When it comes to basketball at its very best, America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) can’t be beaten. The NBA features the most famous teams in basketball, attracts the best players from around the world, and consistently delivers the most exciting basketball to ever grace the court.
Basketball has been growing in popularity in the UK and Ireland, with more people than ever following the NBA. And an ideal way to add to the excitement of the NBA is to bet on the NBA as you watch. Experience the thrill of picking the winning side, or of calling the outcome of plays in real-time as you bet in-play, with BoyleSports.
How to bet on NBA with BoyleSports
You’ll find a fantastic selection of NBA betting markets at BoyleSports, with a variety of bets offered for every NBA match-up as well as basketball betting odds. Our most popular include:
● Match winner: Pick the winner of a match-up. Called a moneyline bet in the USA.
● Total points: Bet on whether or not the total points scored in a match will be over or under a given number, such as over or under 155.5 points.
● Handicap bets: Bet on the winner of a match with a handicap applied. For example, can the favourite of a game beat the underdog with a handicap of -6.5 points applied? This is called a spread in the US; i.e. can a team beat the spread by 6.5 points?
● Player prop bets: These are side bets on other events in a match outside of which team will win, like the player to score the most points, or the over/under on the number of assists, steals, or rebounds in a match.
To bet on NBA basketball with BoyleSports, all you need to do is create an account with us. Once you’re registered, select a bet from this page by clicking on the odds to add it to your betslip.
You’ll see your betslip at the top right of this page. It will show you all the bets you’ve selected, plus the odds for each of them. You can add a Stake (the amount you want to wager) to your bets, and you’ll see your Total Stake at the bottom of your betslip. You’ll also see your Total Potential Return, which is the total amount you’ll win if all your bets are successful. Click on the button below to place your bets.
To make sure you get the most out of your NBA basketball betting, always gamble responsibly. You should set a defined bankroll (the amount of money you’ll gamble with on that occasion), and avoid any temptations to go over it. Only bet with money you can afford to lose, and never gamble when intoxicated or otherwise not thinking clearly.
Understanding NBA odds
All the odds for our NBA betting markets are written as fractions, like 3/1.
If you bet £1 on the Miami Heat to beat the Washington Wizards at 3/1, and the Miami Heat win, you’d receive £3 in winnings. Plus, you’d get your £1 back, for a total of £4. The lower the odds, the more likely a bet is to happen. So, the favoured team in a match-up will have lower odds, whilst the underdog will have longer odds.
In many cases, fractional odds can look more complicated, like 5/7. But they still work in the same way. If you won a £7 bet at 5/7, you’d receive £5 back, plus your £7 stake for a total of £12. If you won a £1 bet at 5/7, you’d win £0.71, plus your £1 back for a total of £1.71.
The odds for an NBA team to win a match will depend on a range of variables, including a team’s current form and where each team is currently sitting in its division. The performance of key players, any injuries, home-court advantage, and the past history of results of the two teams will also play a part.
The NBA season and tournaments
If you’re used to the tiered leagues of European sports, the NBA can be difficult to understand at first.
Rather than there being leagues from which teams are promoted and relegated, the NBA is divided into two conferences (the Eastern and Western Conferences). Each conference is then divided into three divisions, with five teams in every division:
Eastern Conference:
• Atlantic Division
• Central Division
• Southeast Division
Western Conference:
• Northwest Division
• Pacific Division
• Southwest Division
The conferences and divisions aren’t tiered but are based on geography. And teams aren’t relegated or promoted. There are currently 30 teams in the NBA, 29 from America and the Toronto Raptors from Canada.
The full NBA season is divided into:
1. The NBA regular season
2. The NBA Cup
3. The NBA play-in tournament
4. The NBA playoffs
5. The NBA Finals
The NBA regular season
The regular NBA season runs from October to the middle of April of the following year. Each team plays 82 games in the regular season (that’s a huge total of 1,230 matches overall). Every team plays:
● Each of the other 4 teams in their division four times (16 games).
● Six teams from the other two divisions in the same conference four times (24 games).
● The remaining four teams from the other two divisions in the same conference three times (12 games).
● Each of the 15 teams from the other conference twice (30 games).
The NBA Cup
As of the 2023/24 season, the NBA introduced an in-season tournament called the NBA Cup or the In-Season Tournament.
All 30 teams are involved in the NBA Cup, with four regular season games in November used to select the top-performing eight teams (4 from each conference). A quarter-final and semi-final is then played, with matches counting as regular season games. The NBA Cup final/championship game is played in Las Vegas in December, and doesn’t count as a regular season match.
The NBA play-in tournament
At the end of the regular season, teams that finished 7th to 10th in their conference (four teams from each conference, eight teams in total), play in a post-regular season tournament called the NBA play-in tournament.
The play-in tournament has three rounds and picks two teams from each conference to progress to the playoffs.
The NBA playoffs
At the end of the regular season, eight teams from each conference progress to the playoffs - the top six teams from each conference do so automatically, whilst the 7th and 8th seeded teams are chosen via the NBA play-in tournament.
Beginning in April, the eight teams in each conference play an opponent in a best-of-seven series, with the first team reaching four wins progressing to the next round, and the loser eliminated.
Three rounds are played in both conferences to select the winning team from each. Those two teams then play one another in the NBA Finals.
The NBA Finals
The final playoff round is the NBA Finals, played each year in late May/June. The top side from each conference play each other in another best-of-seven series, with the winning side claiming the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy.
Tips for NBA betting
The more you can inform yourself about the NBA, the more you improve your chances of placing winning bets. When it comes to NBA basketball betting, pay attention to:
Team and player form
Keep an eye on which teams and which star players are currently enjoying a run of form, as a team that’s playing their best basketball can cause upsets. Conversely, if a team is struggling, it can be vulnerable to being overturned by an underdog.
Home-court advantage
Playing at home can be particularly advantageous in the NBA, as away teams often travel long distances across the continental US, crossing multiple time zones. A study commissioned by ESPN found that 61.2% of all NBA games played since 1975 were won by the home team. However, the study also found home-court advantage is becoming less important over time, and has fallen in recent years.
Whilst the home team won’t always win, a home-court advantage may tip the odds in favour of an underdog. Especially where the away team has travelled far or the teams are reasonably equally matched.
Player match-ups and injuries
With five players on the court per side at any given time, individual star players can have a huge impact on a team’s performance. Whilst injuries can have a dramatic effect on the outcomes of matches too.
Alternatively, certain players often overperform against particular teams. They may be more likely to amass larger than usual scores and can tip the outcome of a match in favour of the lower-rated team.
NBA news, stats, and expert analysis
There’s a huge amount of NBA analysis, commentary, and stats available online for you to follow and use to inform your NBA betting. Find news sources you trust, and take advantage of YouTube channels, podcasts, and other forms of expert analysis. The NBA itself publishes a wealth of stats, whilst you can find plenty of NBA news and commentary on our very own BoyleSports blog.
With 1,230 regular season games – plus the new NBA Cup and the play-in tournament, the playoffs, and the NBA Finals – the NBA offers so many betting opportunities.
And with our comprehensive NBA betting markets and competitive NBA outright odds, you’ll find everything you need to bet on the NBA with BoyleSports. Sign up to create your BoyleSports account, then place your first NBA basketball bet today.
