Whether you are a seasoned handicapper or you are entertaining the idea of betting on the NBA (or any basketball) for the first time, we have prepared a guide to help you capitalize on the opportunity to make some serious money. Below you’ll find the current NBA Championship odds and crucial NBA betting tips…
Current NBA Championship Odds – May 2025
Below you’ll find our current NBA Championship odds live feed that updates in real-time. Click on the odds you want to bet, for the sportsbook you prefer. It’s that easy.
Best NBA Betting Sites In New Jersey
First, you’re going to need to know which NJ sportsbooks to use. Now that sports betting is fully legal in the state of New Jersey, we’ve spent the time to review all of the options.
We’ve sent our editors to test them all out and here are the TOP 6 books that grade the highest:
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FREE NBA BETTING TIPS
It’s going to be a unique NBA season as the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the calendar. Of course, with the 2019-20 season finishing so late, the league wasn’t able to start the 2020-21 season on time. Instead, the league has shortened the 2020-21 season to just 72 regular-season games and condensed the schedule (less rest and more games per week). This all comes on the heels of the shortest offseason in NBA history.
30 teams will each engage in 72 regular season games followed by three playoff rounds set up to determine which final two teams will be left standing to compete in the NBA Finals. For now, fans are not allowed to attend games in most cases but hopefully, if the pandemic recedes, we’ll be able to get back to normal soon enough.
With a schedule that runs from the start of the regular season in December through the NBA Finals in June, you can jump on the NJ online sports betting train any time you want and get involved in the action.
One of the most exciting parts of the upcoming season is upper-crust of both conferences. In the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Lakers are the defending NBA champions but could be even better this time around. They added Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell – the NBA’s Sixth Man Of The Year – in the offseason and are loaded up for another run. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers made changes on their coaching staff (fired Doc Rivers, hired Ty Lue) and added some pieces to their roster like Serge Ibaka and Luke Kennard. Other teams in the West like the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets will all make their claim for the throne.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference is going to be quite exciting as well. The young Miami Heat won the conference last season and are now a year older. They’ll be tough to beat. The Milwaukee Bucks won the most games in the regular season last year and added Jrue Holiday and some other parts to put them over the top in the playoffs. However, the biggest story in the East is the Brooklyn Nets.
Brooklyn had a huge offseason last year, signing Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Durant missed the entire season, though, and Irving missed a chunk of it, so they were never really able to see the product on the court. Everyone is back now and the Nets are favored to win the conference.
And don’t forget about teams like the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors. The Raptors won the championship two years ago while the Celtics were on the cusp of winning the East last year. Both squads – along with a retooled Philadelphia 76ers side – will have plenty to say about the race in the East.
NBA 2021 – MVP Odds
Understanding NBA Lines & Odds
Before you jump right into the action, check out our NJ sports betting tips on NBA lines & odds (below). The first thing you need to know is that there are several different types of lines and odds that you will see depending on the type of wager you want to make.
While there are slight differences between the different types of bets, what you learn about the lines and odds will be very similar. That knowledge can be applied to the various different types of NBA bets that you will make. Here is a look at NBA betting tips on what the NBA lines and odds might look like for some of the more popular types of basketball bets.
Point Spread
The most popular type of NBA bet is the point spread. Due to the general lack of parity around the association, the sportsbooks rely on the point spread in order to create more intriguing head-to-head matchups. The sportsbook will use the point spread in order to establish a betting line that seems fair, which both teams must cover in order to win their matchup. Here is a look at what an NBA point spread might look like:
Houston Rockets +3.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers -3.5 (-110)
In this example, the Lakers are listed as a 3.5-point betting favorite. This means that Los Angeles must beat Houston by four points or more in order to cover the spread. If the Lakers win by three or fewer points, it would be considered a point spread loss.
Meanwhile, the Rockets are listed as 3.5-point underdogs in this scenario. This means that if Houston either wins straight up or loses by three points or less, they will be considered the winner on the point spread. The number listed next to the point spread is the betting odds.
