Introduction to the NBA

The NBA offers a thrilling platform for sports enthusiasts and bettors alike. With the proliferation of legal sports betting across the US, there’s never been a better time to refine your betting skills or delve into the exciting realm of NBA wagers. For those new to NBA betting or needing a refresher on the fundamentals of basketball, explore our detailed guides on Introduction to the NBA and Understanding the Fundamentals of Basketball.

This guide combines expert NBA tips with strategic betting advice to help you navigate the bustling sports betting landscape and maximize your chances of success.

The NBA season begins every year in October and ends with the NBA Finals in June. It’s an 82-game regular season for each of the 30 teams in the league. Then, there is the postseason. 

The point is that thousands of betting opportunities are daily on the NBA schedule. Traditional bets—moneyline, point spread, and totals—are now just a small part of the daily NBA offering. 

The rise of NBA player prop bets, team props, and other special bets for each game on the schedule means that bettors have thousands of choices on any given day. The average bettor needs something to help him or her figure out what to bet on. 

That something is Sports Hub. 

Understanding the Fundamentals of Basketball

Before placing your bets, grasping basketball’s fundamentals and the strategic underpinnings of the NBA is crucial. This knowledge enhances your appreciation of the game and informs your betting decisions, allowing you to identify valuable opportunities.

The Importance of NBA Strategy Games and Betting

Strategic insight is invaluable on the court and in the betting arena. In the fiercely competitive world of the NBA, strategic planning and execution can make all the difference. Similarly, a well-thought-out betting strategy can significantly increase your chances of success.

Navigating NBA Betting: An Overview

Sports betting, especially in the NBA, offers a myriad of opportunities. With an 82-game regular season per team and a comprehensive postseason, the NBA schedule is packed with thousands of betting opportunities. From traditional bets like money lines, point spreads, and totals to player prop bets and specials, the options are nearly limitless.

Most Common NBA Bets

When betting the NBA, the most common bets are the money line, point spread, and game totals. If you’re new to sports betting, it is imperative that you understand every bet before you place it. Learn more about betting against the spread and strategies that can help you make more informed decisions here.

Moneyline Bets

Moneyline bets are usually the easiest for the inexperienced bettor to understand. A moneyline bet is one placed on a team to win. If you like the Clippers to beat the Mavericks, you put your money on Los Angeles. If they win, you win.

Each moneyline bet—and every NBA bet you place—comes with associated odds. Understanding how to read odds and what odds mean is one key to having more success, i.e., more wins and higher winnings, in sports betting.

A typical NBA money line bet looks like this:

• Boston -194
• Philadelphia +162

Boston is the favorite in this case, represented by the negative odds, and Philadelphia is the underdog, as expressed by the positive odds. The numbers reflect how much needs to be wagered and how much can be won in terms of $100.

In this case, a bettor who likes the Celtics would need to wager $194 to win $100. If Boston wins, regardless of the score, the bet is a winner, and winning bettors receive $294 (their $194 stake plus winnings of $100).

On the other end of the bet, more risk is involved in betting on the team that is not supposed to win. That means sportsbooks will pay out more on underdogs. In the example, a $100 wager on the Sixers would pay out profits of $162 if Philadelphia pulled the upset. 

If you don’t have much experience in sports betting, you should note that betting on underdogs can be quite profitable when they win.

Point Spread Bets

Many bettors prefer the NBA point spread bet. The spread is the great equalizer when one team is superior to the other. Oddsmakers use various criteria to develop a point spread. You can find more information on how oddsmakers set point spreads here at Sports Hub.

An example can help us better understand NBA point spreads. Let’s say Boston is a 5.5-point favorite over Philadelphia. The bet might look like this in your sportsbook.

• Boston -5.5 (-110)
• Philadelphia +5.5 (-110)

Once again, the negative line here indicates that Boston is the favorite. As mentioned, all bets come with odds. In this example, the odds are listed in parentheses. When betting on NBA point spreads, the industry standard is -110. If you’ve been paying attention, that means a bettor must wager $110 to win $100. 

Point spreads are often given in increments of 0.5. If the spread was 5 and the game ended with Boston winning 115-110, the result is what’s called a push. No one wins, and all bets are refunded. To avoid the push, bettors often see point spread (and game totals) given in halves.

