Before May 2018, we would understand which teams were favored to win by checking out the NBA Vegas odds. Today, those same Vegas sportsbooks have online sites we can bet on nationwide.
At Ballislife, we’re committed to analyzing the sport of basketball and creating guides to make your sports betting journey more profitable. Continue reading to understand everything there is to know about NBA Vegas odds.
Since online sports betting became possible in May 2018, bettors across the United States now look to online bookmakers like DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, SI Sportsbook, Tipico, and more to see who’s favored and the underdog.
Before 2018, the only way to get this information was by looking up NBA lines from Vegas or Las Vegas betting lines for the NBA.
Las Vegas was the epicenter for sports betting, as you’d go to a sportsbook in person, or there were resources online that showed the betting odds from each top bookmaker in the city. Today, the odds from Vegas and
NBA sportsbooks
around the country are, more or less, the same.
Here, we’ll show you the top bet types, how to read the
NBA odds, and catch you up to speed on some NBA Las Vegas odds terminology to know. Please take a look at the current standings and the form curve before you place your bets.
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How to Read NBA Vegas Lines
Whether looking at odds or point spreads, you’ll always find a “-” or a “+.”
With Vegas lines and odds, the “-” is assigned to the favored team and the “+” to the underdog. We’ll dive into
NBA point spreads
soon, but regarding odds, these lines will show how much money you can make and the implied probability.
If a team is +675, their implied probability of winning is 12.9%. Also, if you bet $100 on this, you’d win $675.
If a team is -1100, their implied probability of winning is 91.67%. To win $100, you’d need to wager $1100.
When it comes to money, think of odds like this:
The odds with a “-” show how much you need to bet to win $100.
The odds with a “+” show how much
you’ll win
if you
bet
$100.
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There are three main Vegas odds you need to become familiar with if you are going to embrace this form of betting. Do you like betting on the winner or that both teams will score? Then you will like the following high betting odds for the future tournaments.
Wednesday7:30pm
Philadelphia 76ersOrlando Magic
Wednesday7:30pm
Brooklyn NetsIndiana Pacers
Wednesday7:30pm
Miami HeatLos Angeles Lakers
Wednesday7:30pm
Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Wednesday8pm
Milwaukee BucksAtlanta Hawks
Wednesday10:30pm
LA ClippersMinnesota Timberwolves
Thursday7pm
Cleveland CavaliersDenver Nuggets
Thursday8pm
San Antonio SpursChicago Bulls
Thursday8pm
New Orleans PelicansPhoenix Suns
No upcoming games at this time.
The Big Three - Moneyline, Point Spread, Totals
Whenever you look at an online sportsbook or read the latest Vegas odds, you’ll see three bet types that are most prevalent—the moneyline, point spread, and totals.
The term “The Big Three” is a term used to describe three top players. In years past, this was Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett for the Celtics and Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James for the Miami Heat.
In sports betting, think of these bet types as just that.
Bet Type
Description
Example
Moneyline
Bet on which team you think will win the game outright. These odds are weighted based on the strengths and weaknesses of each team.
As seen in the section above on how to read odds, the moneyline will have odds assigned to it, and you’ll wager on it.
Point Spread
The point spread was first used with Vegas odds in the 1940s or 1950s, but the exact date isn’t known. This number is assigned to a game to illustrate the gap in power between the teams. If the point spread is eight, then this means that the sportsbook deems the favored team eight points better than the underdog. The odds are always at or around -110 on both sides.
If a team is -4.5, they not only need to win the game but must do so by five points or more to cover. Conversely, the other team will be +4.5. They’ll cover if they win the game or, if they lose, they cannot lose by more than four points.
Totals
Also known as the over/under, you’ll wager on the combined number of points scored in the game. The
NBA odds
are always at or around -110 for both the over and under.
If a game has a line of 239.5, you’ll wager whether you think the game finishes with 240 points or more or 239 points or less.
Futures
Futures betting markets allow you to wager on events that resolve later. These bets include betting on the winner of the NBA Finals, Western Conference, Eastern Conference, each division, and individual player awards like the MVP. Like moneyline wagers, each contestant will have odds associated with it.
Traditional and Same Game Parlays
In today’s sports betting, there are two types of parlays: The traditional kind you would find with Vegas odds and lines before 2018 and Same Game Parlays, which were created more recently.
The goal of a parlay is to partner multiple wagers on one betslip, get better value odds than wagering on the events separately, and those contests winning for you to receive a payout.
With a parlay, if you add three contests, you’ll need all three to win for it to succeed—this also applies to Same Game Parlays.
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Whether you’re online or in Vegas, we’ll cover three types of prop bets here. Prop bets are micro-events that happen within a more significant event. In this context, events occur during the flow of an NBA game.
Game Props:
These focus on events within the game, such as whether overtime will happen, the race to a certain number of points, the winning margin, and more.
Team Props: As opposed to the whole game, you can turn your attention to team props. Some options include the over/under on total points a team scores in the game or the first/second half.
