It is unknown how a ball will bounce, but what is known is that different odds available on an NBA game. There are several sportsbooks offering different odds on the same game, and we make it easy to compare all the top online sportsbooks in your area to help get you the best lines and odds on totals, spreads and moneylines.
With this tool, you can see the best lines on an NBA game. If the Hornets are hosting the Rockets, the consensus line might be -5.5 Hornets. With our odds comparison tool, you might find one book offering -5 on the Hornets or -105 instead of -115. Also, if you don’t have an account with the sportsbook offering the best line, you can simply click the link, sign-up for an account, and receive the best new player offer available at that sportsbook to help you build a bigger bankroll right from the start.
The odds comparison tool also allows you to see line movement and look for arbitrage opportunities (betting both sides). The TV schedule is even shown so you can sweat your bets out on TV.
Having trouble making a decision on which side of the line to take? Our own experts’ analysis of NBA games are posted daily on the Game Day website and can be easily accessed in the odds comparison tool. In those articles, you can get our experts picks and then look for the best odds in our odds comparison tool.
NBA Odds Explained
NBA odds may look intimidating to new bettors, but the truth is that once you know how it works, they are easy to understand. NBA betting is like chess, easy to understand but hard to win at.
Here is an example using odds from Caesars Sportsbook for the Lakers vs. Knicks game in November 2021:
Point Spread: Los Angeles Lakers +7 (-110), New York Knicks -7 (-110)
Money Line: Los Angeles Lakers +220, New York Knicks -270
Point Total: 213.5 Points (Over -110, Under -110)
At first, these numbers may look a bit confusing, but after you break it down, it will become second nature.
For odds priced at minus money (-), it means you must bet that number to make $100. Similarly, if something is priced at plus money (+), that is how much money you would get if you bet $100. Even though both plus and minus odds are centered around $100, the minimum bet at a sportsbook is typically only $0.10, so you can bet whatever you want and get paid in the same ratio.
For example, to make $100 if the Knicks win, you would need to bet $270 on the moneyline. If the Lakers win and you bet $100 on them, you will net $220 in profit plus get your $100 stake back for a total payout of $320.
You may be wondering why sportsbooks offer different odds on the same game. Some betting sites have their own teams of statisticians who come up with their own betting lines, and move the number based on betting activity or line moves by other sportsbooks. Other betting sites use the same outside company that set all their lines and prices, which is why you may see a few sportsbooks lines and odds moving together.
The sportsbooks that create their own numbers are known as market makers. If a market maker sets a team as a 9-point favorite and they take a large wager from a well-known sharp bettor on the underdog, they may make the favorite an 8 or 8.5 point favorite. Injuries, trades or other shakeups in the lineup will also move the lines.
NBA Betting Odds
With our odds comparison tool, you can browse the best moneyline, spread, and point total odds. Below, we jump into the different bet types to help you decide what lines and odds to take on your next wager.
What to Look for in NBA Moneyline Odds
A money line is as simple as it gets, as it is just a bet on the winner of the game. Of all the sports bets that you can bet, money lines are the simplest, even if the payouts can seem complicated.
NBA teams are rarely evenly matched for several reasons. Teams have better rosters, injuries, are resting their best players because the regular season doesn’t matter, home court advantage, team chemistry, and styles of play. As a result, the favorite is at minus money odds and the underdog is at plus money.
For example, a team could be favored by five points. As a result, they will be -220 money line favorites meaning you must bet $220 to make $100 in profit. The underdog in that game will be a +180 underdog meaning that if you bet $100 on that team and they win, you would get your $100 stake back plus $180 in profit for a total payout of $280.
The appeal on a moneyline bet is that teams are trying to win, not cover a spread. If an underdog wins, you can make a large sum on the underdog. Payouts are smaller for favorites, but will win more often.
What to Look for in NBA Spread Lines
By far, the most popular NBA bets are on spreads. For a spread bet, you are betting on a team to cover a spread rather than win. Favorites are identified by a minus symbol, and underdogs are identified by a plus symbol. It is counter intuitive as our brains think of being favored as a plus, but once you get some practice with spread betting it becomes as natural as riding a bike.
For example, the Chicago Bulls are hosting the Orlando Magic and are 9.5 favorites. If you bet on the Bulls at -9.5, they must win by ten or more points. If the final score is Chicago 95, Orlando 91, your bet loses even though Chicago won, because Chicago didn’t cover the spread.
Similarly, if you bet on the Magic, they must either win or lose by fewer than 9.5 points to cover the spread. If the Magic win by two points or lose by seven points, it’s the same result as you have a winning ticket with both outcomes.
Spreads are typically priced at -110 on both sides meaning you must lay $110 to make $100. With an odds comparison tool, you might find a sportsbook with lower juice on the same number such as -105 or even money (+100) on one side.
Another factor with spreads that makes an odds comparison tool critical is if you get an extra point or half point. If you like the Magic and the consensus line is +9.5, and you find the Magic +10 using our tool, and the Magic lose by 10, the +9.5 line would result in a losing bet, but the +10 would be a push, resulting in a refund on your bet.
Line shopping using our odds comparison tool could save you a ton of money long term, especially when betting NBA spreads.
What to Look for in NBA Totals
Like spreads, point total bets are simple with two choices over and under. The way an NBA point total works is that you are betting on the combined number of points in a NBA game.
If the Golden State Warriors are playing the Brooklyn Nets, the point total may be set at 240.5 points as both teams play an up-tempo offense and have a plethora of scorers on their roster. If you believe that 241 or more points are scored, you take the over. Conversely, if you think that 240 or fewer points will be scored, you take the under.
