NBA Picks
Hi, we’re The Hot Picks, a team of professional sports bettors. We wan to help you have the best NBA betting season. Check out our NBA betting tips, guides, and articles below.
5 Tips for Betting on NBA Basketball
Over the last decade, no major sports league has grown in popularity more than the NBA. As more and more of the public bet the NBA each night, along with them appear the new, self-described “NBA betting experts” offering their advice on plays. Be wary. There are plenty of services out there that tout their football prowess and after costing you money all season, all to their pitch, “by the way we also do NBA picks.” Not The Hot Picks.
We have been betting the NBA successfully for two decades, and NBA basketball is a staple of building our profit each year. Below are our 5 tips for betting on the NBA this season.
Betting Tip #1
Volume = Opportunity.
The beauty of the NBA is that there are 30 teams playing 82 games this season. That means you can gather a lot of intelligence on teams that can be applied to action over the course of the season when determining your NBA picks. For example, how certain teams defend against other teams matters, as teams will face each other multiple times. These are opportunities you just don’t get in football. The power of having an edge increases with the added volume.
Betting Tip #2
Bankroll Management is Crucial.
Staying disciplined is always key when betting sports – even more so in the NBA where 30 teams playing an 82-game schedule = 1230 games a year. With that much action, a well-structured, risk-appropriate plan that is based on your overall bankroll and bet per play is essential. As is sticking to that plan and avoid being swayed by ups and downs throughout the season.
Betting Tip #3
Home Court and Previous Game Bias.
More than the other major sports, NBA betting lines are typically influenced by two betting factors: home court advantage and a team’s previous game. We often find great value when good teams hit the road as slight favorites. Linemakers can be prone to using these factors too heavily. As with football, some of the biggest advantages can be found early in the season before the bookmakers have made their adjustments. This means you will want to jump on board with The Hot Picks as early as possible.
Betting Tip #4
Pay Attention to Player Injury and Rest Information.
Rest and load management announcements often are not made until very close to game time. The NBA is, more than any other league, is player-driven. As a result, players are granted much more latitude when it comes to taking nights off. These decisions are critical to determining the value of a potential NBA pick. We always stay wired into injuries and scheduling abnormalities that could lead to the rest of key players.
Betting Tip #5
Seek a Professional Edge.
The Hot Picks advantage runs from game 1 to game 82. So, let us do the hard work for you as we build our bankroll this NBA season. The Hot Picks team researches for hours each day to come up with our NBA picks. Stay disciplined and remember that it is a marathon not a sprint. Strap in for another exciting NBA season and enjoy the ride!
With that said, best of luck, enjoy the pro hoops and thank you for being a part of The Hot Picks Nation.
Author: The Hot Picks
Professional Sports Betting Team
At The Hot Picks, our team of professional handicappers brings more than 25 years of experience successfully beating the sportsbooks across multiple sports and betting markets. Over the decades, we’ve developed proven strategies, refined our process, and built computer models that have consistently beaten the books by identifying value where others miss it.
Download The Hot Picks app to receive our picks in real time, access expert analysis, and gain insights from a team that has consistently beaten the books for more than two decades. Learn more about The Hot Picks and see why serious bettors trust our experience and expertise.
Author:
The Hot Picks
Professional Sports Betting Team
At The Hot Picks, our team of professional handicappers brings more than 25 years of experience successfully beating the sportsbooks across multiple sports and betting markets. Over the decades, we’ve developed proven strategies, refined our process, and built computer models that have consistently beaten the books by identifying value where others miss it.
Download The Hot Picks app to receive our picks in real time, access expert analysis, and gain insights from a team that has consistently beaten the books for more than two decades. Learn more about The Hot Picks and see why serious bettors trust our experience and expertise.
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Learn From Us – How To Get The Best NFL Picks
Don’t Lose your Bankroll Doing it All on Your Own
NFL Betting Tips
You can’t talk about sports gambling without talking about the NFL. It’s the public’s favorite thing to bet by far. And it’s the hardest to beat. We always say this: the NFL stands for Not. For. Long. for your bankroll. The Hot Picks will help you win your NFL picks our way, through totals, player props, teasers… We bet some obscure teasers that people don’t even know about. Don’t lose your bankroll trying to win the NFL on your own.
NFL vs March Madness
People mistakenly think that the Super Bowl is the biggest sports betting event of the year in Las Vegas. Absolutely not. March Madness college basketball sports betting supersedes the Super Bowl every single season, and we at The Hot Picks bet heavily on the first and second rounds of March Madness. We make a lot of the bets on the smaller schools, the first half bets – a lot of stuff the public isn’t betting. So what we do is take our knowledge and share it with you before we even get down ourselves on these games.
