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As for now, the NFL is still in the position on the top of the list, but the NBA has been closing to the NFL quickly. Statista’s survey shows that 24% of people have wagered on NBA games; this is an increase from previous years. These are evident in the increased offering for NBA odds and lines by the various online sportsbooks. That being said, the contemporary scenario is indeed ripe for entering it into NBA betting. Looking at key aspects of NBA betting the right way, the bettor is in the position to make better decisions on which NBA games to bet on and make more money.
Adopt a Basketball Betting Strategy
Betting Strategy Basketball betting experts have the skills of determining value in the offered betting lines, their skills are developed through time and knowledge of mathematics. Still, there are some habits these pros have which amateur sports bettors can follow to become better at NBA betting. Loosening up with a basketball betting strategy lets you get a wider view of betting. Rather than just guessing a team or player that you have seen just being flashy in a commercial, for instance betting on Milwaukee Bucks due to the excellent performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo in a commercial, you will make a plan. Going further into details such as getting to know that Antetokounmpo is a champion in the NBA and is among the impactful players in the league will enhance betting even further. These are the aspects that will help you shed your amateur tag and turn you into a real professional who knows what is what when it comes to stakes.
Think Rationally, Not Emotionally
Newcomers to sports betting often have a tendency of placing their bets on their favorite teams only and this is a mistake. While it may be tempting to select historically successful NBA franchises: Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, each team’s proficiency and betting effectiveness changes on a daily basis. To make the most out of these distortions, it is necessary to expand on being a fan of a specific team. The first rule to laying the foundation of being a good bettor is to completely eliminate emotions from the process. Ditch the lifeless frames with the pictures of celebrities that you pinned on your walls or the sports team’s jersey that you wore at the start of Junior High. Betting is big business and requires logic, it is definitely not for the ‘heart’ but for the ‘head’.
Understand NBA History
In every sporting event, especially soccer, it is essential to consider the previous meetings in determining the team’s capability to deliver the best results for you, your money, the bookie and the spectators as a whole. LandofBasketball. com has an amazing statistical feature in the form of an interactive chart that depicts the historical head to head records of all the teams in the league, which can be very helpful when comparing different veteran teams that have roster stables which mostly remain intact season after season. To be more specific, for the current season, ESPN offers team versus team statistics meant to include standings, series results, statistical leaders, offense & defense statistics, and last but not least offense & defense ratings. According to George Santayana, those who cannot learn from history are bound to lose a fistful of cash. But one should not go too far back in time because rosters are updated from time to time. For instance, how the Cavaliers played in the year 2013-14 mostly had no correlation with their style of play in the 2014-15 season because of James’s comeback to Cleveland Cavaliers. One might notice significant changes within a year if big changes are made, but minor changes being made year after year and stacking up will severely alter the team over the longer span of years.
Choosing NBA Games to Bet On
In a normal NBA regular season, that is 1,230 games, enough opportunities can be found to place your basketball bets. However, here are outright tips that you need to keep an eye on to assist you to know which NBA games to bet on.
Keep an Eye on Grudge Matches
As to choosing between the two teams to bet on, paying attention to “circle” or “revenge” games which occur after some player trades and the latter is now in another team. Youngsters are always able to express themselves through a passionate performance that could possibly win their new club a match. Basketball players like every other human being get personal when it comes to trades. For instance, DeMarcus Cousins also went over the coach and the management and protested their injustice by dumping 41 points, 23 rebounds, and 6 assists in his first comeback match with the Kings. Arguably, Brook Lopez also had his best game of the season where he posted a season high 34 points and ten rebounds making his return to Brooklyn Nets.
Take the NBA Schedule into Account
The NBA has been making efforts to overcome cases of player fatigue, and this has seen the league cutting down on back to back games and completely eradicating cases of four games in five nights. However, the 82-game schedule is still very tough and entails 14.4 back-to-back games from October to April. When picking an NBA game to wager on, be sure to look at the specific team schedule to place your bet on. Statistics prove teams are only successful 44% of the time in the second game of back-to-backs. Researchers have also found out that a team’s net rating declines by 2.21 points for every 100 possessions in the second game of back-to-backs, implying a weakened offense and defense. The seven point huge swing in the performance from this team is enough to determine if a team will win or lose a spread bet.
