NBA Betting 2022-23 Guide

LeBron James’ 20th NBA season is off to a clunky start as the Los Angeles Lakers continue to work on team chemistry and winning ball games. However, the game’s next era of superstars like Ja Morant, Zion Williamson and Donovan Mitchell have their squads heading in the right direction. With the regular season finally underway, 2022-23 NBA futures odds are on the board. Our basketball betting guide covers the best NBA online sportsbooks, how to bet on the NBA, different basketball bet types and some NBA betting tips.

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Best NBA Online Sportsbooks

How to Read NBA Odds

Latest NBA Odds

NBA Bet Types

Betting NBA FAQ

How to Bet on NBA Basketball

Want to learn basketball betting basics? Basketball is one of the most popular sports to bet on, with events like March Madness and the NBA Championship drawing in international attention.

How To Read NBA Odds

New NBA bettors should be able to pick up how odds work in no time. Here’s a real NBA matchup example and odds breakdown for the game.

Teams	Point Spread	Moneyline	Point Total
Utah Jazz	-4.5	-190	OVER 226.5
Brooklyn Nets	+4.5	+165	UNDER 226.5

So, in this NBA betting table, you’ll see the Jazz are 4.5-point FAVORITES, indicated by the minus prefix. On the flip side, the Nets are 4.5-point underdogs indicated by the plus prefix. If you were to bet on the Jazz to cover the spread, Utah would need to win by 5-or-more points, while a bet on the Nets would need to see Brooklyn loose by 4-or-fewer OR win outright.

The moneyline odds are easy to digest. At -190, a bet on the Jazz to win pays $100 for every $190 wagered should Utah beat the Nets outright. If you like the Nets to pull the upset, a $100 wager pays $165 in the case of a Brooklyn victory. Note: $165 is profit + you recoup your initial $100 bet.

Finally, the point total is self-explanatory. If you bet the OVER, you want the Jazz and Nets to combine for 227-or-more points. If you bet the UNDER, you want the Jazz and Nets to combine for 226-or-fewer points. NBA online betting is that easy.

Still not sure where to start? Finding some expert NBA picks is a great strategy.

NBA Online Betting Odds

Find the latest 2022-23 NBA betting odds here and check out the best online sportsbooks.

2023 NBA Championship Odds

Despite a dramatic offseason that saw their head coach suspended for the entire 2022-23 NBA slate, the Boston Celtics are the early odds favorite to win the 2023 NBA championship at +575. Reigning champs, Golden State, check in at 6-to-1 odds to raise another banner, while the Los Angeles Clipper are finally at full strength with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard both healthy plus the addition of John Wall off the bench. The Bucks and Nets round out the top five NBA champion favorites after the first week of the season at +750 and +850, respectively. In a funny twist, LeBron’s Lakers boast the same odds to win a title as do the up-and-coming Cleveland Cavaliers at 33-to-1.

Team	Odds to Win NBA 2022-23 Championship
Boston Celtics	575
Golden State Warriors	600
Los Angeles Clippers	700
Milwaukee Bucks	750
Brooklyn Nets	850
Phoenix Suns	1200
Denver Nuggets	1400
Philadelphia 76ers	1600
Miami Heat	2000
Dallas Mavericks	2200
Memphis Grizzlies	2200
New Orleans Pelicans	2500
Minnesota Timberwolves	2800
Cleveland Cavaliers	3300
Los Angeles Lakers	3300
Atlanta Hawks	5000
Toronto Raptors	5000
Chicago Bulls	6600
Portland Trail Blazers	8000
New York Knicks	10000
Charlotte Hornets	20000
Utah Jazz	25000
Washington Wizards	25000
Sacramento Kings	30000
Detroit Pistons	50000
Oklahoma City Thunder	50000
Orlando Magic	50000
San Antonio Spurs	75000
Houston Rockets	100000
Indiana Pacers	100000

Odds subject to change

2022-23 NBA MVP Odds

Luka Doncic (+400)

Still only 23 years old, the Mavericks franchise player has Dallas headed in the right direction come playoff time. If only the Warriors weren’t in the Western Conference, right? Doncic nearly averaged a triple-double last season at 28 points, 9 rebounds and nearly 9 assists per game.

Giannis Anteokounmpo NBA MVP Odds 2021-22

Giannis Antetokounmpo (+700)

Despite the failed attempt at back-to-back NBA titles, Giannis proved once again that he is a perennial MVP favorite. The stat-stuffing “Greek Freak” averaged a career-best 29.9 points per game and lifted his free throw percentage up four points year-over-year. At 27 years old, he’s about to enter the prime of his career.

