Betting Tips Basketball

Basketball has developed into one of the world’s most popular sports, especially in terms of viewing figures and the amount of money which is gambled on the sport.

Basketball has come a long way from the very early days, when the ball had to be manually collected from the net, after every time the ball entered the basket.  In the early 1900’s, these were replaced by hoops, which had a backboard and the ball would pass through the net.  College basketball quickly spread through the United States and Canada and in the 1920’s, the professional game was born, with many teams being formed, especially in the States.

In 1949, the merger of two leagues, formed the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the sport continued to spread across the globe.  There are now leagues in Europe, Asia and many countries have competed with the USA at the Olympic Games over the years, with some, such as Argentina and Lithuania, defeating them.

The NBA continues to be the highest level of professional basketball in the world and there is huge money involved, both in terms of player salaries and television revenue.  Thus, the choice of bets and betting markets has grown with it and betting on basketball has become hugely popular, the result of which is a large choice of betting tips basketball, available online.

Betting Tips Basketball – Why and Who You Should Bet on

Basketball is very similar to other sports; in that you should only bet when there is value.  Due to the number of handicap markets on offer, there should be plenty of opportunity, to bet on whichever team you like but never allow yourself to bet on your own team, if you can help it.  Bet on those teams you have a good knowledge about and can make a sound judgement as to their chances of winning the game.

Due to the huge number of statistics and betting tips basketball available, most basketball games, especially in the top competitions, such as the NBA, should make for a good bet.

When You Should Not Bet on Basketball

There should never be a time when it is bad to bet on basketball.  Even during the early season of the NBA, there are some good betting opportunities available.  The only time you should stop yourself from placing a bet on basketball, is when you do not have access to the necessary information to make an informed bet.  If you do not have the knowledge, do not guess.

Popular Bets and Markets

There are plenty of great bets and markets in basketball for punters to get involved in and make some money, some of the most popular include:

• Moneyline
• Points Spread
• Winning Margin
• Total Points Over/Under
• Race to 20 Points

The Points Spread market is very similar to handicap betting.  For example, the favourite is allocated a number of points with a minus (-) sign.  So, if the Cleveland Cavaliers are showing -10.5, the team must win by more than this figure, for you to win the bet.

In terms of Moneyline, Points Spread and Total Points, these markets are also available for different sections of the game, not just at the end.  For example, you can bet on the First Half Moneyline, First Quarter Moneyline, First Half Point Spread and First Half Total Points.

Betting Tips Basketball – 3 Easy Principles to Increase Your Winnings on Basketball Betting

Principle 1 – Check the Schedule

This is especially true in the NBA, during the early weeks of a new season.  Look at the calendar for each of the 30 teams who take part and see what they must deal with in the opening weeks of the schedule.  When betting, avoid backing teams who have to make long journeys and teams who are playing on the second night of back-to-back games.

Principle 2 – Depth of Team

When the basketball season is ending, players are beginning to feel tired and as the games are generally between those who have performed well during the regular season, the level of competition and intensity is high.  Therefore, check which teams have more depth and those who are not suffering with injury problems because as the games go on, they will have a better chance of succeeding.

Principle 3 – Famous Teams

Many people, especially those who follow basketball as a casual fan, will know teams like the LA Lakers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks.  Thus, many punters are drawn towards these teams when betting and will place a bet based on the name of the team and nothing else.  However, if you want to increase your winnings when betting on basketball, look at the statistics and how these teams are performing, before placing a bet.  Just because a team may have a famous name, due to past performance, it does not automatically make them a good betting prospect today.

Most Popular Events to Bet on in Basketball

The National Basketball Association

This is the most famous basketball league in the world and tends to attract the best players, from around the globe.  Teams are split into conferences and during the regular season, will play 82 games each, 41 home and 41 away, including two games against every other team in the NBA.  Once the regular season ends, around mid-April, the play-offs begin.

NBA Playoffs

The NBA playoffs are a massive event and feature the top eight teams from each conference.  Each team will play an opponent in a best of seven series of games, with the first team to win four advancing to the next round.  The result is one team from each conference, remaining to play the final, which is also a best of seven series and is known as the NBA Finals.  There is always a lot of betting activity around the NBA playoffs and NBA Finals, with a wide choice of markets and betting tips basketball.

EuroLeague

This is the top professional club basketball league in Europe and features teams from up to 18 different countries.  There are 16 teams in total during the regular season and the top 8 will progress to the playoffs.  Teams must win three games in the series, to progress to the next round and the Final Four, featuring the remaining 4 teams from the playoffs, will play a semi-final and final, over the course of one weekend, to decide the winner.

FIBA Basketball World Cup

This is the biggest competition involving national basketball teams and is contested once, every four years.  The tournament is run very much like the FIFA World Cup, in that nations are drawn into groups and the event progresses to knockout games from the quarter-finals onwards.  United States, Serbia, Russia and Brazil are some of the most successful nations at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.