How You Bet is as Important as What You Bet
How you bet on the NFL is as important as what you bet. The Hot Picks will tell you about our NFL picks, shopping for betting lines, not betting more than three percent on any one game. Also, don’t force any plays at the end of the day. You know, people love to do that. They love to just bet because it’s a game on the board and it’s something left to bet on. Absolutely the wrong thing to do and will only lead to trouble.
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NBA Betting 101
Learn the basics of NBA betting. If you want to be successful in betting on the NBA, get to know these terms and definitions.
- Point Spread
- Cover
- Over/Under
- Moneyline
- Straight Bet
- Futures Bets
- Player Props
- Parlay Bets
- Teaser Bets
- Totals Bet
- Unit
- Open vs. Closing Odds
- Favorites vs. Underdogs
Point Spread
The handicap, or head start, which the favorite gives to the underdog for betting purposes.
Cover
To beat the point spread by the required number of points. When you win, you have “covered the spread.”
Over/Under
A bet on whether the combined total of the points/goals scored by the two teams will exceed or be less than a specified number.
Moneyline
A bet where no point spread is involved and is based solely on which team will win the game.
Straight Bet
A wager on just one team.
Futures Bets
Bets placed on an event taking place sometime in the future. (e.g. betting before the season which team will win their respective Division, Conference or the overall NBA title).
Player Props
Player props are decided by player performance during a game. These can be bet on via moneylines, spreads, Over/Under totals, or Yes/No propositions. Options can consist of Total Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Blocks, 3 Pointers made/attempted.
Parlay Bets
One bet on two or more teams/outcomes playing in separate games. The odds are greater if you win, however, all selections must be correct for the parlay to win. If you bet a 4 team parlay, it may pay 10-1, but if you win 3 of the games and lose 1, you lose the bet. In the event of a push or a game cancellation in one game, the parlay reverts to the next lower number (e.g. a 4-team parlay becomes a 3-team parlay).
Teaser Bets
A bet on two or more teams where the line on each team is adjusted a certain amount of points. For example, if the Suns are + 6 vs. the Lakers and the Blazers are +3 vs the Kings, you can play a 5 point teaser in which you have the Suns +11 and the Blazers + 8. However, similar to a parlay, all selections in the teaser must be correct for the bet to win and with some books, a push on one bet equals a loss of the overall bet.
Totals Bet
A bet where the bettor bets that the total score combined by the two teams will be over or under the number set by the bookmaker.
Unit
A basic measurement used by bettors to better understand a record. Each bettor’s unit can be a different dollar amount based on their bankroll and preferred risk.
Open vs. Closing Odds
Opening odds are the very first odds/lines that are listed for a specific game and it’s the first chance for the betting public to see what bookmakers think of that game. Closing odds are the odds offered by bookmakers just before the game starts and are based on how the betting public has wagered leading up to the game.
Favorites vs. Underdogs
When oddsmakers release a betting line on a game, the first thing they do is decide which team should be the favorite and which should be the underdog.
The favorite is the team that is expected to win the game and will get a minus sign next to its odds, while the underdog is expected to lose and gets a plus sign. If the game is a toss-up, books will open it as a “pick” or “pick’em.”
Frequently Asked Questions – NBA Betting
Where are the best sportsbooks to bet on NBA games?
Make sure you review as many books as you can and find the best line value. Do not bet a bad line or one that has already significantly moved.
What strategies to consider when betting on NBA games?
Playoff motivation or setting up for draft position, injuries or rest to key players, home court advantage, styles of play, days off between games for each team.
How to read and understand NBA betting lines?
NBA sides are very hard to win in the long term. I enjoy and have success betting NBA Totals.
How do money lines work in the NBA?
Money line wagers mean you are picking the team that you think will win the game, regardless of the spread. If you bet the favorite to win, you will have to lay odds.
Where can I get the best NBA picks?
The Hot Picks
How much should I bet on NBA games?
Never bet more than 1-3% of your total betting bankroll on any one game.
What stats matter the most when betting on the NBA?
Pace of play, offensive efficiency, 3 point percentage, free throw percentage.
How much should I factor in injuries when betting on NBA games?
Injuries to key players are key, but they are also overvalued and baked into the line by the bookmaker.
What is a total bet in the NBA?
When you bet the total points scored combined by the two teams in the game.
How can I be successful betting NBA prop bets?
Follow The Hot Picks
How much should I consider betting NBA futures before the season?
If you have a favorite team you think has a chance to win their conference and make the finals, a future bet on that team could be fun for you to root for all season, but do not put too much on bets such as these.