Best NBA Bets - Today's Top NBA Picks

Comparing odds is critical to finding the best markets with the longest odds. The leading online bookies have comparable odds for traditional markets (spreads, handicap bets, totals, etc.), but even slight variations can generate larger payouts.

Before registering with an online US sportsbook, use our website to compare the top NBA betting sites in the US and compare the odds for NBA markets. Check the diversity and odds value for exclusive betting markets, such as proposition bets or futures, and whether the site allows you to place same-game parlays and prop bet parlays.

Depending on which site you place your bet on, you can use either a profit boost or an odds boost, or both, but not in combination. Odds boosts are higher odds for a popular game or a specific betting market. Most sites allow bettors to combine fixtures with boosted odds into a parlay to increase their potential payout.

A profit boost is similar to an odds boost as they include larger winnings in addition to the staked money. However, it is essential to see if a profit boost promo applies to NBA games or a different sport. Also, profit boosts can only apply to specific wagers, such as moneyline or straight bets.

Parlays are types of bets that combine multiple selections into a single ticket. It is a popular type of betting among fans of collective sports, such as the NBA. The collective odds of multiple selections don't require big stakes to generate a solid potential payout.

Most leading US online sportsbooks allow players to create their own parlays, including from NBA fixtures. Depending on the site, players can create prop bet parlays or add future bets. DraftKings currently has an NBA 'stepped up' same-game parlay (SGP) promotion with a 100% profit boost.

NBA Prop bets, or proposition bets, are wagers on whether a certain game-, player- or team-specific outcome of a game will be realized. Every type of bet that is not directly tied or dependent on the match's final result can be considered a prop bet.

Depending on the sportsbook, bettors may be allowed to combine multiple prop bets into a parlay or create a single-game prop parlay.

For NBA matchups, most parlays are related to the performance of a particular player. The most common player props are the number of rebounds, points or assists, the first player to score a point, player defense performance, etc. Team/game props can include bets like 1st half margin, 1st half away team totals, away team total points, etc.

As we noted above, a parlay wager combines two bets from one or more NBA games. Players can place, for example, two or more money line bets on their ticket or, if the site allows it, combine prop bets into a parlay wager. The combined odds increase the potential payout of the bettor and will enable them to leverage long odds for multiple markets on the same ticket.

As you noted above, some sites, like DraftKings, combine SGPs with promotions such as profit boosts. Combining two or more bets from the same game is known as a same-game parlay and is a highly popular method of betting among many NBA punters. Beginners should note that to win their parlay, all selections must win. You lose your parlay bet even if you guess 9 out of 10 selections.

Betting the spread is a type of sports betting that predicts whether a team will win or lose by a specified margin. The number of points by which the team is expected to win/lose that the bookmaker provides is called the 'spread.'

Each NBA matchup has a favorite and an underdog team. Betting on the favorite is to bet the team to win over a given margin. Betting on the underdog is to bet on that team not to lose over a given number of points.

For example, if the Celtics are playing the Nicks away and are -4 favorites, the Nicks are +4 underdogs. If you bet on the Celtics to win the spread, the Celtics need to win by 5 points or more. If you bet the Nicks to cover the spread, the Nicks must not lose by over 4 points. If the Nicks lose by exactly 4 points, it is a push, and the stakes are rebated.

A money line bet is the most basic of sports bets, meaning you only bet on the outcome of the result and predict the winner.

As we noted, each matchup has a favorite and an underdog. The odds indicate the favorite and underdog with the '+' (underdog) sign or a '-'(favorite) sign. If a favorite has odds of -200 to win, you must place a $200 wager to win $100 (plus the $200 stake).

On the other hand, if you wager $100 on an underdog with +250 odds, you stand to win $250 (in addition to the $100 wager) if the underdog wins.

Totals, or points total, or over/under, is among the most popular among NBA bettors. The concept behind this bet is straightforward. Players bet on whether or not the combined total points of each team are over or under a number provided by the sportsbook.

For instance, if the sportsbook provides odds for over/under 200 points in a single game, the player bets whether the game will go over/under 200 points. Considering the NBA is one of the highest-scoring sports, it should be a safe bet that the total number of points during the game will exceed 200.

If the bookmaker sets the points total at 180, players will place their stake on the 'over' if they believe the game's total points will combine for over 180 and on the 'under' if they believe the total points will be less than 180. If the final result is 95-86, those who had bet on the 'over' will win.

Futures odds are markets on the outright winner of a league or tournament. NBA futures are odds for which team will win the championship (championship odds). Futures odds are available for months in advance, up until the moment of completion of the league when the champions are crowned.

Futures odds can change dramatically during the season if the playoff finalists are neck and neck up until the final game or if there is uncertainty about which team will win their respective conference.

There can be a variety of future NBA bets, such as predicting the outright league champion or the winner of a conference, among other options.

The variety of betting opportunities the bookie provides helps us distinguish the best bookies for a particular type of NBA market. For instance, some bookies have longer odds but fewer player props, and vice versa. We look for both diversity in the NBA betting markets and adequate odds value.

The value of the odds for the same fixture at the top US sportsbooks can be of little variance, but those small margins can make a difference. We also look for sites that provide bets at least several days in advance or several weeks/months before the season starts in the case of futures bets so players have enough time to analyze stats and make an informed stake.

Lastly, we check for exclusive NBA promotions, especially if some promotions can be combined with specific NBA bets. For example, some bookies provide profit boosts for NBA games, some provide risk-free bets, and others have odds boosts for certain NBA matchups. Specific betting sites also allow players to create unique parlays with NBA games.

Every US sportsbook and casino site allows bettors to enforce limits on their deposits, maximum bets, or session duration. Players can apply one or multiple limits at a time at their discretion. Another common responsible gambling feature is setting loss limits, though not all sites provide this option.

Beginners would be wise to set aside a gambling budget before playing. Betting without limiting your spending leads to excessive betting. However, if you set a limited budget, you will be in control of how much you spend and stay within your limits.

Alongside voluntarily imposing limits, betting sites offer time limits and options to completely abstain from betting for some time.

Taking a break is a standard option players have to take a temporary respite from betting. Depending on the site, you can pause from several hours to several days/weeks.

Lastly, self-exclusion is a last resort for those who bet compulsively. Self-exclusion periods can be set at a few months, a year, or more, or indefinitely. Note that once the self-exclusion comes into force, you will most likely only be able to cancel the restriction once a minimum exclusion period has elapsed.

Bettors who believe they are on the cusp of becoming addicted to betting can seek professional help from government-affiliated or independent organizations dealing with problem gambling. All betting sites provide contact information to one or more such organizations. You can contact customer services or view the site's Responsible Gambling page for contact details.