If the final score is Warriors 121, Nets 107, 228 points are scored and the under is the winning bet. NBA point totals are simple fun bets, and both over and under are typically priced at -110 odds. Sportsbooks typically price both the over and under at -110 odds.
What makes the NBA Odds Comparison Tool a must have tool in your sports betting toolbox is that it can be the difference between winning or losing with NBA totals. You can find a site that offers an extra point and that could be the deciding factor on if you win or lose.
Additionally, you might get better payouts for the same point total at other sites. With our odds comparison tool, we report, and you decide.
What Other NBA Bets are Available?
The great part about NBA betting is that like Nas said The World is Yours. In addition to the classics like totals, spreads and moneylines, there are a ton of other betting options at your fingertips when betting on the NBA.
After the game starts, sportsbooks offer in game or live odds on the game. A team can go up to a 20-4 lead and you can bet on either side covering a new spread, or even a new point total.
Sportsbooks also like to offer alternative lines where you can either tease or reverse points on the spread. If you tease points, you are buying points where a +7 underdog can turn into a +11 underdog that pays -180 rather than -110. Or you can reverse points where the +7 underdog turns into only a +3 underdog that pays +155 rather than -110.
Lastly, proposition or prop bets are becoming more popular. There are team prop bets where you can bet on which team scores first, reaches 20 points first, how many points a team scores, and much more.
Player prop bets where you can bet on only the player stats. Say you like a backup center to have over 5.5 rebounds because the other team’s bench has been struggling to clean up the glass, you can bet on that player to have over 5.5 rebounds. Other player prop bets include bets on points, assists, pra (combined points, rebounds, and assists), three-pointers, double-doubles, triple-doubles, and more.
How to Find the Best NBA Odds at US Online Sportsbooks
Price shopping for NBA betting is like price shopping at the supermarket. The only difference is that instead of buying bananas, you are finding the online sportsbooks with the best odds. Just like how toilet paper is the same thing no matter how much it costs per roll, sports bets are the same no matter what the odds pay.
If the average bettor uses only one book for NBA spreads, then they should expect in the long run to lose $4.55 for every $100 bet as -110 on both sides is equivalent to the juice. While this is still a low-cost form of entertainment, with line shopping it is an even lower cost form of entertainment.
If you can combine sportsbooks that are offering -9.5 and +9.5 on the same game but at different prices, you can reduce the house edge. As example, the San Antonio Spurs are playing the Houston Rockets. PointsBet is offering -4.5 on the Spurs at +100, and BetMGM is offering +4.5 on the Rockets at -104.
If the average bettor randomly picks a side, then they should expect to lose in the long run only $0.97 per $100 as the odds comparison tool trimmed the house edge on this game from 4.55% to 0.97%. While randomly picking a side using the odds comparison tool is not enough to overcome the house edge alone, with enough hard work, sports betting is potentially beatable with price shopping.
One thing to keep in mind with the odds comparison tool is that different books work differently in how they make lines. Some books create their own betting lines, while other books hire outside line providers to create the lines and manage trading.
One of these companies is Kambi who provides the odds for UniBet, Sugarhouse, BetRivers, Twinspires, and other sportsbooks. Another one of these companies is SBTech which not only provides odds for DraftKings but for Betway and others as well. Even though some books use lines that are available elsewhere, it is worth signing up for every sportsbook to take advantage of their welcome bonuses.
How to Use the Odds Comparison Tool
On The Game Day’s NBA odds page, here is your step-by-step guide for using the Odds Comparison Tool.
- Step 1: Pick your bet type: Choose between spread, total and moneyline to find the best prices.
- Step 2: Find your game: Games are ordered chronologically based on the date and time of the game. If you don’t know the time of your game, you can also type the name of the team that you are looking for in the search bar.
- Step 3: Make your bet: Once you find the best price for your bet, you should log in to your account and make a bet. If you do not have an account with the sportsbook offering the best bet, you should click the best price and that will lead you to the sign-up page. Make sure to follow our sign-up instructions below to maximize your new account’s sign-up bonus.
Not only is our Odds Comparison Tool easy but using it will save you money over the long term.
How to Sign Up to an Online Sportsbook
Signing up for a sportsbook is easy because they want your business. It only takes about ten minutes to do and will open a world of possibilities for you. Here is your step-by-step guide:
- Step 1: Click the link: In the Odds Comparison Tool, if you click the best bet image you are directed directly to the app.
- Step 2: Sign-up: Answer a few questions such as your address, birth date, etc., so they can confirm your identity.
- Step 3: Deposit: After signing up, the last step is to deposit money into your account. Luckily you have many different safe and secure banking options including Credit/Debit, Checking/ACH and PayPal.
- Step 4: Bet: Once you have money in your account, you can make bets.
Other than line shopping, your best tool in your betting toolbox is being able to maximize your sign-up offers. There are multiple sportsbooks, and to get your business they are basically handing out money in exchange for you depositing money with them and betting.
These popular sign-up offers vary by sportsbook, but include deposit matches, risk-free bets or matching your first bet in bonus funds or free bets. Check out our reviews for in-depth, hands-on reviews and how to claim the top bonus offer from all the best legal online sportsbooks in your betting market.
One of the most popular sign-up offer is a risk-free bet where if your first bet loses you are awarded either free bets or site credit. For site credit, its treated like cash, but for free bet credits you only get the profits of your winning bets and not your stake back. If you use a $100 free bet on a -110 winning spread bet, you will only get $90.91 back in return.
Regardless of the welcome offer, my best advice for you is to maximize your bet amount as you only get one sign-up offer for each book.