In this case and in most scenarios, both teams will be listed at -110 odds on the point spread. This means that you must risk $110 to win $100 betting them on the point spread.
Total (Over/Under)
The next most popular type of NBA bet is the total. When betting on NBA totals, you are trying to predict whether the teams playing will combine to score more or less than the total points established by the sportsbooks as the total for that game. Often referred to as the Over/Under, the total for an NBA game would look something like this:
Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Lakers
Total: 196.5 Points
Building off the same matchup we used in the point spread example, we can see that the sportsbooks have listed the total for this game at 196.5 points. This means that if you think the teams will combine for 197 points or more, you would bet the over.
If you think the teams will combine for 196 points or less, then you would take the under. As is the case when betting on the point spread, both sides of the Over/Under are usually listed at -110 odds. Once again, the odds could change depending on the matchup and the sportsbook that you using to place your NBA wagers.
Money Line
Another popular type of NBA wager is the money line. This should be obvious considering that all it requires is picking which team will win the game outright. Here is what the money line for an NBA game might look like if we use the same example of a matchup between the Rockets and the Lakers.
Houston Rockets +250
Los Angeles Lakers -300
As we can see based on the odds assigned to both teams, the Lakers would be the significant betting favorite in this specific matchup. If you bet on Los Angeles to win this game straight up, you would need to risk $300 in order to win $100.
Meanwhile, if you took the Rockets to win straight up, you could risk $100 to win $250. The odds will change depending on the game. It’s important to keep in mind that the sportsbooks will do their best to avoid giving favorable odds in matchups that appear as though they will produce obvious winners, which we can see in this example here with the Lakers.
The only way to avoid those disparities in the odds is to play the point spread instead of the basic money line wagers.
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Important 2020-21 NBA Season Dates
Dec. 1st; Individual player workouts
Dec. 11th; Preseason games
Dec. 21; Rosters set for NBA Opening Day
Dec. 22; Start of regular season
2021
Mar. 5th; NBA All-Star break
Mar. 11th; Second half of regular season
Mar. 25th; NBA Trade Deadline
May 13th; Class of 2021 Hall of Fame Enshrinement
May 18th; Play-In Tournament
May 22nd – July 22nd; NBA Playoffs
NBA Betting Tips – Types Of Bets
As is the case with any professional sports leagues, there are several different types of wagers that you can place on the games. Here is a look at the various different types of NBA wagers made available by most sportsbooks.
Point Spread
As mentioned earlier in this article, the point spread remains the most popular type of NBA betting option. The sportsbooks will establish a point spread that they believe creates a matchup that is considered as close to 50/50 as possible. When you bet the NBA point spread, you are picking a winner to cover based on the number of points that the team is either getting or giving up on the point spread.
Money Line
The money line is the simplest of the different types of NBA wagers. When you are betting the NBA money line, you are simply predicting which team will win their matchup outright. However, due to the relative lack of parity in the NBA, you might not always get the best value betting NBA favorites on the money line.
Total (Over/Under)
The total is another popular type of NBA wager. As we broke down in the betting odds section, betting an NBA title is essentially betting on the total number of points two teams will score in a specific matchup.
If you think the teams will combine to score more points than the total listed by the sportsbook, then you would take the over. If you think the teams will score fewer points than the total listed by the sportsbook, then you would take the under. It really doesn’t matter which team wins the game. All that matters is the total number of points the teams combine to score in the game.
Prop Bets
A prop bet is any type of bet placed that depends solely on the individual or team performance, irrelevant of the winner or loser. Player prop bets can range from betting on the total number of combined points and assists a point guard records in a game to wager on the number of points and rebounds a center records.
These player performance props focus solely on the individual performances of the players. A team performance prop could focus on anything from the number of three-point shots a team hits in a game to the number of assists that they finish the game with. These types of prop bets focus solely on team performance statistics such as field goals made, three-point field goals made, total assists, points by quarter, points by half and so on.
