NBA Picks

Betting on the NBA has grown in popularity as sports betting has been adopted in states around the country. Using methods such as same-game parlays, profit boosts and similar promotions, sportsbooks do everything they can to bring new bettors into their apps. Spreads, money lines and totals have become key parts of the daily discussion around the NBA, and player props provide another way to take positions during the NBA season and playoffs. The futures market also allows bettors to wager on who will win the NBA Finals or which player will earn MVP.
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Today's Top Free Expert Picks

  • expert headshot
    Larry Hartstein
    +1996
    (60%)
    90-59 in Last 149 NBA Picks
    CLE @ NY • Tue 8:00pm
    NY -6.5
    -114
    Spread
    Picked: May 18 @ 2:48pm

    Analysis

    The Cavaliers face a quick turnaround off their second straight seven-game series. Rust could be an issue for the Knicks, but the rest definitely helped them heal up. OG Anunoby (hamstring) is practicing fully and is expected to play. New York has dominated its last seven playoff games, winning those by an average of 27.5 points, and the Game 1 atmosphere at MSG will be electric. I would play this up to 7.
  • expert headshot
    Larry Hartstein
    #1
    +2307
    (62%)
    83-50 in Last 133 NBA Player Props Picks
    CLE @ NY • Tue 8:00pm
    player headshot
    K. Towns
    Over 4.5
    -104
    Assists
    Picked: May 18 @ 11:40pm

    Analysis

    Since the Knicks trailed the Hawks 2-1, they have increasingly run their offense through Karl-Anthony Towns. It has worked to near-perfection, so why would they stop now? Towns has recorded six or more assists in seven straight games. Look for Towns to post at least five assists against a potentially tired Cavs team.
  • expert headshot
    Prop Bet Guy
    #3
    +1241
    (72%)
    21-8 in Last 29 NBA Player Props Picks
    CLE @ NY • Tue 8:00pm
    player headshot
    K. Towns
    Over 4.5
    -122
    Assists
    Picked: May 18 @ 11:43pm

    Analysis

    FanDuel. One of the trends we saw in the first two rounds that I believe will carry over for the Knicks is Karl-Anthony Towns’ facilitating. Starting with Game 4 against the Hawks, Towns has seven straight games with at least six assists (let alone five). The Knicks tweaked their offense to use Towns as a hub - Towns passes per game are up in this span (36 per game compared to his average of 32), despite his minutes being down due to foul trouble and blowouts. The Cavs defense favors spot-up shooting as is, and the Knicks have now have had what’s felt like an eternity to refine the new wrinkle of their offense. Look for Towns to continue to thrive in his new role.
  • expert headshot
    Micah Roberts
    #4
    +730
    (70%)
    14-6 in Last 20 NBA ATS Picks
    CLE @ NY • Tue 8:00pm
    CLE +7.5
    -115
    Spread
    Picked: May 19 @ 1:08am

    Analysis

    The Knicks won both meetings in New York this season against the Cavaliers, but the Cavs have won five of the last seven meetings and covered six of those games. The largest spread in their meetings this season has been the Knicks, favored by 5 on Christmas when they only won by two. The Cavs are healthier than they've been all season, and yet the spread is 7.5? Cleveland is fresh off a Game 7 win at Detroit two nights ago, while the Knicks have been off for 9 days. The Knicks had won seven in a row, covering six, but I think the Cavs have some demons in the closet they need to set straight from last season as the No. 1 seed.
  • expert headshot
    Mike Barner
    #2
    +2135
    (59%)
    129-90 in Last 219 NBA Player Props Picks
    CLE @ NY • Tue 8:00pm
    player headshot
    K. Towns
    Over 4.5
    -125
    Assists
    Picked: May 19 @ 8:05am

    Analysis

    Karl-Anthony Towns has recorded at least six assists in each of his last seven games. Three times during that span, he finished with at least 10 assists. What’s even crazier about that stat is that he only logged 26 minutes a game during that stretch with the Knicks being involved in some lopsided scores. In what has the potential to be a close game, I like Towns to come away with at least five assists.

