NBA betting guide 2025: What to know about betting on the NBA
A comprehensive review of what you should know about NBA betting and NBA Finals betting, including how to read odds and NBA betting tips and advice.
NBA betting has become more popular than ever in recent years. The playoff field is more competitive than ever with the Play-In Tournament and lower seeds making deep runs, which makes the regular season even more attractive from a sports betting standpoint. There are several sports betting apps in which fans can register, claim a welcome bonus, and place bets on all of the NBA action throughout the season and postseason, including as the Oklahoma City Thunder try to finish the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.
The 2025 NBA Finals are set, with the Oklahoma City Thunder up 3-2 against the Indiana Pacers in the best-of-seven series. The Thunder are road favorites to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy. Here are the Game 6 odds for Thursday's 8:30 p.m. ET tip:
Finding the best U.S. sportsbook for NBA betting
The table below shows some of the best sports betting promos currently available at sportsbooks.
| Sportsbook | Promo | Promo code |
|---|---|---|
Bet $5, get $300 in bonus bets if your first bet wins | None required | |
Bet $5, get $250 in bonus bets if your bet wins | None required | |
Bet and get up to $1,000 in No Sweat Bets | None required | |
Bet $1, double your winnings your next 10 bets | CBSDYW | |
Up to $1,500 in bonus bets if your first bet loses | CBSSPORTS | |
Bet $5, get $150 in bonus bets win or lose | CBSBET365 |
As you can see, there is no shortage of sportsbooks offering generous bonuses to new users who want to get started. The first step when looking to bet on the NBA is to find the right sportsbook, or sportsbooks. It is worth claiming as many sportsbook promos as you can in order to maximize your potential winnings, and the aforementioned sports betting apps provide ample opportunities.
Betting on an NBA game
The most common bet types regarding the NBA are the spread, money line and total.
Upon logging into any sportsbook, bettors will see a list of games that are taking place that day. At a quick glance, users will also see the spread, money line and total for each of those NBA games.
Point spread
The spread is the predicted point differential in the final score between two teams. The team that has a negative number is the favorite in this particular game. For example, if the Los Angeles Lakers are -4.5, they would need to win by at least five points in order for a spread bet to be successful. Meanwhile, if the Denver Nuggets are +4.5 in that game, they would need to win outright or lose by four points or fewer in order for the bet to win.
Money line
When it comes to the money line, whichever team wins the game is the winning side for the bet. A team with negative odds would be categorized as the favorite in most circumstances, while the team with positive odds is the underdog. There are also cases where both teams are viewed as having an equal chance of winning, and those teams might both have -110 money line odds. If the chosen team wins outright, it would be a winning wager.
Total
The total indicates the total number of points that are scored in a game. You're betting on whether or not you believe that the combined point total in a game between two NBA teams will go over or under. For example, if the total for the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat is set at 225.5 and you bet the over, you would need at least 226 points between the two teams for the bet to win.
NBA prop betting
Props continue to be incredibly popular when betting on sports, and prop betting is especially common when betting on the NBA. The NBA has an abundance of star players who are filling up the stat sheet on a nightly basis, which also factors into the popularity of prop bets.
At most sports betting apps, you can bet on the following prop bets:
- Over/under props such as Shai-Gilgeous Alexander Over 29.5 points (-110)
- Yes/no props such as Jayson Tatum to record a double-double (+115) or Kawhi Leonard to record the first basket (+600)
- H2H props, where you pit two players in the same game against one another and can wager on a spread, moneyline, or total in relation to their respective stats. For example, in a battle between Darius Garland and O.G. Anunoby points props, Anunoby is -0.5 (-125) while Garland is +0.5 (-105).
- Team props such as Cavaliers Over 120.5 points (-115)
- Race to "X" points props, where you select which team will score a given number of points first. You'll have the opportunity to select which team will score anywhere from 10 to 40 points first.
NBA parlays
A parlay is when you place two or more wagers, called "legs", in a single bet. In order for you to win your parlay, every leg of it must win.
The odds you'll get from a parlay are enticing, but the more legs you add, the more likely you are to lose.
- A traditional parlay, such as Thunder -13.5 (-106), Nuggets moneyline (-390), and Pelicans/Clippers Over 218 (-110), would have +366 odds.
- A same-game parlay is when the parlay legs all come from the same game. For example, in a gam between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, a SGP including Jaylen Brown over 18.5 points (-118) and Bam Adebayo over 8.5 rebounds (-136), might have +205 odds (depending on the sportsbook).
NBA futures
Like all sports, the NBA provides many futures betting opportunities. Bettors can place wagers on who will win an NBA title, who will win an individual award and even seasonal stat leaders.
Some of the more popular futures include:
Team-based futures
- NBA Champion: Betting on which team will win the NBA Finals.
- Conference winners: A bettor can place a wager on which team will win the Eastern or Western Conference.
- Division winners: Fans can place a bet on which team will win a specific division in the NBA.
- Team win totals: Bettors can wager on if a certain team wins over or under a certain threshold. For example, the Celtics to record over 59.5 wins.
Player-based futures
- Awards winners: Fans can place bets on who will win individual awards such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year.
- Individual prop futures: Bettors can place wagers on a specific player to average a certain number. For example, betting that Nikola Jokic will average 24.5 points on the season.
- Seasonal stat leaders: Betting that a certain player will lead the NBA in a certain category. For example, betting that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will lead the league in scoring.
NBA live betting
Traditionally, bettors will place a majority of their wagers before a respective game tips off. When you bet on a live game, you need to bet quickly because the odds are constantly changing. If a favorite goes up big early, the spread might increase. If two teams combine for only 100 points in the first half, a pre-game total of 223.5 might come down significantly.
For example, say Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards hits his first couple of shots, and you think that he is going to have a big game. As the game unfolds, his live points total or any other offensive statistic will have updated lines. You can then bet that current number while the game is taking place.
It's best to place a live bet during a timeout on the court. That's because the live lines are constantly changing, so it might be hard to lock something in before it changes again.
How to bet on the NBA Finals
Throughout the regular season, bettors will consistently see some of the NBA's top teams as double-digit spread favorites fairly often when they're playing teams in the middle or bottom tiers of the league. However, the margin for error becomes a lot smaller when the NBA Finals roll around.
For example, if two of the top teams in their respective conferences do battle, most games will likely have smaller spreads, and it may make more sense to bet the money line.
In order to entice bettors to place wagers on the NBA Finals, major sportsbooks, such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and others, will hand out profit boosts that can be used on same-game parlays, while also offering bonus bet promotions from time to time.
Tips and advice for betting on the NBA
In recent years, the concept of load management has become extremely prevalent in the NBA. Load management simply means that NBA teams will often sit their players on the second night of a back-to-back or if a player is a little banged up. It's important for users to keep an eye on injury reports leading up to game day before making a wager.
It's very important to study the numbers when it comes to where opposing defenses rank when placing a wager on a certain player's points or assists. Keeping an eye on injuries remains one of the biggest angles for NBA prop bets. For example, if Jalen Brunson isn't playing on a given night for the New York Knicks, perhaps that makes Mikal Bridges' points prop a lot more attractive.
Finally, it's important to pay attention to and target situational angles. Fading a team playing their second night of a back-to-back (especially on the road) is often profitable. Additionally, long road trips or three games in four nights impact performance.