Futures
NBA futures bets are any types of NBA bets in which you are wagering on a result that won’t be determined until a later date. Unlike betting on a game, these futures wagers are focused on aspects of the season like the number of wins a team will record, which team will finish in first place in their conference standings and which team will win the championship at the end of the season.
While these types of bets usually offer decent value, the fact that a lot can change from the time that you place the bet to when the result will be determined comes with an inherent risk.
Live Betting
The final type of NBA wager you will find is live betting. While the scope of live betting options available could differ from one sportsbook to the next, the majority of the top NBA betting sites offer a decent range of live betting options.
The sportsbooks will adjust their lines and odds throughout the course of the game. Their members can jump in at any time throughout the game and place the wager they believe has the best chance to win.
Legal NBA Betting Sites vs. Offshore
With so many states passing legislation that allows NBA betting, more and more sportsbooks are popping up online. With so many different options available, it’s important to make sure that you are placing your bets with a legal sportsbook rather than an offshore betting site.
Legal NBA betting sites will guarantee your wagers with safe, secure platforms, trusted software, and excellent customer service. Before you sign up with an NBA betting site, make sure that you do your research online to verify that they are a legal, trusted sportsbook destination.
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NBA Betting Tips – How To Bet On The NBA
1) Sign Up With A Legal NBA Betting Site
The first step to betting on the NBA is to sign up with a legal online sports betting site that you can trust. Security is the most important thing. When you place your wagers, you want to know for sure that you can trust the sportsbook that you are using with your money.
Do your research ahead of time and make sure that you use a reputable NBA betting site that’s regulated in the state of New Jersey. If you’re playing with the illegal offshore books, you’re playing with fire.
2) Set Up A Bankroll
Once you have signed up with a legitimate NBA betting site, it’s important to establish a bankroll for betting purposes. One of the biggest mistakes that new bettors make is jumping right into the action without considering how much they could afford to lose.
Before you get started wagering on the games, make sure that you set a limit for how much you are willing to bet in order to protect yourself from the risk of losing too much money.
Once that’s done, the next step is to think about how much you’ll be betting per game. If you have a $1000 bankroll, you can be betting $500 per game because you could get cleaned out with two losses. Think about betting about 5% of your bankroll and try to stick to it. If you’re betting $500 here and $50 there with no real pattern, your chances of succeeding go way down.
3) Bet With Your Mind, Not Heart
Another rookie mistake that even the most seasoned bettors make is betting with their hearts instead of their minds. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype and excitement of betting on multiple games at the same time or betting on teams you’ve cheered for.
However, you need to be methodical in your approach in order to make sure you are being as efficient as possible with your money. Are you betting on a team because the bet makes sense or are you wagering on them because it’s the only game on television and you kind of like that side?
Make sure your decisions are calculated and not just emotional dart-throws.
4) Put In The Time
The final betting tip that you should keep in mind is the importance of putting in the time. As is the case with everything you do in life, you need to be willing to put in the time in order to succeed. Whether it’s taking the time to watch the games, doing the necessary research to stay on top of matchups or using additional resources in order to be more precise in your predictions, it’s absolutely crucial to take the necessary steps that it takes to succeed.
If you’re going to just passively watch the games and catch up on the news here and there, your chances of being a successful NBA bettor decrease drastically.
Where You Can Watch The NBA
The NBA generates billions of dollars in revenue through television contracts to broadcast the league both nationally and locally in different regions. While you can watch some games on national broadcasts on ABC, ESPN, TNT and the NBA TV Network, local team broadcasts are available for every team in their local markets. Once the playoffs roll around, every game including the NBA Finals is broadcasted on national television.
In addition to the television broadcasts, basketball fans can sign up for the NBA League Pass. If you subscribe to NBA League Pass, you will have access to stream every NBA game from wherever you want as long as you have access to data. In addition to the actual live game broadcasts, you will have the ability to go back and watch replays of previous games as well as additional content.
2020-21 NBA Odds – Conference Winners (LIVE)
One of the most common ways to bet on NBA futures is by placing wagers on who’ll win the conference and/or divisions. These lines are updated live throughout the season.
