Live NBA Odds, Basketball Betting Lines & Spreads

How to read nBA Odds

There are many ways to bet on basketball. Let’s examine a few methods.

What Does -110 Mean?

The magic number in sports betting is -110 because it defines the amount required by a sportsbook to earn $100 on either side of most wagers. A bettor must lay $110 to win $100 when wagering on point spreads, which are set by oddsmakers with hopes of getting equal action on both sides.

What Does -1.5 Mean?

NBA point spread betting is probably the most common and popular way to bet on basketball as it adds some excitement and better odds over just picking an outright winner. In this example, -1.5 means the favored team must win by more than 1.5 points for the bet to cash. If the odds were reversed (+1.5, for example), then your bet would cash if the underdog either loses by no more than one point or wins outright. 

The -1.5 spread is always accompanied by traditional odds, like -110 for example, indicating the value of the spread bet. 

Odds Shark NBA Computer Picks

Odds Shark offers free NBA picks for every game all season long. We include opening and closing lines, point spreads, moneylines and totals.

Free NBA Picks

Popular Types of NBA Betting

Moneyline Bets

A moneyline bet simply involves you picking one of two teams to win the game. No catch, no angle, just the right answer or the wrong answer.

Each team/person in a matchup for a moneyline betting option is given a separate numerical value for bettors to wager on and these are called “odds.” The numbers, or odds, are determined by oddsmakers and sportsbooks based on how the two opponents match up, and each number is displayed with a minus sign (-) or a plus sign (+) in front of it.

In an NBA example, let’s say the Golden State Warriors are hosting the Chicago Bulls. Since the Warriors are the better team, they’d receive -220 odds, making them the favorite. The underdog Bulls would have +180 odds. The outright winner determines if you win or lose your bet, though the odds decide your payout.

Spread Bets

As we explained before, NBA spread betting offers another way to bet basketball beyond picking an outright winner. In spread bets, favorites are given a minus (-) sign beside their total, while underdogs receive a plus (+) sign.

Like our previous example, let’s say the Warriors are favored over the Bulls. The spread might be 4.5 points, meaning the Warriors are favored -4.5 (-110) and the Bulls are underdogs at +4.5 (-110). The -4.5 spread is always accompanied by traditional odds, like -110 for example, indicating the value.

OVER/UNDER (Total) Bets

A sports betting OVER/UNDER is a bet where you have to correctly predict the combined score of both teams. You have to pick if the total score will be lower or higher than the number set by oddsmakers – the people at betting sites who set the lines and odds.

For example, let’s take a Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat game with the total set at 224.5 points. As a bettor, you would select the OVER if you believe the game’s final combined score will be 225 points or more. You would select the UNDER if you believe it will be 224 points or less.

At the sportsbook, the odds would be laid out like this:

If you bet $10 on the OVER and the combined score was 228, you would get a payout of $19.09 – your original $10 comes back along with your $9.09 win. Conversely, if the game ended 110-105, that would be a pooled score of 215 points, meaning the game went UNDER. That same $10 bet on the winning UNDER would get you $20.50 – your first $10 plus your winnings of $10.50. Our odds calculator will give you an idea of how much you’d win based on the amount wagered.

Parlay Bets

A parlay bet is a sports bet that combines multiple wagers on one ticket. Usually, you would pool straight-up bets with spreads and totals. However, you can have multiple versions of the same bet as long as it’s on different games.

Let’s say you pick the Warriors (-200) and the 76ers (-150) both to win. You’d receive increased odds since it’s less likely both teams win, but you need both the Warriors and 76ers to win, otherwise you lose your bet. The more teams (or variables) you add to a parlay, the longer the odds get. Beware, though, all it takes is one bet to misfire and your wager is lost. 

NBA Player Prop Bets

This is a wager on the occurrence or non-occurrence of a specific player or team milestone that may not directly relate to the outcome of a certain game. The prop bet here is on odds to win different NBA awards. These are set by oddsmakers early but you’ll notice that the lines move as the season progresses. A coach could be a lock for Coach of the Year in December only to see his odds shift as his team underperforms in February. We suggest jumping on odds you like when you see them to get the most value out of your bets.

Futures Odds

Futures odds let basketball betting fans wager long in advance of significant NBA events throughout the NBA schedule. An NBA futures bet focuses on the biggest individual and team achievements every year.

For example, you can wager on NBA divisions, the Eastern Conference or Western Conference champion, bet on certain teams to make the playoffs, or place your money on the MVP of the NBA Finals.

Timing is everything with successful futures bets. The sooner you pounce on the action, the bigger the payouts will be if you win the bet. However, you’ll have more NBA betting news and data to draw upon and analyze the longer you wait to bet on a futures wager.

Keep up to date on all the latest future odds for the NBA championship, NBA playoffs and athlete awards such as the Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, and learn how to bet on NBA games and NBA prop bets with our basketball betting guide.