In the example, Boston would have to win by six or more points to cover the spread. Philadelphia would need to lose by five points or less or win the game outright in order to cover the spread.

Totals Bets

Betting on the game total is another common NBA bet. Bettors wager on whether the final combined score of a game will go Over or Under a total set by oddsmakers. Using the Boston-Philadelphia example again, we’ll say the oddsmakers have set the total at 224.5. The bet might look like this in your sportsbook.

• Boston O 224.5 (-110)
• Philadelphia U 224.5 (-110)

After looking at some stats and other metrics, you like the total to go Over 224.5. You wager $110 on the Over, and the game’s final score is 115-110. That adds up to 225, which means you win the bet and collect winnings of $100.

NBA Conferences & Divisions

Here at the Sports Hub, we provide bettors and handicappers with everything they need to succeed in sports betting. In betting on the NBA, chance favors the prepared. The more you know, the better off you will be when faced with betting decisions.

Take NBA conference and division alignments as an example. The league is made up of 30 teams, which are divided into two conferences of 15 teams each. Each conference—Eastern and Western—is then further divided into three divisions of five teams each. Sports Hub users can see all of this below. 

Conference and division alignment is important for a variety of reasons, one of which is scheduling. NBA teams play each team in their division four times and four games against six other teams in their conference that are not in their division. That totals 40 games and is almost half of a team’s 82-game schedule.

The remainder of the schedule breaks down like this. Teams play the remaining four teams in their conference three times each. They crossover and play every team in the other conference twice each. 

Handicappers – The Sports Hub Difference

If you’re unaware, a sports handicapper is someone who bets on sports for a living. They research, make betting decisions, place bets, and earn a living betting on sports. Part of their job is to provide their betting decisions and research to other bettors for a fee.

If you have ever wondered what handicappers’ picks are, this is it. A professional sports bettor provides a paying customer with his picks for certain sporting events. Take the Boston-Philadelphia example from above. 

You like to bet just about every day, and you really want to win a big one. At Sports Hub, you can connect with our network of handicappers. You find one who offers you a pick for the Celtics-Sixers. The capper provides you with the pick as well as some information to support it. Everyone’s a winner when your bet wins!

Using Sports Hub Handicappers Picks

There are times when bettors will want to use handicapper picks. At Sports Hub, we save the average bettor loads of time searching for quality cappers. We have a network of the best in the industry all in one spot.

Bettors can choose when to purchase picks. Sports Hub actually provides you with more in-depth information about why and when you should buy sports picks. For now, we’ll leave it at this. Bettors can buy sports picks when they need to get out of a slump. Learn how our expert basketball handicappers pick winners and how they can help you succeed. You just really need a win. Find one of the numerous successful cappers at Sports Hub and let them help you.

Maybe you want to place a big wager—think Super Bowl—and need some help getting it right. You may not have the time to research the games you want to bet on. Let one of our network of cappers do the work for you. 

These are a few of the instances where buying sports picks from a handicapper makes sense.

Sports Hub Helps Handicappers & Bettors

What separates Sports Hub from every other sports betting-related website out there is our commitment to help grow the handicapper industry. Millions of new bettors enter the betting market every year. Thousands upon thousands of good handicappers are out there but don’t have the resources to grow their businesses.

Building a website requires expertise the average sports handicapper lacks, and it costs money. With the latest technology and sports betting software, Sports Hub provides the answer for the already established handicapper, the aspiring handicapper, or even someone who wants to start their own handicapping pick business. 

The beauty of our Sports Hub is that it brings bettors and handicappers together. Bettors come looking for information that will help them succeed in sports betting, and handicappers provide some of the answers.

Bettors who join Sports Hub have access to our entire library of betting information. They can dive into everything from how to bet an NBA teaser to NBA player props strategy and money management. No longer do bettors have to surf the internet looking for quality handicappers. The Sports Hub is the one-stop solution for bettors looking for sports picks. 

It’s the perfect marriage. Bettors searching for the Holy Grail of sports betting find a wealth of content designed to help them master the industry. Handicappers looking to grow their business can do exactly that while helping sports bettors win more.

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