NBA Point Spread Betting Online: Tips and Strategies With NBA Spreads Explained

Best NBA Spread Betting Guide Strategies

With over 80 games to be played for every NBA team, there are multiple chances to wager on them. One of the most well-known ways is NBA spread betting, where you’ll pick who you think will win and account for the point spread. If you’re unfamiliar with the point spread, don’t worry—we’ll cover that in more detail below.

Throughout this NBA betting spread guide, we’ll explain what spread betting is, the diffrence between point spreads and betting against the spread how it works, how to read the spread/odds, look at a key term associated with NBA betting spreads, how to get started, and more. Consider this your all-in-one resource for all things NBA and betting against the spread. Let’s dive in. Before you place your bet, please check the current standings and the form curve of the teams.

NBA Spread Betting Explained

When it comes to NBA betting, the three most common ways sports bettors do so are with the moneyline, totals, and the point spread. The moneyline and point spread are somewhat similar in that you’ll pick who you think wins the game, but the similarities pretty much end there.

As you know from watching the NBA, some teams are flat-out better than others. That’s where the point spread comes in. The point spread is a number that online sportsbooks come up with that accounts for each team’s strengths and weaknesses and is used to make the game as equal as possible.

When you’re browsing the various NBA betting spread options, you’ll see a number that’s designated for that game as the point spread, and you’ll need to factor that into your analysis to determine if a team can “cover” or not—more on that shortly. So, with spread betting, you’re not only picking who you think will win the game, but you’re assessing how much a team will win or lose, which will directly impact what direction you wager in. You like to bet on the winner, or on both teams to score, then be sure to check out our best odds on that.

How does NBA Betting Against the Spread Work?

As mentioned, the point spread is a number that online sportsbooks come up with, and it could be different from platform to platform.

This number is generated by considering multiple factors like each team’s performance throughout the season, the home and away team, and whether there are notable injuries. Sportsbooks will adjust their NBA odds and point spread values based on players' betting. For example, suppose 80% of cash wagered is coming in on one side. In that case, the sportsbook may need to adjust the other side to make it more favorable to try to even out the playing field.

We’ll dive into this deeper in the next section, but the point spread will be shown as the number and a “-” or “+” in front of it. A great way to think of this is, if a team is +7, for example, the game may start 0-0, but when it comes to NBA betting spreads, you can view the game through the lens of that team having a seven-point head start. To cover the spread means to win by enough points if you’re the favored team. If you’re the underdog, you can cover by winning outright or losing by less than the point spread.

Now that we understand how the spread works and where it comes from let’s look at some examples of how to read them.

How To Read An NBA Betting Spread

Whenever you’re ready to engage in NBA betting against the spread, you’ll need to pay attention to multiple aspects of the point spread.

• The favored team, which is notated by a “-”
• The underdog team is notated by a “+.”
• The odds determine your payout on a successful wager.
• Whether or not a number is a whole number or has a 0.5 attached to it.
• The extra 0.5 is known as the “hook,” meaning there’s no chance of a tie (or push).
• In the event of an NBA spread betting tie, you’ll receive whatever you wagered back and not lose or win anything.

NBA Betting Against the Spread: Favored

We examined a live example for you. The Washington Wizards are -9 and on the road against the Detroit Pistons. The betting odds are -110.

If you wagered on the Wizards -9, they would not only need to win the game, but in order to cover the spread, they’d need to win by more than nine points. So, if they won 120-110, they’d cover the spread and you’d win. In the event they win by exactly nine, you get your wager back.

NBA Betting Against the Spread: Underdog

Another example: Looking at the underdog Houston Rockets, they’re +6.5 points.

If you bet this, you can imagine that when the game starts, the Rockets are already ahead by 6.5-0. Of course, this isn’t the actual score, but it is through the context of betting. So, you’d win this wager if the Rockets were to win outright or lose by six points or less.

If they lost 120-115, yes, they lose the game in “real life,” but thanks to the added 6.5 points, they cover the spread, winning 121.5-115.

NBA Betting Spread: What Is Vig/Juice?

The term vig or juice is essentially a commission that’s paid on wagers. If the NBA betting odds are -110, the “juice” is -10 in the -110 because you’re wagering $11 to win $10. This is important to point spreads because the vig can demonstrate an imminent change, which we’ll discuss in the NBA betting strategies section below.

NBA Betting Against the Spread Strategies

You could employ some expert strategies for betting against the spread. We've compiled a number of these for you.

Getting Started On NBA Betting Spread

• Check out our reviews to see what online sportsbook you want to play at and which one has a welcome bonus that works best for you.
• Visit the desktop site or download its mobile app.
• Create an account—you’ll need to supply information about yourself like your name, date of birth, address, and last four digits of your social security number.
• Make your first deposit in line with the welcome bonus (if necessary) to ensure you claim it.
• Now you can engage in spread betting on sports like the NBA.
• Go to the NBA betting page and pick your desired spread bet.
• Input the amount you want to wager on the betslip.
• Wait for the results.

You liked our latest info and tips? we're glad you did. We will be happy to provide you with the best professional tips and odds for the most important upcoming events, so that you can place your bets well. Open the button "To the analysis" and learn more about the individual matches.

Past Matches

San Antonio Spurs – New York Knicks

June 19th8:30pm

AT&T Center

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New York Knicks – San Antonio Spurs

June 16th8:30pm

Madison Square Garden

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San Antonio Spurs – New York Knicks

June 13th8:30pm

AT&T Center

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New York Knicks – San Antonio Spurs

June 10th8:30pm

Madison Square Garden

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New York Knicks – San Antonio Spurs

June 8th8:30pm

Madison Square Garden

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San Antonio Spurs – New York Knicks

June 5th8:30pm

AT&T Center

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San Antonio Spurs – New York Knicks

June 3rd8:30pm

AT&T Center

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New York Knicks – Cleveland Cavaliers

May 31st8pm

Madison Square Garden

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San Antonio Spurs – Oklahoma City Thunder

May 30th8pm

AT&T Center

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Conclusion on NBA Spread Betting

When it comes to NBA betting against the spread, there’s a lot that goes into it beyond simply picking your favorite team or who you think will win.

Throughout our guide above, we’ve made it a point to break it down in terms of what it is and how to read it using real NBA game examples.

While we can never guarantee successful wagers, there are numerous strategies you can deploy, as we also covered above, that can set you up for the most success possible.

We recommend bookmarking this page as your go-to resource for NBA spread betting.