Odds To Win NBA East
Odds To Win NBA West
NBA 2021 Odds – Division Winners
(Subject to change)
Odds To Win Atlantic Division
Brooklyn Nets -175
Philadelphia 76ers +480
Boston Celtics +500
Toronto Raptors +650
New York Knicks +25000
Odds To Win Central Division
Milwaukee Bucks -1050
Indiana Pacers +750
Chicago Bulls +10000
Detroit Pistons +10000
Cleveland Cavaliers +10000
Odds To Win Southeast Division
Miami Heat -210
Orlando Magic +550
Atlanta Hawks +550
Washington Wizards +800
Charlotte Hornets +5500
Odds To Win Pacific Division
Los Angeles Lakers -140
Los Angeles Clippers +115
Phoenix Suns +2000
Golden State Warriors +6500
Sacramento Kings +6500
Odds To Win Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets +125
Utah Jazz +125
Portland Trail Blazers +420
Minnesota Timberwolves +2800
Oklahoma City Thunder +13000
Odds To Win Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks -190
New Orleans Pelicans +500
Houston Rockets +550
Memphis Grizzlies +1200
San Antonio Spurs +1200
NBA Betting Tips – FAQ
When does the NBA regular season start?
The 2020-21 NBA regular season will begin on Tuesday, December 22nd.
When do the NBA playoffs begin?
Each team will play 72 games on their regular-season schedule. Then there will be a play-in tournament from May 18th-22nd and then the playoffs will begin. The actual start date for the playoffs is May 22, 2021.
When do the 2021 NBA Finals begin?
The 2020-21 NBA Finals will get underway on July 6th, 2021. The Finals, like all NBA playoff series, are a best-of-seven series.
How many NBA teams are there?
There are a total of 30 teams in the NBA.
What does it mean if a team is an underdog?
The underdog refers to the team that’s not expected to win the game. They’ll have a ‘+’ sign next to their point spread.
What does it mean if a team is a favorite?
The favorite is the team that is expected to win the game. They’ll have a ‘-’ sign next to their point spread.
What is the Larry O’Brien Trophy?
The Larry O’Brien Trophy is the NBA’s championship trophy.
How do the playoffs work?
The top eight teams in each conference will qualify for the playoffs. After that, each conference will go through best-of-seven series where the highest seed plays the lowest seed each round. After each conference produces a winner, those two teams square off in a best-of-seven series in the NBA Finals.
Are these NBA betting tips coming from real experts?
Absolutely! We have a team of sports betting experts to provide you with only the best NBA betting tips – including, former NBA oddsmakers, sportswriters, avid sports bettors, and more.
Can these NBA betting tips be used for college basketball?
Sure. The odds will obviously be different, but most NJ sportsbooks offer the same types of bets for NCAAB.
Do you offer betting tips for other sports?
Yes, we do. We offer sports betting tips and live odds feeds on all the major sports including, NFL betting, NBA, NHL, MLB, Boxing, MMA, Soccer, and more.
Odds To Win NBA Championship 2021
Los Angeles Lakers +240
Brooklyn Nets +400
Milwaukee Bucks +575
Los Angeles Clippers +600
Miami Heat +1800
Philadelphia 76ers +1800
Boston Celtics +2000
Dallas Mavericks +2200
Denver Nuggets +2500
Toronto Raptors +3300
Utah Jazz +3300
Golden State Warriors +4000
Phoenix Suns +4000
Portland Trail Blazers +4000
Houston Rockets +6000
New Orleans Pelicans +6600
Atlanta Hawks +10000
Indiana Pacers +12500
Orlando Magic +12500
Memphis Grizzlies +15000
Minnesota Timberwolves +15000
San Antonio Spurs +15000
Washington Wizards +15000
Cleveland Cavaliers +20000
Sacramento Kings +20000
Charlotte Hornets +30000
Chicago Bulls +30000
Detroit Pistons +50000
Oklahoma City Thunder +50000
New York Knicks +75000