounds allowed per game, and more.

It’s a gradual process you’ll get used to as you learn. 

4

Manage your Bankroll

Managing your bankroll is one of the most important things you can do when betting. I tend to deposit an amount I am comfortable losing and wager anywhere from 1% to 10% of my budget. 

So, if I have $100, I don’t spend the full $100. Instead, I’ll wager $10 on a game here and $10 on a game there.

This helps diversify your bets and keep your bankroll rolling longer as opposed to depositing $100, betting $100, losing, depositing another $100, and chasing losses.

It’s a slow burn, but you’ll sustain your bankroll by limiting the amount you bet on each wager. 

5

Advanced Basketball Betting Strategies

Below are some advanced NBA betting strategies that you can deploy when you wager on basketball. These tips can also be used in other basketball leagues, but they could be weighted a bit differently, considering the length of an NBA season. 

Understanding Pace and Tempo

The pace and tempo of a team can play a massive role in how you bet on them. 

Teams that tend to play fast usually score a lot but also allow more points. 

For example, in 2023, the Washington Wizards led the NBA in possessions with 106 per game, but they also allowed a league-high 123 points per game. 

With two teams that like to play fast, totals tend to get quite high, as both offenses will have chances, and the defenses don’t typically keep up. 

Conversely, the New York Knicks averaged 98.5 possessions per game, the least in the NBA, and allowed the fifth-least points per game. 

Meanwhile, teams that play at fast tempos and possess the ball often do not cover the spread as much. 

The Wizards covered 45.6% of the time last season, while the Knicks did 53.3% of the time. 

Analyzing Team and Player Performance

Many factors can come into play when picking games, and sometimes, it can be as simple as assessing the number of points allowed per game or how well a team rebounds. 

For example, if a team allows a lot of offensive rebounds and there’s an opposing player with a high rebound average, you could look at his rebound player prop a lot differently. 

There are so many factors to consider, and opponents play a huge role in them. 

You could also look at the last 10 games to see how teams have performed recently and examine how certain players are defensively. 
Again, there are so many scenarios to consider on a game-by-game basis.

Rest and Travel Considerations

Like analyzing player and team performance, rest and travel can impact teams differently depending on who they’re playing in that stretch, whether there are injuries, and more. 

It's worth noting how teams perform against the spread (ATS), but again, it depends on who plays. 

For example, let’s look at the Chicago Bulls in the 2023-24 season:

  • Record with No Rest: 7-7 ATS
  • Record with 1 Day Off: 23-28-1 ATS
  • Record with 2-3 Days Off: 12-4 ATS
  • Record with 4+ Days Off: 0-2 ATS

So, they were the best team in the NBA against the spread with 2-3 days off but didn’t cover once with four days off and were under 50% with one day off. 

Then, there are teams like the Orlando Magic that played more than 50% of their games regardless of whether they had rest or not. 

These stats are definitely worth examining, but you need real in-season data to help assess and look for trends. 

Betting Against the Public

Betting against the public is a strategy that tends to be used as a contrarian play. Sometimes, teams receive a lot of wagers for money and tickets. When that happens, some bettors may bet the other way to be contrarian, especially if the lines and odds don’t change much.

Sometimes, the line moves in the opposite direction of how the public is betting. For example, 80% of the public bet on the Celtics, but the line moves in favor of Boston’s opponent. This is called reverse line movement, and it can indicate where the “sharp bettors” are placing their money.

There are resources online to track this data, and some sites may even provide the data themselves. 

Understanding the difference between money and tickets is important as you can see which team the public thinks will win.

Basketball Betting Tips & Best Practices

Staying Updated

Some ways I stay up to date with injury news is to follow beat writers for teams on social media or search injury reports to check on the health status of individual players. 

In a game like basketball, one player being out could have a massive impact on a team’s performance, thus impacting the betting lines. 
Ensure you have as much information as possible before placing bets. 

Shopping for Odds

I mentioned before that if you’re in a state with multiple online sportsbooks, you can create accounts at all of them. This allows you to odds shop to find the best bang for your buck. 

Say you want to bet on the Lakers moneyline. Three sportsbooks have odds of -120, and a fourth has them at -105. 

Placing your bet at the sportsbook with -105 odds provides more value for your bet should they win the game. 

Avoiding Emotional Bets

We’re all human; sometimes, we can bet on our favorite team simply because it’s our favorite team, but this isn’t the best way to bet. 

At the end of the day, betting is entertainment, but if you want to try to make the best of each bet, you need to remove the emotion and evaluate each game based on the stats and data you can pull together. 

There are narratives you could add to your analysis, like a player’s comments during a press conference, but that’s factoring in the emotion of the team and players as opposed to your own. 

Research

This is a broad “best practice,” but yes, the importance of researching the games is a given. 

I’ve mentioned multiple ways you could do so above, but here’s a bullet-point list of things to research as you begin your basketball betting journey:

  • Injury reports
  • Rest time
  • Travel 
  • Trades
  • Recent game data
  • Points, rebounds, assists, and blocks per game
  • Points, rebounds, assists, and blocks allowed per game
  • Looking at public money/ticket wagers

Again, this is an extremely generalized list, and there’s a lot more to it, which you’ll develop as you learn more about analyzing games and making bets.

Responsible Gambling on Basketball

While betting on basketball and analyzing ways to do it is exciting and fun, we cannot encourage responsible gambling enough.

If you or someone you know are experiencing problem gambling, we strongly encourage you to contact 1-800-GAMBLER or other in-state resources.

Basketball betting sites will provide resources to help with problem gambling, like setting limits on your account for deposits, spending, and time spent on the site. Other tools, such as self-exclusion, time out, and account closure, are also available.

Please visit our responsible gambling page linked above for more information on warning signs of a gambling problem and more.

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