Keep Geography in Mind
It is also important to consider when selecting NBA games to bet on, the distance that each team has to travel and number of time zones that the teams cross before they play. The Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers and the Minnesota Timberwolves for instance usually lead in terms of total miles traveled during a particular season while the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers lag behind in terms of air miles. This idea can be quite impactful to teams, because players who tour less are usually fresher and full of energy, compared to players from the opposite team, particularly in overtime moments near the end of the regulation time.
Keep in Mind that Home Court Advantage is Significant in the NBA
Even though most teams appreciate their chances to play at home, it is rather surprising that the factor of home advantage can perform great significance in today’s NBA. ESPN, in one of their studies, identified that 61 dot 2% of the games have been won by the home team since the inception of the NBA in 1975. Despite statistics that show this figure is gradually reducing, operating in one’s comfort zone still has a considerably high multiplier, information useful for bettors. This is not to say one should wager on home teams, but when placing a large bet on a team which is on the away side of the field, it should be done with some degree of precaution. But when betting on home underdogs, do look at them carefully in arenas whose team has a high home-court advantage factor as it could be a value bet. For example, altitude in Denver and Salt Lake City has been giving the Nuggets and Jazz a home advantage over other teams as the visitors are bound to lose strength and focus due to low oxygen concentration in the atmosphere.
Review NBA Injury Reports
Unfortunate injuries to possibly your team’s most crucial personnel can work very negatively in a game and this is especially dangerous in basketball since one big man can be effective on the offense and the defense. For example, in the 1996-97 season San Antonio Spurs lost 39 games because the best player and Hall of Fame center David Robinson got injured and was out for the rest of the season. Likewise, the 2011-12 season was a disastrous one for the Portland Trail Blazers, who lost 20 games due to the absence of their three time All-Star Brandon Roy. In the recent past, Golden State Warriors, which has five consecutive appearances at the NBA finals saw their best players, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson demoralized by injuries thus having a dot 231 record in the 2019-20 season placing them at the last position. Injury reports are also important, always go through them before the start of placing a bet to otherwise damage your wallet much as the players’ injuries would harm them.
Additional NBA Betting Tips
Familiarize Yourself with Coaching Strategies
When assessing players you can gain a lot, but the strategies map for any NBA team are just as important. It is important to learn about strengths and turnovers with NBA coaches as that determines the outcome of the games. These coaching methodologies affect the players’ standing; for example, some coaches pull the best players during the final quarter when the score is out of reach, lowering absolute and overall scores. On the other hand, other coaches retain their stars on the court, even though it contributes to scoring as well as enhancing physical exhaustion and possibilities of injuring players. It is important to note these coaching tendencies as they would go a long way in accurately predicting the point spread as well as the final score.
Grasp Scoring and the Pace Factor
Before betting on the over or under for a game total, consider two critical stats: Some of the parameters that may be used include Pace Factor and the resulting team score. Pace Factor calculates the number of possessions per 48 minutes a team will play, while team scoring apprises of a team’s points per game inclusive of the regulation times and overtimes. Closely rating changes show that sometimes the teams, which have the best results, do not have the highest Pace Factor, as relaxed actions and constant shooting lead to turn overs. Comparing the two stats assists in defining teams that dominate in the field and convert chances created. Two high powered, efficient scoring machines on the field are usually a good reason for a high total and hence betting on the “over” is often a legitimate proposition, at least till the sports betting line comes in and alters the total.
Discover the Context Behind the Numbers
Still, trends are a valuable concept, but what constitutes a trend and when is often disputable. Scoring 110 points in a game doesn’t necessarily indicate the team offense as being in a good state. To ascertain how these points were achieved, it might have been before a break where the other team’s main players sat out for the next leg in a home-and-away fixture or at a time when the rival team was lacking strength in personnel due to various factors such as bans or injuries. By making sure you know the broader picture regarding the numbers, your betting is going to be a lot more well-informed and over the long-term, the difference in results will show.