Jayson Tatum (+800)

The Celtics franchise player has the resume to be a first-ballot hall of famer, but still seeks that elusive first NBA Championship ring. If he – along with Jaylen Brown – can stitch together a deep playoff run, Boston could add yet another banner to its rafters.

Joel Embiid (+850)

Some pundits believe Embiid got hosed when he lost the 2022 MVP race to Nikola Jokic. He averaged nearly 31 points and 12 rebounds per game as one of the most versatile big men in the NBA and one, in which, the three-point shot has become most important. Yet, he made less than 1.5 per game.

Ja Morant (+900)

It’s early, but at 9-to-1 odds, Ja Morant for NBA MVP appears to be great value at online sportsbook Bovada. Kevin Durant is on record saying that the young Grizzlies point guard is doing things on the court never seen before. His electrifying dunks and accurate shooting have Memphis is great position to make a run in the Western Conference.

NBA Basketball Betting Types

NBA Point Spreads

Wager on the winning margin

NBA point spread bets involve placing a wager on which team you think will win the game and the points margin by which they’ll win. Simply put, the ‘point spread’ is the number of points by which the favorite team is expected to win.

These point spreads are set by the sportsbook, and will likely vary slightly from site-to-site when you explore NBA online betting.

When basketball betting on the favorite to pay out as a winner, that team must win the game, and do so by more than the amount by which they were favored. This is known as “covering the spread”.

NBA Point Spread Example:

In this NBA betting example, the Lakers are favored to win by 8.5 points over the Warriors. This would be styled as such:

LA Lakers (-8.5)
Golden State Warriors (+8.5)

The (-) signifies the game’s favorite, while the (+) signals the underdog.

If you bet on the Lakers point spread, you would need them to win by 9-or-more points to win the wager. The Warriors would win the bet if they won outright or lost by 8-or-fewer points. If the Lakers won the game 110-108, the Warriors would “cover the spread” because even though they lost, they did so by fewer than 8.5 points.

NBA Moneylines

Wager on the overall game winner

An NBA moneyline bet is a type of bet that provides betting odds focused on who will win the game outright rather than by how many points.

A minus sign (-) in front of the odds indicates the favorite and the number listed shows how much money you must wager to win $100. A positive sign (+) in front of the odds indicates the underdog and the number show how much money you will win for a $100 wager.

The more uneven the contest, the bigger the +/- numbers you’ll see.

NBA Moneyline Example:

Let’s say the Lakers have moneyline odds of -250 against the New York Knicks who are +200.

In this NBA betting example, a $100 wager on the Lakers would pay a profit of $40 if they won, while a $100 wager on the Knicks would return a profit of $200 if they won. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward.

For more on how to read odds, you can always check our guide to sports betting.

NBA Point Totals

Wager on the total number of points scored in a game (by both teams)

The total, or over-under betting, in an NBA game is a wager on the final combined score of both teams. Like a point spread, this amount is determined by the bookmaker based on matchup, past performance, team averages, etc.

As a bettor, you must choose whether you think the score will be more (“over”) than the set total, or less (the “under”).

NBA Point Total Example:

The Lakers play the Knicks, and the total is set at 199.5. This type of NBA betting wager would typically be listed as such:

Lakers v Knicks (Totals)

Over 199.5 (-110)
Under 199.5 (-110)

The Lakers win with a final score of 110-100. This is a total combined score of 210, which means the over would pay out.

LIVE NBA Betting

Wager on a game that’s already in progress

Live NBA bets are where you can bet on basketball games once they have begun.

Generally, multiple live bet types are available for NBA online betting, with sportsbooks offering spreads, totals, & moneyline wagers with odds that update during the game.

NBA Live Betting Example:

Leading up to the game, oddsmakers had the Warriors as heavy favorites and offered a low payout. It’s halfway through the second quarter, and the Lakers are leading the Warriors 20-10.

Now that the Lakers are up by ten points, Golden State has become the heavy underdogs. By NBA betting live, bettors can wager on the Warriors to rally and win with better odds than before.

NBA Parlays

Combine 2 or more wagers to increase the potential payout

A parlay bet is a single wager placed on the outcome of multiple events. In a parlay, all connected bets must win in order for your wager to pay out. This is a great way to increase the odds – and a bettor’s potential payout – but beware that the risk is much higher when combining bets.

Depending on the sportsbook, online NBA parlays can typically include multiple bet types, whether that’s moneyline, point spreads, over/unders, or more.

NBA Parlay Example:

The Lakers are playing the Knicks and the Warriors are playing the Bulls. You place a parlay bet on the Lakers moneyline and the Warriors moneyline.

In this instance, your wager would pay out only if both the Lakers and the Warriors win their games. If they do, your payout would be your wager size, multiplied by the Lakers odds, multiplied by the Warriors odds.

