With a packed schedule from opening night all they way through to the playoffs, there’s no shortage NBA games for bettors to wager on. On the flip side, this can also present a challenge for bettors as the sheer number of games each night makes it difficult to keep tabs on all the latest news, statistics and trends that smart bettors utilize to make winning wagers.
The good news is there’s a tonne of people whose job it is to do this work for you, as well as a handful of other resources that you can use to help shape your NBA predictions.
EXPERT HANDICAPPERS
NBA games can be challenging to predict due to the endless list of factors that can shape a team’s performance on any given night. With such and packed schedule featuring heavy amounts of travel across the United States, deciphering whether a team is ready to fire on all cylinders or going to fall flat requires a deep level of research and analysis.
You’ll be relieved to know this research and analysis is being undertaken every day by NBA betting experts, including our very own expert predictors here at Bet Basics, so you don’t have to do it.
These expert handicappers collect staggering amounts of data which they feed into analytical models which in turn inform their predictions. Things such as individual player matchups, head-to-head records, team travel schedules, the impact of home court advantage and injuries to key players are considered.
The great news our team at Bet Basics are one of many websites, sportsbooks and blogs which offer these predictions totally free of charge! Our recommendation is to never pay for NBA predictions. No matter what a website might tell you, not even the best NBA predictors are perfect and you’re better off saving the money and using it to boost your bankroll!
The key is finding free predictions that have an in depth explanation of their pick as well as logical reasoning for why they think this will be the case. Some handicappers will also assign a confidence rating to each of their picks, while highlighting their track record over a long period of time. This is a good clue as to how trustworthy their NBA analysis is.
It’s important to not that expert NBA handicappers pride themselves on being able to gain an edge over bookmakers over an extended period of time rather than strike it rich with one lucrative payout. They understand that if they can consistently be right more often than not, their bankroll will continue to head in the right direction due to the volume of NBA games.
CONSENSUS BETTING
NBA consensus predictions are based on the opinions of the betting public. In essence, whichever outcome is receiving the majority of the public money is used as an indicator for your bet. This is indicated by showing the percentage of total bets that have been placed for each outcome. Let’s take a look at an example of how this might look:
In the example above, the Spurs with a +5 point start are slight favourites in the eyes of the betting public, with 54% of wagers having been placed on them. In the totals market, the consensus is the over is a more likely scenario, with 53% of bets placed on this outcome compared to 47% on the under.
While the consensus can be a useful tool for helping decide your own prediction, it’s important to remember the majority of day-to-day bettors are not experts.
COMPUTER PREDICTIONS
As the digital world and artificial intelligence continues to expand into just about every aspect of our life, NBA betting is no different. Computer predictions rely on algorithms that analyse a wide range of statistics such as head-to-head records, offensive numbers, defensive numbers and much more, before identifying what it believes will be the likely outcome.
However, computer predictions cannot account for factors such as human errors and emotions, or even injuries, which as we know can significantly impact an NBA game’s outcome.
When deciding your own NBA predictions, we believe the best method is to utilise a mix of expert handicappers’ advice, the public consensus, computer picks and your own research and intuition. Whenever these different prediction methods align, the rule of averages would suggest that’s a bet worth making.
After that, it’s just a matter of undertaking an odds comparison to ensure you’re getting the absolute best value for your bet. We recommend having accounts with multiple sportsbooks to make this process easier. Some of the top sportsbooks for NBA betting include the likes of BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, 888sport and Bet365. Check out our full list of Bet Basics list of 100% licensed and regulated legal sportsbooks to get started today!