Live Odds Betting

Live betting lets you bet while the game is unfolding. Especially popular with NBA bettors, in-play wagering gives you the chance to take advantage of live odds while you’re watching everything from the NBA Finals to a regular-season snoozer. Sportsbooks release new point spreads, moneylines, props and totals before quarter and half, too. Basically, if there’s a scheduled break during play (other than commercial breaks), you’ll see live odds.

Understanding Line Movements

After oddsmakers release their lines at sportsbooks, the betting public almost immediately reveals which side of the number they like more and oddsmakers then move them accordingly. But while these early line moves may show where the public money is initially going, it does not obviously tell the whole story until we can see where the closing odds end up.

It is important to realize that a lot of movement can happen on sporting events, especially with basketball, where an injury to a superstar can wreck the odds for an entire game or series. Timing is important, too, so if you see a bet you like at great value, snag it before the public hammers it in the same direction. Alternatively, if you’re high on a team that is being faded, wait as long as possible to get underdog value.

True Odds vs Implied Odds 

True odds are what you the bettor believe the line should be after all your research and handicapping. The implied odds are a team’s chances of winning represented by a percentage and based on the odds set by the sportsbook. You can calculate the implied odds for any bet using our odds calculator. 

Biggest NBA Betting Events

NBA Futures

As we explained before, betting on NBA awards is an exciting endeavor. At the start of the year, there’s tons of value to lay on Sixth Man of the Year or Most Improved Player. Once the season unfolds, the market might evolve and new value can emerge. Either way, futures bets are fun.

NBA All-Star Weekend

NBA All-Star Weekend offers basketball bettors a wide array of fun wagers. There’s the traditional game itself, skills competitions, a tightly contested All-Star Game MVP award and even a celebrity contest to bet on. 

NBA Play-In Tournament

The NBA Play-In Tournament setup can be quite complicated for new bettors and even professional ones trying to wrap their heads around it. Eight teams will be part of the NBA Play-In Tournament, with four from each conference. There will be six total games played involving only the teams that finish seventh to 10th in each conference at the conclusion of the regular season.

You can bet on each individual game or wager on which teams will win the tournament and ultimately make the playoffs.

NBA Playoffs

You can make a few futures bets on the NBA playoffs. You can wager which teams will make the playoffs, then who will win each playoff series and advance to the next round. 

NBA Finals

From the get-go, you can wager on NBA championship odds. Once the season actually reaches the Finals, you’ll see tons of betting markets expand on props, series bets (like how many games the series will last) and more. 

Biggest Team Rivalries

Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics

As the two most storied franchises in basketball, the Lakers and Celtics were bound to have some kind of rivalry. The two clubs have met a record 12 times in the NBA Finals. The C’s and Lakers each have 17 championship titles, accounting for 34 of the league’s 74 titles (45 percent). Larry Bird and Magic Johnson spearheaded the rivalry in the early 1990s, though the animosity has been less intense since then.

New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets

The Knicks and Nets’ rivalry is based more on proximity than anything else considering these squads have met just three times in playoff history. The Knicks have won two of the three series.

Profit & payout

Profit

If you win your bet, you’ll make a profit. Let’s say you wagered $10 on +100 odds; you’ll win $20 (a return of your $10 bet plus an additional $10 in profit).

Expected Winnings

This is the amount you can expect to win on a specific bet. Let’s say you’re risking $100 on the Hornets to win on the moneyline at -150. Your expected winnings would be $67. You can calculate your expected winnings using our odds calculator.

Expected Payout

An expected payout is your stake along with the expected winnings. Going back to that $100 bet on the Hornets, the expected payout is $67 of winnings and your $100 stake for a $167 expected payout.

Bet Slip

You construct your bet on a “bet slip” before placing the wager. All available bet types as well as the most recent odds and lines for your pick will be shown on the bet slip once you have added at least one selection.

Bonuses and Promotions

The best online NBA betting sites, or wagering on any sport, should come with certain rewards besides the money you get from a winning bet. Sportsbooks see how valuable their customers are and want to give back. Most online betting sites give a welcome bonus, which matches a certain amount of your initial deposit up to a specified percentage. These codes can come in the form of a promo code or could be applied automatically upon your first deposit on-site.

For instance, you could be offered a bonus of 100 percent up to $200. This means that if you were to add $50 to your account, you’d get an additional $50 to bet with. Make sure to read the terms and conditions before accepting rewards. All the best NBA online betting sites have different stipulations that need to be met in order to claim a risk-free bet or deposit bonus.

Where To Bet On the NBA

Looking to find a sportsbook? We’ve got you covered. Check out our sportsbook review page to learn how to evaluate every sportsbook. 

Sports Betting Apps

We can’t tell you which of the sites we list above has the best app because the best betting apps simply boil down to personal preference. What we can tell you is what to look for in a legal sports betting app to help you make an informed decision. Read up on what to look out for here.