NBA Odds and NBA Lines | NBA Basketball Odds Free Live Odds by Jazz Casino & Sportsbook

Do you want to know a little secret? NBA basketball betting can make you a lot of money. NBA basketball is a game that has helped turn sports betting losers into happy sports bettors with larger bankrolls. It’s really no secret to winning sports bettors—NBA basketball is the easiest game to make money at. The game itself gives sports bettors plenty of opportunity and the ability to win right up until the end.

Unlike Football, Baseball and Hockey, NBA basketball does not have limited scoring. In those other games you might see a handful—or less—of scoring executions per game. If your side gets behind too much, it’s over no matter how much time is left. However, in NBA basketball, your team is usually in the game until the end.

Think about it for a moment. If you were to bet a -8 point favorite in football and the game was tied with 6 minutes left and the other team had the ball, would you have a realistic shot at winning? The answer is probably not. However, let’s apply the same situation to an NBA basketball game and chop 4 minutes off the clock—so there’s 2 minutes left.

Would you have a realistic shot at covering the 8 points? You bet! Teams must shoot the ball within 24 seconds and each made basket is worth 2 or 3 points. You would only need 3-4 baskets to make the 8 points. Granted, the other team can score too, but in the NBA, two minutes at the end of a game is an eternity when the teams are close.

Let’s look at another scenario. Imagine that it’s half time in Basketball and Football, it’s the 5th inning in Baseball and it’s the 2nd period in hockey. Which of these four following scenarios have the best outcome?

1. The team you bet on in Baseball is down by 6 runs.
2. The team you bet on in Hockey is down by 3 goals.
3. The team you bet on in Football is down by 21 points.
4. The team you bet on in NBA Basketball is down by 22 points.

The answer, of course, is number four. Scores are hard to come by in the first three options. While comebacks happen sometimes, in the NBA, teams always go on runs. Each season is filled with games where a team was down 10,15, even 20 points and came back to win. There are many other games where the underdog was down by a lot and game back to lose by just a few points. With the NBA, you are almost always in the action right up to the end of the game. Can you say that about any other sport?

Finally, let’s talk about NBA basketball totals. You might find that betting the total points in a game (under or over) is your thing and you would not be alone. There is a theory out there that those who can get a feel for totals betting are among the most successful sports bettors alive. You could debate that theory, but it does point out a very important idea. Totals betting in NBA basketball is full of winning opportunity and the sports books don’t set them as well as the spread. Will this translate into more money in your pocket? That’s for you to decide.

If you are not on fire right now for some NBA basketball action, check your pulse. NBA basketball presents one of the greatest opportunities open to sports bettors. Don’t miss out of a great thing. Sports bettors and handicappers look forward to the NBA basketball season every year and now you know why.

Odds

Odds are basically a mathematical expectation and approximation of a certain outcome of a sporting event. For example, the odds of John Smith winning the French Open are 3-1.

So if a casino sportsbook posts odds of 3-1 for John Smith to win the French Open a bettor can wager $10 on Mr. Smith and can expect a return of $30 (in addition to his original $10) if Smith wins the French. Las Vegas casinos post odds for all major games and sporting events in America and some international ones as well. Odds can take many different forms such as who is going to win the game; can they win the game by this much (a point spread line); who is going to win the division; who is going to win the race; or who is going to win the tournament.

There are just as many different ways to bet these odds.

How are odds made?

Odds for Las Vegas sportsbooks are made by sports “experts” who use their knowledge, experience, inside information and a host of other factors - mainly statistical – to determine the likely outcome of any particular sports contest.

Much of this process is educated guesswork. But the goal of oddsmaking for the casino oddsmakers is not to predict the outcome of a game, it is to furnish the bettors with a betting line that will split the public in two with half of the people betting one side and half on the other. This is where “juice” or vigorish comes into play. The “juice” is the 10% that bettors have to pay if they bet football or basketball at 11 to win 10.

How do odds change?

Sportsbooks move lines to reflect betting trends to balance the betting so that the book won’t lose gobs of money on a particular game or event. If a lot of money is bet on John Smith to win the French Open at 3-1, the sportsbook will move the odds on Smith down to 2-1. Here is another example: if the Raiders are getting a lot of money at -4 ½ the boys in the book will move Oakland up to -5 to try to tempt people to bet the other side. The sportsbook must be careful when they move the lines so as to avoid a “middle”.

A middle occurs when the line moves so much one way that sharp bettors who played one way at one end of the line move bet the other way at the other end. This creates a 1 or 2 point spread between the extremes where both bets cover and the sportsbook gets nailed.

An example might be helpful. Lets say that Oakland starts off at -4 ½ and ends up at -6. Players who took Oakland at -4 ½ could play the other side at +6 and hope the Raiders win by five. If this happens the casino got middled. If it doesn’t happen the bettors who took both sides lose only the juice on one of their bets. So the clever player gets a large payoff if the Raiders win by five or a small loss if they don’t. This is smart betting.

Pierce leads Celtics in rout of Pacers

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Paul Pierce scored 20 to lead a balanced attack, and the Boston Celtics got back to their winning ways with a 122-1... Full Story...