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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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.
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 |
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.