NBA Betting Sites

Basketball is a growing sport in Australia and as a result, the NBA is one of our favourite American sports to follow. This popularity has also translated in a betting sense as there are plenty of great choices when it comes to NBA betting sites. In this betting guide, we’ll discuss the best NBA betting sites as also all the important NBA betting strategies you need to be successful in your journey.

Keep reading to find out more about NBA Betting Australia.

We’ve compiled a list of the best online NBA betting websites through extended research and testing. Let’s discuss our recommended sites and what they offer.

• 10+, 15+, 20+ Points: This is a pretty common betting market and can adjust accordingly if there are any late outs before a game. Generally, I’ve found that Palmerbet has been the top choice for the best odds in this betting market.
• Leading / Top Points Scorer: In this betting market, we suggest looking at the smaller betting sites for the best odds. Usually, the popular sites like Ladbrokes and Bet365 won’t have the best odds since they don’t have to be as competitive. So we’d suggest looking at the likes of TopSport, Palmebet and PlayUp.
• Handicaps: Getting the best odds for handicap betting is a solid strategy as you’ll be up in the long run. For example, if you bet handicap odds of $1.90 instead of $1.83, you’ll have an extra $7 in your account. There’s usually a lot of fluctuation in the handicap odds among betting sites so it does make sense to shop around. In general, we have found TopSport to be one of the best options. Picklebet, Playup and Bet365 are also solid options for betting on the spread.

Basketball is a unique sport and this translates well into a betting sense. There are a lot of different scenarios when it comes to outcomes and as a result, there are plenty of interesting betting markets to look out for. Let’s discuss some of the most popular markets that we like to bet on.

How many 3 pointers a player will make in a game: This is a fun betting market to take advantage of. Most sites will offer big odds for the best shooters in the game to hit from long range, such as Steph Curry. There are also usually some good odds for power forwards / centres hitting 1 three in a game since they’re not usually known for shooting beyond the arc.

Points / Rebounds / Assists (PRA): Also known as PRA for short, betting on a player to get a certain amount of points, rebounds and assists is a solid bet choice. With this market, you want to target high usage players such as Giannis, Nikola Jokic and LeBron James. It’s also a good market for point guards since they touch the ball the most in a Basketball offence.

Special Markets: Some betting sites offer the opportunity for their customers to request special markets. At the moment, Ladbrokes is one of the only sites in Australia with this ability.

Double Double / Triple Double: Similar to the PRA market, you can also bet on a player to get a double double or triple double. This usually gives great odds, especially for triple doubles – since they’re relatively rare. Again, you want to target players that consistently touch the ball. Generally, the best players in the NBA are targets in this market as they have high usage / production.

Will There Be Overtime? Overtime in the NBA is a bit like golden point in NRL – it does happen occasionally. Due to low probability, the odds are going to be high. But it’s worth a small bet here and there. It’s generally recommended in the playoffs since the chances of a close finish are more probable compared to a regular season game.

Each NBA season usually starts with the regular season in late October and concludes in early June with the NBA finals. During the regular season, each team will play 82 games, mainly against divisional rivals and some matchups against the opposite conference.

The NBA currently has a total of 30 teams that are split into two conferences – East and West. Popular teams in the East include the Celtics, 76ers, Heat and Knicks. While in the West, you have the Lakers, Warriors, Nuggets and Suns. Each conference has 3 divisions that have 5 teams. In the East, there is the Atlantic, Central and Southeast divisions. Meanwhile, the West has the Pacific, Northwest and Southwest divisions.

There are standings for each conference and this ranks each team by win percentage. After the regular season is complete, the top 6 teams in each conference will qualify for the playoffs.

Recently, the NBA has introduced a play-in tournament for the number 7 – 10 seeds. These 4 teams compete against each other to qualify for the #7 and #8 seeds in each conference.

Once the seeds are set, the playoffs begin with a 7 game series in each matchup. This continues until the top two teams are remaining from each conference. In the NBA finals, the best team from the East plays against the top team in the West to win the NBA Championship.

There is a draft in the NBA and this occurs before every season. Generally, the draft takes place a few weeks after the NBA finals. A lottery system is used to determine which team picks first. Players are generally drafted from College Basketball or International leagues.

Betting in NBA is definitely a fun experience as there are plenty of betting strategies that come into play. The below list will look at some of the strategies that we use ourselves.

Get in early: There’s a lot that can happen before an NBA game so getting your bets on early can be advantageous. This is especially true if a team has some injury concerns and hasn’t confirmed its lineup, that’s just one example.

Search around for different lines / spreads: Finding the best line / spread odds for a game is a good strategy since you’re going to win more money if the bet comes through. A lot of betting sites offer different handicap odds. So try to look through our recommended NBA betting sites before placing your bets.

Late outs: With just 5 starters per team, a late out can cause chaos to the betting markets. But this also presents opportunities. Maybe a star player is out and his backup is in line for more minutes. If the odds don’t adjust in time, you can get great odds for these types of scenarios.

Teams that rest starters: At the moment, NBA teams do tend to rest their players as the 82 game regular season schedule can be demanding. Older players like LeBron James are more likely to be rested than younger players. So when this happens, it’s a good idea to put your bets on the opposition.

Back to Backs: In the NBA, teams can play on consecutive days and this can include travel as well. When a team is on a back to back, it’s more likely that they’re not going to play as well due to fatigue and their starters probably won’t play their full minutes. So it’s recommended to target these types of matchups.

Be careful of Multi Bets: Over the long run, multi bets are tough to keep up and it’s advisable to keep them to a minimum. There’s a reason why the odds are high as the probability is a lot lower.

Home court advantage: Playing at home is a huge advantage in the NBA. Since teams are motivated by their home crowd, playing in this sort of environment is tough for the opposition. This strategy is also very good in the NBA playoffs as the crowd noise goes up a notch.

Bet live: The beauty of Basketball is that teams can come back from large margins if they start getting hot shooting wise. So it’s a good idea to bet live. Say a team is down by 20 points at half-time, you’ll get greater odds than what was available pre-game and this is where live betting comes to the fore.

Totals: If you’re new to NBA betting, backing the over / under can be more predictable than head to head. Backing the over when there are two fast paced teams going against each other is a good idea. Meanwhile, teams that struggle to score points generally don’t improve over a short span so the Under is advisable in this case.

There are numerous ways to watch the NBA in Australia but it does come at a cost. The NBA hasn’t been broadcasted on Australian free to air television for a few years. As a result, your best choice is to sign up with live streaming sites, such as Foxtel, NBA League Pass or Kayo Sports.

Foxtel and Kayo offer ESPN channels and you can watch every game of the NBA playoffs. During the regular season, ESPN only broadcasts feature games each week. So if you want to watch your favourite NBA team, it’s recommended to use NBA League Pass. As you can watch every single game of the season, watch replays and more.

It’s also possible to watch NBA games via betting sites such as Bet365 and Unibet. It’s a much cheaper option compared to NBA League pass as these websites will offer live streaming of every game. However, the streams aren’t in HD quality, you can’t watch in full-screen mode and you do need an active & funded betting account.