As exciting as the sport of basketball is, it’s hardly a surprise that the most popular basketball league in the world has made its way to the shores of New Zealand and become wildly popular, with many Kiwis engaging in NBA betting markets and waiting in anticipation f0r the NBA season to start or the next NBA game to roll around.
The NBA championship is a dream for bookmakers around the world, due to the frequency of the games and the intensely analytical nature of the game due to the wealth of data and stats that can come from basketball betting.
Therefore, NBA betting options in New Zealand stretch far and wide, with a wealth of online and in-person bookies offering NBA odds and the ability to place an NBA bet on a wide variety of games and factors.
Sports betting has become quite accessible and easy for Kiwis, and the NBA is naturally no different.
Let’s take a look at some of the valuable information you’ll need to sharpen your NBA betting chops, whether the Los Angeles Lakers or the Boston Celtics are playing.
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One of the most important things to know about the NBA betting markets is that finding the right bookie for basketball betting will improve your experience a lot.
While there are a lot of options out there, there are many betting sites that will have relatively poor odds or betting options compared to others (weaker moneyline odds, to name one)
Fortunately, CasinoCrawlers has done most of the hard yards for you and we’ve constructed a comprehensive list of the best betting sites for NBA betting that you’ll find.
Before we include a sportsbook or betting site on our list, we analyse the quality of the sites through a comprehensive system that checks important factors such as customer service, competitive odds, winnings payout, better safety, and availability of matches. If you are on the lookout for something else than betting, you can check out our online casino list to find a casino that fits your taste.
The NBA (or National Basketball Association) is the top national basketball league in North America and the most popular basketball league in the world. It has cemented its status as of the top professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, the league has 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada).
The Basketball Association of America, the league’s original name, was established in New York City on June 6, 1946. After combining with the rival National Basketball League, it changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949. (NBL).
The American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA joined in 1976, expanding the NBA by four franchises.
NBA is thought of to be the competition with the highest level of basketball that exists in the world. Due to the allure of playing in the NBA and achieving NBA playoffs glory, the best players from around the globe have flocked to the league to try their hand at winning the NBA finals.
Some of the best international basketball players in history have joined the NBA, including Yao Ming from China and Pau Gasol from Spain, and as a result of stars like this joining the ranks of the NBA, its popularity has expanded internationally. Of course, legends such as Michael Jordan have also massively contributed to making the NBA what it is today.
The NBA of today is enjoyed internationally and is one of the most popular sports in the world, meaning that you’ll find live betting, betting sites and NBA predictions everywhere you go.
The NBA has 30 clubs split between 2 conferences, each of which has 4 divisions. In the regular season, each team plays 82 games in a regular NBA season. No matter how poor the record is, the top seed in each division is automatically granted a playoff spot. There would be a total of 8 playoff slots as a result.
The four teams in each conference with the next-best records that did not win their division choose the other eight. Thus, each year 16 of the 30 teams reach the playoffs. 8 players each from the Western and Eastern Conferences.
Each playoff is referred to as a best-of-seven-game series. In other words, the first team to beat its opponent 4 times progresses. It is only necessary to play Games 5, 6, and 7 if the result hasn’t yet been decided.
You can probably already see why basketball betting is such a huge industry. However, let’s wrap up the playoffs explanation because it’s important.
So, to advance in the playoffs, a team must win this best-of-seven-game series against three opponents from their own conference in order to advance to the Finals. They will then face the team from the opposing conference that has also achieved this feat.
A West squad and an East team face off in a regular 7-game series in the Finals. Let’s say the Milwaukee Bucks and the Golden State Warriors.
In any case, the 7-game series goes as follows (from the standpoint of the higher-seeded club with home-court advantage): two home games, two road games, one home game, one away game, and finally one home game.
Thus, one team out of the two will be the home team on one more occasion than the other, which can increase the odds in some instances.
Live NBA betting has become one of the most popular types. with betting sites and bookies offering you multiple bets and betting lines.
Additionally, because there are so many games in an NBA season, your potential to punt on your favourite NBA teams, whether that’s the Oklahoma city thunder or the LA Lakers, is enormous.
Due to the enormous number of games played every day, NBA betting has also been more and more popular in recent years. NBA betting enthusiasts have a plethora of choices at their disposal, including opportunities such as placing a moneyline bet.
NBA wagers can be made on match outcomes as well as a number of individual player performance markets, with up to ten games scheduled for one day.
A wager on an NBA futures game is one where the results will be decided far later in the season—beyond simply the current day or week.
Popular NBA futures focus on outcomes like picking a club to advance further in the season, winning their division, conference, or the NBA Finals.
Futures often have extremely appealing NBA odds, due to the unpredictable nature of the NBA and how audience insights can vary wildly between different punters.
When you’re getting into NBA betting, you’re going to want to research everything the bookies are providing from free bets to team stats and any other additional bonuses.