If any event that your parlay loses, your entire ticket loses.

NBA Futures

Bet on the future outcome of an NBA event

Thanks to futures, NBA gurus can put their money where their mouths are with respect to their long-term predictions. NBA futures bets allow bettors to wager on topics like who will win the Finals, who the MVP will be, and who will lead the league in scoring.

These types of wagers are generally open in the pre-season and throughout the year. As you’d expect, the payout odds correspond with the likelihood of an event occurring.

NBA Futures Example:

Here’s an NBA betting futures bet example, chances are that role players like the Cavs Kevin Love will not win an MVP Award. So, his payout odds to win NBA MVP futures bet would be quite high. On the flip side, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo will be in the mix every year and have a solid chance of winning. Therefore, their odds – and payout – would be much lower as favorites.

NBA Prop Bets

Wager on something other than the game score

Typically, a prop bet involves betting on the performance of an individual team or player in a game or season.

Props are particularly popular during the Finals, when bettors can wager on things like the length of the pre-game national anthem, or the series MVP

NBA Player Prop Bets

The standard for NBA online betting prop wagers link to the performance of individual players in a given game: How many total points will LeBron have? Which player will have more rebounds? How many threes will Steph Curry hit?

NBA Team Prop Bets

These focus on team performance: how many total games will the Raptors win? Which team will score first? Which team will be the first to score 20 points?

NBA Draft Prop Bets

These props involve which NCAA and NBA G-league players will be selected to which team, the order of draft picks and even what players will wear, drink or say during the televised draft.

What to Look for in an NBA Betting Site

Recommended NBA Betting Tips

Shop Around to find the Best Odds

Try to find the best NBA online betting odds when possible. Some sportsbooks offer lines that deviate from the masses to differentiate themselves from the competition—Use this to your advantage when NBA online betting. Check out sportsbook reviews to learn more, too.

Don’t Shy Away from Favorites

Don’t be afraid to bet on the favorite. Unlike other professional sports, teams that are heavy favorites in the NBA almost always come through. You won’t always like the basketball betting odds you’re offered, but if you like a matchup real money sports betting might be for you.

Bet Against Tired Teams

Three games in four nights matters—When it comes to betting NBA online, be sure to note the team’s schedule that week. The NBA schedule is grueling and teams playing three games in four nights are often at a major disadvantage no matter where they’re playing.

States with Legal NBA Betting Sportsbooks

One of the easiest ways to learn how to bet on the NBA is to practice. The table below covers every state where you can find retail online basketball betting. We also list the best NBA online sportsbooks for residents of every state!

State	Legal Land-Based NBA Betting (Y/N)	Best Online Sports Betting Sites
Alabama	No	Bovada
Alaska	No	Betonline
Arizona	Yes	Bovada
Arkansas	Yes	Bovada
California	No	Bovada
Colorado	Yes	Bovada
Connecticut	Yes	Bovada
Delaware	Yes	Everygame
Florida	No	Bovada
Georgia	No	Bovada
Hawaii	No	Bovada
Idaho	No	BetOnline
Illinois	Yes	Bovada
Indiana	Yes	Bovada
Iowa	Yes	Bovada
Kansas	No	SportsBetting
Kentucky	No	Bovada
Louisiana	Yes	Bovada
Maine	No	BetOnline
Maryland	Coming soon	BetNow
Massachusetts	No	Bovada
Michigan	Yes	Bovada
Minnesota	No	Bovada
Mississippi	Yes	Bovada
Missouri	No	Bovada
Montana	Yes	SportsBetting
Nebraska	Coming Soon	Bovada
Nevada	Yes	Everygame
New Hampshire	Yes	Bovada
New Jersey	Yes	BetOnline
New Mexico	Yes	Bovada
North Carolina	Yes	Bovada
North Dakota	Yes	Bovada
Ohio	No	Bovada
Oklahoma	No	Everygame
Oregon	Yes	Bovada
Pennsylvania	Yes	Bovada
Rhode Island	Yes	BetNow
South Carolina	No	Bovada
South Dakota	Yes	BetOnline
Tennessee	No	Bovada
Texas	No	Bovada
Utah	No	Bovada
Vermont	No	SportsBetting
Virginia	Coming soon	Bovada
Washington	Yes	Bovada
Washington, D.C.	Yes	Bovada
West Virginia	Yes	BetOnline
Wisconsin	Coming Soon	Bovada
Wyoming	No	BetOnline

NBA Expert Betting Tips

Here are some helpful basketball betting tips from Gamble Online’s team of NBA experts.

