One of the most helpful NBA Betting Strategies I’ve heard is that the experience is (or at least should be) almost the opposite of how it looks in the movie Uncut Gems.
In that story, a gambling addict who is deeply indebted to just about everyone he knows ends up hitting big on a $1.2 million parlay that would have paid off his debts.
However, the gangster he’s angered with his shenanigans shoots him anyway.
Hopefully, your sports betting experience involves controlled decision-making in which you never wager money that you need to pay for other expenses, and your money trajectory is generally upward as time goes by.
We’re here in this article to give you some NBA betting strategies designed to help you minimize the big losses and bring in profits over the long term.
Read on to learn some ways to boost your wagering account balance over the course of this NBA season.
We have some insights on important factors to bear in mind when wagering on basketball games, as well as tips on keeping your betting strategy from getting in your way.
These tips will help you boost your probability of winning and enjoying betting more overall.
NBA Betting Strategies for 2024/25 Season
Researching Your Options
It’s important to understand the various types of wagers out there, as well as how betting odds and bookmakers do their work. Some of the most popular types of wagers include point spread, moneyline, over/under (point totals) and individual player props. Understanding how they work and the factors that go into setting the numbers is vital to an informed decision-making process.
Moneyline
With this kind of bet, you simply choose which team you think you will win. Let’s say the Philadelphia 76ers are hosting the Chicago Bulls. The 76ers should be fairly heavy favorites right now, so you might see a moneyline like Philadelphia -200 / Chicago +180. That means that if you bet on Philadelphia, you would need to bet $200 to win $100, getting a total of $300 back. If you bet on Chicago, you would need to bet $100 to win $180, getting a total of $280 back.
Point Spread
Bookmakers determine the likely margin of victory, and then bettors choose one side or the other. In the previous example, you might see a line of Philadelphia -7.5, which means that if you take the 76ers, they need to win by 8 points or more for you to collect. If you take the Bulls, they could lose by as many as 7 points, and you’ll still collect money on the game.
With both of these types of bets, you’ll see the number change sometimes after the betting opens. This means that action is coming down heavily on one side of the moneyline or point spread, and bookmakers are adjusting the number for later bets to protect their losses. If a lot of bettors believe that the Bulls can stay within seven points of the 76ers, then the action will gradually pull that line down, perhaps to Philadelphia -7 or even -6.5. The line’s movement will depend on how heavily unbalanced the action is. Similar changes can take place with moneyline numbers if the early betting action is unbalanced.
Team Performance
What factors should you research before betting on a game? One has to do with team performance. This includes such basic factors as their win-loss record, performance at home and away, and their recent action, looking closely at their last four or five games. You also want to look at injury reports and statistical performances over the last week or so for the team’s top contributors. Looking at these individual numbers can help you make money on individual player props (such as picking whether a player will go over or under a specific total for points, rebounds, assists, or other metrics).
Head-to-Head Matchups
Another factor to research. Some teams just don’t match up well with other teams, even if the other team is far below them in the standings. Those trends can get even more unbalanced on the road. Websites like Land of Basketball contain all-time head-to-head series information for every NBA team, so you don’t have to comb through team histories yourself. Understanding how games have played out recently, both in terms of wins and losses as well as margin of victory, can help you make decisions about how to wager on their next meeting.
Injuries and Roster moves
Don’t forget this one. The whole NBA world talks about the trade deadline, but teams swap players throughout the season up to that point – and even after, although players have to clear waivers to get traded after the deadline. Some of the most consequential moves take place through free agency in the off-season. Another key factor is injuries. Consider how dominant Zion Williamson and Joel Embiid have been for the New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers, respectively – when they’re healthy. But both players have spent significant time on the shelf over the past few seasons, and their teams have suffered as a result. Always check injury reports for both teams before locking in a wager.
Tactics and Playing Styles
It’s also important to consider it. Some teams like to play small ball most of the time and push the tempo – which means that point totals are likely to be higher in their games. Other teams like to rely on their big men and play more of a grinding pace, although this is becoming more a thing of the past, as bigs can now bring the ball up and spot up from downtown. Bookmakers understand this and use this factor when they set the over/under, so take a look at individual team approaches when planning your wagering as well.
^⭐️ Be in The Bay for #NBAAllStar 2025 ⭐️
— #NBAAllStar (@NBAAllStar) October 11, 2024
Get your tickets to all the action and be a part of the biggest basketball celebration of the year, Feb. 14-16!
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NBA Betting Strategies: Managing Your Bankroll
If you want to have a long-term betting career, you have to learn how to manage your money. Establish a sports betting budget and stay within it, no matter how hot you get – or how much you lose. Consider risking a fixed portion of your bankroll on each wager, no more than 5% on any one bet. This will help you keep balance in your strategy and avoid huge losses.
It’s also smart to look for value bets – bets that bring a higher probability of winning than what the odds seem to indicate. Imbalances tend to show up when the books rely on the historical patterns of teams rather than the present-day realities of those teams. This is a lot more common in sports like college football and basketball, where there are so many teams that bookies – and sports bettors – don’t take the time to research where teams are and instead rely on their historical knowledge of those programs. Even in the NBA, though, you might have insights about a team’s performance that fail to make it to the opening line. The more value bets you can identify and place, the likelier you are to have profits over time.
^Choosing Multiple Betting Sources
Not every sportsbook offers the same odds. Some of this is designed to draw in business; some of it has to do with bookies deciding that their competitors have gotten a number wrong. Find the book that gives you the best opportunity to profit from your own research and insights. Also, different books offer different promotions and bonuses, allowing you to take advantage of multiple marketing offers instead of sticking with just one.
^Managing Your Feelings
Sports betting is exciting when you’re winning – and it can feel devastating when a bet doesn’t come through. However, one of the worst things to do is to send good money after bad, such as doubling down on a game using live odds. Focus on your long-term strategies and goals, and remember that winning 60% of your bets is a terrific percentage – but that it also means losing 40% of them. Stay focused on picking up incremental gains over the long haul, and you’ll make money and enjoy your wagering.
^All in for the season to begin.
— NBA (@NBA) October 3, 2024
#KiaTipOff24 begins Tuesday, October 22. pic.twitter.com/oyEfyMluIr
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