Although home-court advantage exists, it is overrated.
The home-court advantage is normally worth three points, according to the oddsmakers. Public bettors prefer to wager on home teams, which causes bookmakers to further favour home teams, forcing casual bettors to accept exorbitant odds.
This adds value to the purchase of cheap road teams. This advantage might be even stronger this year because many teams will play in front of few or no spectators, thus decreasing the advantage of playing at home.
Going against the flow or “betting against the public” is a great choice because the NBA market is comprised of a huge portion of cash from recreational punters who want to try their luck on a bit of a NBA betting.
The general populace is usually the loser against the house. There are many people in the betting markets who wager based on emotions and reactionary motions rather than statistics and research.
Naturally, the house prevails.
Therefore, breaking the herd mentality and acting against the grain can be a successful long-term tactic. The nationally televised prime-time games on TNT and ESPN are the best opportunities to wager against the public.
The public wagers on anything that is on television. Consider this: If you enter a pub and everyone is cheering for Team A, you probably want to be in possession of a ticket for Team B.
The sports betting industry is dynamic and always evolving. Timing is everything, just as in real life. Choosing the best number is just as important as choosing the right side.
Before placing a wager, a potential punter should always look around for the best moneyline.
Make certain you can access several sportsbooks. Look for the book with great odds. Find the book that is providing Heat + 6.5 while others are displaying + 6 if you want to bet on the Heat.
Over the course of a long season, extra half-points mean everything.
The NBA season is lengthy, including multiple games every day. Bettors should make every effort to maintain their focus and restrict their wagers to the most lucrative games of the day. Betting on numerous games increases risk and might result in significant ups and downs.
Flat betting, which involves risking the same sum on each game and only 1% to 5% of your bankroll per play, is a fantastic long-term strategy. A nice middle is 3%.
Using a $100 bankroll as a starting point entails wagering $3 on each game. Although it may not sound appealing, it will support you in the long run and see you through the ups and downs that come with NBA betting.
The general population enjoys placing bets on favourites. This seems reasonable at first glance. If you’re going to wager on a team, you might as well support the squad that is considered to be “better” and is likely to win.
However, this bias also produces shaded lines in favour of favourites, giving underdogs more value.
Road dogs are frequently valuable because people prefer their local favourites. Focusing on road dogs with a rest advantage is another crucial factor. The 82-game NBA schedule is jam-packed with travel and back-to-back games.
When placing a wager, bettors should always take these considerations into account, especially if one team is fatigued and the other is refreshed.
NBA odds can seem overwhelming to read at first (all those numbers and percentages), but there is a formula and a structure that makes sense, which means they don’t take long to get used to at all.
If you’re new to deciphering sports betting odds, here’s an in-depth guide on how to do so effectively.
Here are some of the commonly found metrics you’ll see when consulting a bookie for placing NBA bets today.
You can participate in the action without supporting a certain team by placing NBA totals bets. Totals betting, also known as over/under betting, requires you to guess whether the final score will be higher or lower than the total determined by the oddsmakers.
By choosing “total” under preferences, you may compare NBA over/unders. The sum will appear as a huge number with the letters (o) and (u). Speculate on whether the final score will be over or under this sum.
You’ll see odds for choosing the over or under, just like the point spread. With a few exceptions, you can anticipate seeing these odds when betting on basketball totals in the vicinity of -105 to -115.
When placing a wager on NBA spread odds, you can support either team, even when they aren’t evenly matched.
When placing a wager on the spread, the favorite gives points, whereas the final score of the underdog gets points added to it. The number of points given or taken is known as the spread; you’ll see this figure next to a (+) for the underdog (because they are receiving additional points) and a (-) for the favorite (since points are being deducted).
The favorite needs to win by the point spread’s margin in order to cover the spread.
Anytime they win the game handily or lose by a narrower margin than the spread specifies, the underdogs cover.
You’ll see odds similar to those on the moneyline sitting by the point spread. For the majority of NBA point spreads, this will often be in the neighborhood of -105 to -115, denoting the sum you must wager in order to win $100.
Yes! It's definitely possible to win real money with NBA betting, as you'll find plenty of opportunities with sports betting sites with fantastic odds and an NBA game virtually every day.
It is perfectly safe to bet on the NBA, as long as you're going through a reputed and trusted sportsbook and betting sites, such as the ones listed on CasinoCrawlers.
NBA betting in New Zealand is completely legal for Kiwis to engage in, provided the bookie in question is verified, licensed and legitimate.
The best strategy for NBA betting is the same as all other sports. Stay informed, follow the game, make logical decisions and don't bet with emotion.
Noah Adams has been working as a Senior Editor at Casinocrawlers.com since 2022. Here, he has gained first-hand experience with the iGaming industry and how he can help readers find top NZ casinos. Previously, Noah held positio... Read more about the author