Check the injury report

Injuries are part of the game and can wreak havoc on NBA gambling odds. Be sure to keep tabs on which players are nursing injuries heading into gamedays as you might not learn if they’re playing or not until closer to opening tip. Plus, in this era of “load management,” star/key players tend to rest more often. You don’t want to place a big bet on the Lakers only to learn LeBron James isn’t playing that night.

Note: if you catch breaking news that a star player is out, you might be able to find better odds on the favorite or underdog before bookmakers have time to address the change.

Pay attention to back-to-back games

It might not be football, but the physical toll of playing back-to-back games is not something NFL players need to worry about, while some NBA players do. Keep an eye on how much a team has been traveling, the distance they had to travel between cities and when those back-to-back games hit the schedule, consider leaning towards the rested squad.

Defense matters

Advanced metrics in sports can also be applied to betting on NBA games. Defensive metrics are critical to handicapping your basketball bets. Efficient defensive teams could be looked at when considering a point total UNDER or when a highly-ranked offense faces one of the league’s worst defenses, a point spread cover could be in order that evening.

Go odds shopping

Don’t fall in love with one online sportsbook. When it comes to betting on the NBA, odds are not one size fits all and you can shop around for better numbers.

For example, if you love the Lakers to beat the Clippers one night and the first sportsbook has the Lakers moneyline at -110, but the second has it at -107, you want to take advantage of that discount at the second book. The “juice” is lower and can make you a few extra bucks when the Lakers beat their Los Angeles rivals.

How to Bet on NBA FAQ

After independent and thorough sportsbook reviews of dozens of sports gambling sites, Bovada and Everygame were the two NBA betting sites to earn five stars.

NBA point spread bets are the most common. Here's an example of an NBA point spread: Los Angeles Lakers (-7.5) Cleveland Cavs (+7.5) In this instance, if you bet $100 on the Lakers (-7.5), Los Angeles must win by 8-or-more points to cover the spread. If you bet on the Cavs (+7.5), Cleveland must either lose by fewer than 8 points OR win the game outright.

Before you place a bet on the NBA playoffs, be sure to shop around for the best odds. Our best online sportsbook in the USA look to earn your business by discounting some individual game or NBA playoff series prices. Plus, one may offer enticing sports betting and online casino bonuses tied to the NBA playoffs.

There are a wide variety of ways to bet on the NBA. First, find an online sportsbook that accepts NBA bets and set up an account. The three most popular NBA bets are point spread, moneyline, and point totals. Sports gambling sites typically offer these bets for a full game, half and even 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters.

Yes, betting on the NBA is legal. Nobody has ever been arrested for gambling on the NBA. No sports bettor should have any worries about placing online NBA bets with a reputable sportsbook. In fact, the NBA is a major fixture of those states which have legalized online gambling. The list of states includes Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, among others. However, not all casinos and sportsbooks can offer NBA online betting or even brick-and-mortar NBA wagering. The Golden Nugget Casino in New Jersey cannot accept wagers on NBA basketball because its owner, Tillman Fertitta, also owns the Houston Rockets.

The first time you visit an online NBA sportsbook, the most popular odds will most likely be displayed in a table like this:

Team	Spread	Moneyline	Point Total
Celtics	+4.5	+165	Under 227
Nets	-4.5	-190	Over 227

They straight moneyline bet is the easiest one to make as the bettor simply needs to pick the winning team. In the example above, a $100 bet on the Celtics would pay $165 should Boston beat the Nets. The more points a team is favored by, the higher the juice/vig on the moneyline, which explains a $190 bet on the Nets only pays $100. The point spread bet means the Nets need to win by 5-or-more points OR, for those placing bets on Boston, the Celtics needs to lose by four-or-fewer points or win the game outright. The other most popular way to bet on NBA basketball is point total. Gamblers bet on whether they believe the teams will combine to score more or fewer points than the bookmakers total. This one is popular due to the Over/Under simplicity of the bet.

Here's an example of a NBA bet push: let’s say you take Golden State (-7) and the Warriors go on to win the game by exactly seven points. You don’t win the bet nor do you lose the bet. The original wager is simply returned to you. While it might seem unsatisfying for your bet to end in a tie, it is better than losing real money.

Yes! Typically in the weeks leading up to the annual NBA Draft, our best online sportsbooks cook up odds specials and player-specific prop bets tied to the event. An example of an NBA Draft bet would be, "Who will the Rockets select with the No. 1 Draft Pick" or "How many guards will be drafted in the first round?"

Arthur Crowson

Arthur Crowson writes for GambleOnline.co about the gambling industry. His experience ranges from crypto and technology to sports, casinos, and poker. He went to Douglas College and started his journalism career at the Merritt Herald as a general beat reporter covering news, sports and community. Arthur lives in Hawaii and is passionate about writing, editing, and photography.

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