NBA Betting Strategies

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NBA wagering offers many thrilling options such as handicap betting, points total, head betting, number of team rebounds, quarter scores etc. Filled with nonstop action, high scores, and plenty of upsets, you’ll love betting on basketball. Whether it is the NBA, or March Madness, basketball is one sport that provides bettors with a sweat in nearly every game. As the sports betting industry continues to gain popularity, sportsbooks are getting even more creative with the betting options for basketball. Look for a sportsbook with options that you like and with some easy tips you can really enjoy and mostly win your bets on basketball. strategy 

Team Schedule

The fact of the matter is, players get tired and fatigued during long stretches of a basketball season. There are always going to be places where you can target a tired team and take advantage of the public perception of a matchup. Here’s a few examples of when you can look to bet for or against a team:

• Playing on back to back nights
• Playing on a long road trip
• Playing a weaker opponent before playing a strong opponent or rival (often called a look ahead game)
• Playing at an odd time, particularly morning or afternoon games on weekends

The team schedule is there for you to see and most casual bettors do not take into account how grueling a basketball season is. It’s always worth looking at the past week and the week ahead so you can gauge if their legs will be tired or fresh!

Defensive Matchups

Everyone loves to look at the offensive side of the ball in basketball, but sharp bettors know that defense matters more to the spread. If a team can take away one of the potent scoring positions of its opposition, it really limits what they can do on offense. Likewise if a team is really good at rebounding. Dominating the glass in basketball is the key to neutralizing the other team’s offense as well as providing second shots for the offense. Not only does the defensive matchups affect the spread, but a strong defensive effort will also have an effect on the total.

The Trap Line

We talk about this in every sport: sportsbooks laying a trap line. Well, it’s more of an urban myth than anything and it is usually based on public perception of a team. If a team gets blown out by an underdog in one game and is a favorite again the next game, public bettors are likely to bet against that team based on its previous result. It is human psychology at its finest. But tell me what is more likely in that situation: the team completely changed its abilities or the team simply had an off night and the spread is reflective of their true talent level. If you notice a team getting blown out in one game, they are likely a good team to bet on in the next game. Bet on NBA Basketball.

Home Underdogs

Here is another tried and tested strategy for betting basketball: home underdogs. Home court advantage is very real in basketball, especially now that we have fans back in the stands. This also ties in to checking a road team’s schedule. Crossing through time zones and playing a series of road games can be detrimental to a team’s rest. Home underdogs are an excellent play against the spread, and often can be worth sprinkling a moneyline bet as well! 

Play Against Big Favorites

Similar to betting in the NFL, large favorites just do not cover at the same rate as large underdogs. Remember that every player on the floor is a professional, and double digit spreads need almost a perfect game on both sides of the ball to hit. Be careful about betting on big favorites, especially when the underdog is a good three-point shooting team, or if the favorite likes to play its bench in the fourth quarter or late in games. 

Player Props

Finally, there has been a growing appetite for bettors to avoid the ups and downs of point spreads and totals, and move towards focussing on individual player performances. Prop betting is popular in nearly every sport now, but basketball has a ton of different options to bet on. If you can research the defensive matchups, team rotations, and opposition matchup, player props can be a very lucrative way to bet on basketball. Sometimes, it can be less stressful to just focus on a single player, rather than worry about how a team is performing. Teams will also have a fairly predictable shot distribution as well, so once you get to learn the rotations, player prop betting can be incredibly fun!

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