Top betting tips for the NBA playoffs

Before we know it, the NBA playoffs will be with us again. The top 16 teams from the game’s two conferences will be battling it out to make it through the four main rounds to eventually be crowned champions.

It will come at the end of a season that has seen plenty of excitement as well as an epic All-Star game that saw Jayson Tatum setting an all-time record for points scored by a player in this show-piece occasion.

Now fans are eagerly anticipating the end of season playoffs, as well as hoping that placing a few bets on the side will make it an even more involving series of events. So if this includes you, here are a few tips to help.

Choosing a sportsbook

The first step is obviously going to be choosing which sportsbook you’re going to use. It’s best to go for one of the big names first. Not only are you likely to find some of the most competitive NBA playoff odds, you’ll also know that you’re dealing with a name you can trust.

Placing your bets will be made easy and so will be claiming the winnings that you’ll hopefully be making.

And remember to look for one that offers a generous welcome bonus to new players – it could even amount to a four figure sum to set you on your way.

Types of bet

A good sportsbook will also offer you a wide range of bets to make. These include all of the following, and possibly even more.

Future bets

While all bets, by their very nature, are on things that will happen in the future, these are specific kinds of wagers that look beyond what will immediately happen. For example, you can place a future bet on whether it will be a team from the Eastern or the Western Conference that will be the eventual winner. Or it could be that you want to bet on which individual player will score the most points throughout the playoffs. Generally, the earlier that you make these kinds of bets the more favorable the odds will be.

Each round

This is similar to a future bet but looks at each round of the playoffs. Not only can you bet on which team will be the eventual winner, you can also generally place a bet on what the final score will be in the seven-game series – for example the Philadelphia 76ers to beat the Boston Celtics 4-1.

Each game

This is the most common form of betting when it comes to NBA playoff betting, and for immediate excitement it can’t be beaten. There are very many different types of bet that you can place on a single game, but these are the most usual.

Moneyline

The most straightforward way to bet on any game is simply to place a moneyline bet. In this you are taking odds on your chosen team to win the game. It doesn’t matter what the final score is, just that your team has the most points.

Point spread

If you want to get slightly better odds then points spread betting might be the answer. In this you are not just betting on who will win or lose, it also hinges on them winning or losing by a minimum number of points, set by the sportsbook.

Over/under

In this bet you are simply betting that the combined scores of both teams will be either more or less than a total that, again, is set by the sportsbook. This can be an especially good bet to choose when you’re looking at two evenly matched teams making it difficult to predict which one will win.

Careful who you bet on

The most obvious choice for the casual fan without any real team loyalty is to bet on the favorites – this year that would be the Boston Celtics or the Milwaukee Bucks. But the playoffs have seen many upsets in the past.

An important aspect to remember is that the playoffs come at the end of a long, hard season so even the best players on the best teams are likely to be fatigued and possibly carrying injuries too.

So it pays to look at teams that seem to still have plenty of get up and go in them. 

It’s also important not to fall into the so-called “recency” trap. Just because a team has had a good winning streak recently, this can come to an end at any time. This means it’s always best to keep an open mind and act on facts that you do know.

Working with your bankroll

A final point is to be disciplined with your betting. Set out an amount of money you want to bet on the playoffs, divide by the number of bets you want to make – and stick to it.

That way, you’ll only bet what you can afford – and hopefully you’ll end up in profit.