Player Props: This is easily the most popular prop betting market as it’s similar to fantasy sports. Here, you’ll wager on an individual player's performance, betting whether they’ll go over or under their assigned line for points, rebounds, assists three-point shots, and more.
Live Betting
Before online sports betting, you could place bets on games while they were live at Las Vegas sportsbooks.
With this betting market, the odds on the moneyline, point spread, totals, props, and more, reflect what’s happening in the game.
As you’d expect, these will change rapidly, with basketball being a faster-paced sport. We’d recommend placing a bet during a timeout or commercial break as this is the longest period the odds will be stabilized for. Find out some of the top recent odds below.
NBA
United States of America
Wednesday7:30pm
Philadelphia 76ersOrlando Magic
Wednesday7:30pm
Brooklyn NetsIndiana Pacers
Wednesday7:30pm
Miami HeatLos Angeles Lakers
Wednesday7:30pm
Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Wednesday8pm
Milwaukee BucksAtlanta Hawks
Wednesday10:30pm
LA ClippersMinnesota Timberwolves
NBA Vegas Lines Betting Terms to Know
Juice/Vig
The juice/vig has always been looked at the same, whether at a Las Vegas sportsbook or online. You can think of this as the sportsbook’s commission on accepting wagers. It’s commonly referred to when you see odds of -110, implying you need to wager $11 to win $10. Any time you see “-” odds, any number beyond -100 is the juice.
Legs
When you hear this term in sports betting, it refers to the number of contests you’ve added to a parlay. If a parlay has three games, there are three legs.
Hook
You’ll often see point spreads like +4.5 or totals like 225.5. The hook is the added 0.5 as this ensures a game won’t tie and there will be a winner or loser.
Push
Speaking of ties in sports betting; there’s a term for that—a push. If you bet on a team that’s -4 and they win by four, your wager will tie. In the event of a push, you’ll get your stake back.
Cover
To cover sports betting means that you’ve wagered on something where the requirements were satisfied. For example, if you bet on the Nets +6.5 and they lose 100-99, yes, they lost the game, but with the point spread, they have enough points to cover.
Units
As you wager more, you’ll start to figure out how much you typically like to bet. You can refer to this as your "unit" when you've figured this out. It’s also around 10% of your bankroll. So, if you have $1,000 in your bankroll, your “unit” could be $100.
Getting Started Betting On NBA Vegas Odds
Please read our online sportsbook reviews to see where you’d like to play and wager on Vegas-like odds.
Visit the desktop site of your chosen sportsbook or download its mobile app.
Create a new player account.
Make your first deposit.
Navigate to the NBA section of the site.
Decide what you want to wager on by clicking on it. This will add it to your betslip.
Input the amount you wish to wager and wait for the results.
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In the future we will continue to support you with practical pro betting tips and high odds. If you want to know more about an event, you should click on " Go to analysis".
NBA
Philadelphia 76ers–Orlando Magic
Wednesday7:30pm
Wells Fargo Center
Tip:
1x2: Home
Bet Now
NBA
Brooklyn Nets–Indiana Pacers
Wednesday7:30pm
Barclays Center
Tip:
1x2: Home
Bet Now
NBA
Miami Heat–Los Angeles Lakers
Wednesday7:30pm
Kaseya Center
Tip:
1x2: Home
Bet Now
NBA
Boston Celtics–Detroit Pistons
Wednesday7:30pm
TD Garden
Tip:
1x2: Home
Bet Now
NBA
Milwaukee Bucks–Atlanta Hawks
Wednesday8pm
Fiserv Forum
Tip:
1x2: Home
Bet Now
NBA
LA Clippers–Minnesota Timberwolves
Wednesday10:30pm
Crypto.com Arena
Tip:
1x2: Home
Bet Now
NBA
Washington Wizards–Dallas Mavericks
Thursday7pm
Capital One Arena
Tip:
Odds are being evaluated
Bet Now
NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers–Denver Nuggets
Thursday7pm
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Tip:
2Way: Home
Bet Now
NBA
Toronto Raptors–Oklahoma City Thunder
Thursday7:30pm
Scotiabank Arena
Tip:
Odds are being evaluated
Bet Now
Conclusion on NBA Vegas Odds and NBA Vegas Lines
As mentioned, Vegas odds were referred to far more often before the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was overturned in May 2018. It was the only place to determine which teams were favored and which underdogs.
However, most popular Vegas in-person sportsbooks now have an online sportsbook. You’re getting those reliable odds no matter where you play, so long as you’re in a legal state.
As you venture into NBA betting, we recommend returning to this page to catch up on all these Vegas betting markets, the critical vocabulary, and more.
Whatever the sport. Whatever the moment. It's Never Ordinary at bet365. That's why if you sign up now you'll get the choice of two great New Customer Offers, the First Bet Safety Net up to $1000 or Bet $5 and Get $200 in Bonus Bets. Deposit required. Bonus Bets wager excluded from returns. T&Cs, time limits and exclusions apply.Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler 21+
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