Betting on NBA Line and Spreads: Here’s How to Read NBA Odds

The NBA regular season is exciting for everyone, not just for the players and coaches. It’s also a busy season for bettors and oddsmakers. With 30 teams and an 82-game regular season in addition to two months of playoffs for the postseason, there is no easy way to anticipate how an NBA game will end.

Odds are an important part of sports betting, and this is especially true for basketball bettors. If you’re new to betting on the NBA, understanding how odds work is crucial to your success. With the start of the new NBA season just around the corner, now is the best time to explore betting strategies and learn more about basketball betting odds.

Understanding NBA Odds

While it is extremely tough to make money on NBA wagers, it is a breeze to figure out the odds. You’ll be up to speed on the fundamentals in no time if you spend some time learning NBA lines and spreads. Since they don’t require superior mathematics skills, NBA betting has been ideal for beginners. However, that doesn’t mean the odds are very easy to predict. 

Reading the odds doesn’t have to be complicated though. All you need is to understand the different NBA lines and spreads provided below.

NBA Point Spread

The point spread, often referred to as the line or the spread, is used to handicap the favorite team. For wagering reasons, the oddsmaker estimates that the favorite team will win by a specified margin. A minus sign (e.g., -4.4) always indicates the favorite, whereas a plus sign (e.g., 4.4) indicates the underdog.

If you wager on the favored one, you win if the favorite both wins and wins by a margin bigger than the point spread. If you wager on the challenger, you gain a profit if the underdog wins, draws, or if the favorite side wins but does not cover the point spread. It is customary to wager $110 to win $100 on point spread bets in the NBA.

For instance, the Golden State Warriors are +5 against the Portland Trail Blazers, who are -5. If you wager on the favored Blazers at -5, they need to win by at least six points for the wager to be successful. If you wagered on the underdog Golden State, you would win if they won the game completely or lost by less than 5. If Portland wins by precisely five points, the bet is a “push,” and all bettors will receive their stake back.

NBA Moneyline

Betting on the money line is simply betting on a game based on its current price rather than on its point spread. The team on whom the wager is placed must win the game totally, despite the score.

The negative sign (-130, for example) always represents the favorite and the minimum wager required to win $100. The plus sign (+120, for example) always signifies the underdog and the money won on a $100 wager. Thus, in this example, you would wager $130 to win $100 on the favorite, while wagering $100 to win $120 on the underdog.

Orlando Magic +400 vs. Miami Heat -600 is an extreme example, with the favored betting at a solid -600. Alternatively, the Miami Heat are 6-to-1 underdogs. Once you see a -600 or a negative sign, that indicates the minimum wager required to win $100. To earn $100 in Miami, a stake of $600 is required. Orlando at +400 implies that for every $100 wagered, you will win $400. When it comes to money lines, all of it is arranged around the hypothetical $100 wager in order to make it a reasonable amount.

NBA Over/Under

The NBA lines over/under are the number of points that oddsmakers predict will be scored in the match by both teams combined, including overtime. You wager as to whether the total number of points earned will be greater or less than this figure. As is the case with point spread betting, you must bet $110 to win $100.

As a general rule, “sides” and “totals” are two different terms for wagering on the outcome of a sporting event based on the point spread or money line. Again, the bettors can wager “over” or “under” the total aggregate score of both teams if they believe it will not reach or exceed that total.

For instance, Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs, total: 191. You decide whether the Mavericks and Spurs’ combined score will be “over” or “under” 191. For example, if the score is 100–91, everyone receives their wager back. To make a total bet, you’ll need to wager more than what you think you’ll win, with -110 being the most popular betting line, meaning you’ll risk $110 for every $100 that you expect to win.

Make Sure to Track Your Bets!

One of the most effective strategies for gaining an edge when betting on NBA games is to begin betting immediately after the prices spike each morning. To maximize your profits, keep track of all of your wagers, from point spreads to money lines to totals.

Maintain an eye on the ROI (Return on Investment) for each wager type and you’ll begin to notice your patterns, which will help you evaluate your strengths and weaknesses. After tracking your wagers, you’ll have a better idea of where to focus when placing wagers.

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