NBA regular seasons are always considered to be huge and important events. A regular season normally lasts for about six months and consists of dozens of games, so of course such a major and lengthy event is important not only for basketball players, their coaches, and avid basketball fans, but it also compels the attention of bookmakers and bettors all around the world. They know very well that it’s their time to shine and that it's a great opportunity to enrich themselves. For decades basketball was one of the most popular sports for wagering, and it seems like it’s not going to let up any time soon. There is no doubt that making money on sports betting is wonderful, but there are some pitfalls that can ruin your experience. If only there was a cheat sheet that would help bettors know for sure which bets are going to bring them a fortune today… Don’t worry, the Dexsport.io team has your back! In this article you can find general tips and betting strategies that will help you find the best NBA bets for today.

1. Don’t focus on your favourites. Stick to making informed decisions.

This is the most important rule when it comes to sports betting, and the mistake most often made by inexperienced bettors. If you are new to sports betting, interested in basketball and want ro turn your hobby into a way to make money, the temptation to place a bet on your favourite team is going to be almost irresistible. Psychologically humans tend to pick favourites and believe that the team they root for is going to win, ignoring all of the red flags. Don’t fall for this trap and do your research instead, when you are ready to place your basketball bets for today. Before you place your bet, look at the team's overall performance. How many games did they win and how many games have they lost? Don’t disregard their recent performance either: it happens very often that the team learned from their previous mistakes and improved, showing great results after a black streak. Don’t forget to check the injury reports to learn if there were any injuries among players prior to the match. If there were, pay attention to who was injured. Was that a key player who normally “carries” a game? It will help you to adjust your bets according to the situation, since the recent injury of a player might impact the performance of the whole team, change the game outcome and become the reason why you lost your money. Sometimes it’s best to exclude this team from the list of your NBA bets for tonight.

2. Don’t place your bet too early.

Do you know the saying “The early bird gets the worm”? Well, that’s not the case when it comes to NBA betting. Basketball is different from other sports: the lineup might change hours before the game and players can be replaced and pulled from the bench at the last minute. Pay attention to the media all the way until the game starts and don’t place your bets before you are sure about all of the circumstances, because hurrying might become your disadvantage.

3. Consider the type of bet you are going to place.

The most common basketball betting types are point spread betting, point totals, money line and parlays. When you are looking for the best way to place your NBA bets for today you should choose the type of  bet that fits your strategy and the information you got from your research. Let’s see what the specifics are of each type of a bet.

Betting on point spread

This is, undoubtedly, the most widespread type of betting when it comes to betting on basketball. So what is a point spread? In layman's terms it’s a number of points by which a team will win or lose a game, calculated and determined by an oddsmaker. In every NBA game one team is going to take the role of a “favourite” (a stronger team that is expected to win) and the other one is going to be viewed as an “underdog” (the weaker team). Placing your bet on the “favourite” team, you’re wagering that they are going to win the game by a certain margin. On the other hand, if you’re betting on the underdog team, you expect that they will lose by less points than the determined amount.

For example, imagine that there is a game, Bulls vs Hornets, and the point spread is 5. Placing your basketball bets for today you decide to bet on the “favourite” team. That means that the team you bet on must win by more than 5 points for you to make profit from your bet. Similarly, If you decide to bet on the “underdog” team, they must lose by less than 5 points for you to get your sweet winnings. It’s a great way to make a game interesting, and the best way for a savvy researcher, who used our previous advice to win.

Betting on points total (over/under betting)

This type of betting is the second most popular type of basketball bet among the avid sports gamblers. When wagering on the points total, you are betting on the certain number of points that will be scored during the game by both teams combined. Another name for this type of bet is over/under betting which makes it very self-explanatory: let’s say, in the game Raptors vs Rockets, the expected points total is 160. If you believe that both teams combined will exceed that number, you are wagering over. If your guts tell you that the teams won’t meet the determined score and will get less than 160 points combined, you are wagering under. Pretty easy!

Betting on the money line

It’s a simple version of betting on the NBA: you are betting on which team will win the game, without considering the point spread. The money line is a ratio (for example 2:1), set by an oddsmaker, where the lower number stands for “favourites” and the higher number stands for “underdogs”. While this type of bet is very simple and can be a great way to enter the wagering world for people new to betting, it’s very difficult to make a lot of money using this type of wagering, since if you bet on “favourites” the winnings are not going to be significant.

Betting on parlays

While making a parlay bet you are wagering on the combined outcome of several games. To become a winner in a parlay, you must accurately predict the outcome of all the games in the selection. For example, if you correctly guess the outcome of all three games in a three-game parlay, you will become a winner. At the same time, if you only guess two out of three, you will lose. This type of a bet is more difficult to win than the previous three, however it offers bettors much higher odds, hence more winnings. If you are an experienced bettor, this is your way to go!

Hopefully, our basketball betting tips helped you! Click to start placing your NBA bets with us! Good luck!