Tips For Your NBA Live Betting Strategy

With the 2021-2022 NBA season well on its way, there is no better time to get involved in the action than right now. Whether it is on your PC or mobile device, you can place your wagers today on your favorite NBA team.

There are a number of ways to bet on the NBA, and with various sportsbooks offering Live Betting options for the NBA due to high demand, we are here to tell you the best live betting strategies to ensure you hit those winning bets.

What is a Live Bet?

Live bet with your friends from the couch, your mobile phone — wherever you are.

Live betting, which is also known as in-game betting, involves placing bets while the game is being played as opposed to pre-game betting which takes place before the game has started. During the game, you will be able to assess how the teams are performing and place your bets accordingly.

Online sportsbooks offer odds while the game is being played, which affords players who missed the pre-game odds to place their bets. This is done through the use of complex algorithms that calculate probabilities based on a number of factors. Always make sure that the sportsbook is safe and that it has the required operating license before creating an account.

Pre-game bets include moneyline, spreads, and totals bets. There are of course other wagers that

can be made, depending on which sportsbook you are betting at, but for simplicity’s sake we will focus on these three only. Just as in Pre-game bets, live bets will also include these three betting options.

• Moneyline bets – What is a moneyline bet? This is the most basic of wagers that can be placed. The only thing that is required is for you to select the winner of the game, and if  you choose correctly,  the moneyline bet is paid out according to the odds of that particular game.
• Spreads – The spread bet is an alternative to the moneyline bet which involves sportsbooks setting the number of points that they think a particular side will win by. For example, a -4.5 point spread is the margin of points that you will bet on a particular side winning by. Therefore in order to cover the spread, your team would have to win by 5 or more points. Spread betting on the underdog in this scenario, reflected as +4.5, would require your team to lose by 4 points or less in order to cover the spread.
• Totals – Also referred to as the over/under bet, is a wager that is separate from the overall outcome of a particular game. These will usually refer to the total number of points scored by both teams at the end of the game. An over bet will be a wager that the teams will score more than the predicted points with an under bet being a wager that the teams will score less than the predicted points.

Now that you understand the Moneyline, Spreads, and Totals wagers how will these change while making live bets? Well, as mentioned above, the odds offered by the sportsbook changes according to what happens during the game. For example, during a Bulls/Lakers game the bulls were favored to win by 1 point (theoretically speaking).

Let’s say that, despite the Lakers having one of the greatest closers in NBA history,  the Bulls pull ahead to a 4-point lead in the 3rd quarter. In this situation, you will likely find the point spread change to -4.5 in favor of the Bulls. The same rule applies to moneyline and Over/Under wagers, where you will see the odds change as the game is played.

Is Basketball Easy to Predict?

Basketball is among the easiest to predict sports (along with football), due to shorter halftimes — an especially helpful edge for live betting.

Basketball also has a small margin of victory, the with the win margin being just 4.5 points.

What are the Best NBA Prediction Websites?

Which sites should you use to help you live bet?

Using sport prediction sites is a great way to formulate a winning strategy for your bets on game day. Luckily for NBA fans, there are tons of prediction sites that offer useful tips on who will come out on top on a particular game day, as well as the reasoning behind their opinion. Of course, you should always use these predictions as a guide together with your own research before placing huge real money bets.

On top of NBA prediction websites, it is also in your best interest to read the latest NBA and basketball news. This will help not only your NBA knowledge but will also improve your College Basketball betting strategy.

Of course, we recommend reading our blog for betting picks and basketball betting tips, but you should also:

• Pay attention to NBA analysts like Charles Barkley or Doris Burke,
• Listen to podcasts like the Woj Pod for news,
• Sign up for newsletters from sports sites like ESPN.

By keeping up to date with the latest news, you will ensure that you know when players are injured as well as other important factors that would impact your betting strategy. Keeping up to date with basketball news will keep you informed with other hot topics in the sport such as the massive pay gap between NBA and WNBA players which has received much attention lately.

Strategies for Betting on Live Basketball Games

The key difference between basketball and other ball sports, such as soccer, is that basketball is a high point scoring game. The fact that multiple points are scored every minute by both teams may lead to impulsive wagers being made on live betting odds if you do not have a proper strategy in place.

NBA Live betting odds is an adrenaline-fueled, fun way of making some cash if you know what you are doing. Below, we have compiled a few tips and strategies that will assist in making sure you reap the full rewards of NBA live betting odds.

1.   Formulate a plan of action going in, and stick to it!

Live bet with your friends from the couch, your mobile phone — wherever you are.

Even if you only plan on taking advantage of the live betting odds during the game, it is always recommended to have a plan going in. Your pre game betting strategy and your live odds betting strategy are two distinct strategies that can, and should, be used together to ensure you turn a profit on game day.

This will involve taking a look at the pregame odds and setting your own projections for the game, and once the conditions are right you jump in and take advantage of the odds. For example, you predict that the game will go over the total number of points scored but do not wish to place an Over 230 bet before the game as you feel this outcome is unlikely . The game begins and it’s off to a slow start, the bookmakers now drop the over Bet to 225. This is your chance to jump in and take advantage of the live betting odds.

2.   Patience

Basketball is a game that can see teams overcoming 20 or even 30 point leads in a relatively short period of time. This is just the nature of the sport.

Particularly in situations where a favorite to win has gotten off to a bad start in a game and they are down 20 pints. It would be worth it in this situation to hold your ground for a bit. Wait for key triggering  moments in the game before placing your live bet, such as the coach of the losing team calling for a timeout.

3.   Use shooting percentages to inform live bets

Shooting percentages refers to the likelihood of points being scored from various positions of the court. 3 pointers are likely to hit between 30-40%, with field goal points having a 40-50% hit rate. By using these figures and comparing them to the live odds during the game you will be able to accurately predict the outcome of the game.

If a particular team is down only a few points, despite shooting below average from the field, this points to a situation where they are smashing the opposition defensively. Statistically speaking there is a reasonably high chance that the shooting percentage will increase as the game progresses, and when they do they will certainly take the lead. This is one situation where shooting percentages can be used to inform live bets where odds are inflated by bookmakers.

4.   Take a middle stance

New York Knicks’ Willy Hernangomez dunks against the Sacramento Kings during the second half of a NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden in New York, 2017.
(AP Photo/Andres Kudacki, File)

It’s always best to keep emotions out of sports betting, especially if you want to maximize your winnings while simultaneously minimizing your risk. This may even require you to bet against your own team!

One way that you can do this is by betting a middle by utilizing the live bet option. Betting a middle, or middling for short is a betting strategy that capitalizes on the change in the point spread, odds, and totals.

Let’s look at an example. You are feeling lucky and you take a risk betting on the Lakers +5.5 point pre-game spread. The halftime whistle blows and the Lakers are up 8 points, which is great for your pre-game bet. The bookmakers now have the Mavericks as +3.5 underdogs. If you place a live bet on the Mavericks you are certain to win at least one of your bets. There is a good chance that you will win both, as long as the Lakers do not lose by more than 5 points and the Mavericks do not lose by more than 3 points.

You are now set to take on NBA live betting with confidence. As with anything in life, practice makes perfect. You will find that the first few live bets placed will have you sweating but with time the anxiety usually goes away. All that you need to do is stick to your strategy and keep a level head and you will soon be a live bet pro.