Today's Top Free Player Prop Picks

Built using SportsLine's cutting-edge machine learning, predictions and ratings are generated for each player prop by analyzing historical performance, opponent matchup scores, odds, and prop line movements
  • CLE @ NY • 8:00 pm
    player headshot
    J. Allen
    Over 1.5
    +148
    Assists
    PROJ: 1.6
  • CLE @ NY • 8:00 pm
    player headshot
    M. Bridges
    Over 19.5
    -104
    PTS + AST + REB
    PROJ: 22.8
  • CLE @ NY • 8:00 pm
    player headshot
    O. Anunoby
    Over 1.5
    +118
    Assists
    PROJ: 2.1

Latest News

NBA Sports Betting Terms:

  • With multiple games on the schedule almost every day during the season, the NBA offers sports bettors the opportunity to consider how to make outcome-based predictions on a nearly daily basis. Here are some terms worth knowing if you want to become more familiar with NBA betting:

  • Lines

    The term “lines” refers to odds for bettable outcomes in NBA games, including money lines, spreads and totals. Betting on the money line means placing a wager on the winner of the game, no matter the final score. The favored team will return a lower profit than the underdog in the event of a win, with the odds correlated to the likelihood of each side winning as set by the sportsbook. If a money line is presented with a negative number, it represents the size of the wager needed to win $100. If the odds are positive, they represent profit potential on a $100 bet. For example, a -200 favorite would require a $200 bet to have the opportunity to win $100, while a +200 underdog would pay $200 in profit on a successful $100 wager. Spreads bring scoring margin into play while providing payouts closer to $100 no matter which side a bettor takes. For a 3.5-point spread, a favorite indicated by -3.5 would have to win by four or more points in order to cover, or win the bet. The +3.5 underdog would cover by winning the game or losing by fewer than three points. Spreads involving whole numbers such as 4 also bring the potential of a push, which happens when a game lands exactly on the spread and results in refunded stakes to bettors on each side.

  • Totals

    Wagering on totals involves taking a position on the number of points scored in a game or a portion of the game, such as the first half or first quarter. Totals will be listed with a line and bettors can decide whether the combined score of both teams will be more (Over) or less (Under) than the line, with payouts also listed for each side of the total. For example, a total of 229.5 with an Over of -115 and an Under of -105 would return $100 in profit for a $115 bet if the combined score of both teams in the game is 230 or more, while a $105 bet on the Under would return $100 in profit if there are no more than 229 points in the game.

  • Props

    Aside from the standard markets listed above, proposition bets (also known as props) give bettors the opportunity to wager on other, more specific outcomes in a game. These can include player props, such as the number of points or rebounds a certain player accumulates; team props, such as whether one team will go over its own point total set by the sportsbook; or game props, such as the largest comeback in the game Player props are one of the most popular ways to bet on the NBA and feature heavily in same-game parlay betting. Players on each team have lines assigned to outcomes involving their statistical output, and bettors can make wagers on whether they finish with a total over or under the line. This could involve number of points, rebounds or assists, or any combination of the three, as well as other categories like steals and blocks. Bettors can also wager on outcomes like whether a star player finishes with a double-double or triple double. Team props include betting on team totals, which in effect splits the game total into a unique number for each team correlated with the spread and allows bettors to take positions on only one team. Some markets can also involve both teams or neither team scoring above a certain points threshold. Game props involve betting on other outcomes not related to a specific player, such as whether a team wins without trailing in the game or selecting both the winner of the first quarter and full game in a single bet. Bettors can also take positions at some sportsbooks on events like the largest lead or largest comeback in the game.

  • Live Betting

    Sportsbooks also offer a way to bet on games after the opening tip via live betting, adjusting both standard and prop markets to reflect how each game is playing out in real time. Bettors are able to take into account the flow of the game, key injuries or other factors and react to changing information or evolving matchup advantages and place bets against real-time odds offered by each book.Live betting provides the opportunity to also target teams or players that do better or worse during specific parts of the game, or back smart coaches out of timeouts. In games that are close enough to project ample free-throw opportunities late, bettors could anticipate more scoring during clock stoppages. Hedging also is a key strategy for some live bettors, which allows the opportunity to make a second bet opposite a position taken before the game started at a better number. For example, if a pregame underdog bet at +3.5 takes an early lead and drops to +1.5 on the live line, taking the other team at -1.5 would guarantee that one of the two bets would hit while providing the opportunity to win both if the underdog loses by 2 or 3 points.

  • Futures Betting

    Futures betting involves markets based around future outcomes rather than what happens in a specific game. Examples of future betting include betting on the eventual NBA champion, the winners of each conference and division, making the playoffs or even earning a specific seed. Another way to bet on future outcomes is through win totals, where bettors can take positions on whether a specific team will win more or less games than the lines set by sportsbooks. A win total of 49.5 would pay to the Over if the team wins 50 or more games and to the Under if the team wins 49 or fewer games. League awards are also a featured part of futures betting, giving bettors the opportunity to predict who wins honors such as MVP, Finals MVP and Rookie of the Year. These awards may only be available in certain markets where allowed by state regulations. Another way to back particular players is to bet on them to lead the league in a particular category such as scoring or rebounds.