Reading NBA Playoff Betting
Lines
NBA Playoff betting
lines can be used in your favor when you know what to look for.
Key
Points
– To have success in
betting the NBA playoffs, it helps to understand NBA playoff betting lines.
– Betting NBA
playoff Unders in certain situations has been profitable over the past several
seasons.
The NBA playoffs are
exciting to watch and even more exciting when you have a wager on a game.
Betting NBA playoff games is a bit of a different animal than betting the
regular season.
It all starts with a
general understanding of reading NBA playoff betting lines. Any bettor that can
read and understand lines can have success in betting the NBA playoffs.
MUST READ > BETTING TIPS FOR NBA CHAMPIONSHIP FUTURES
Reading
NBA Playoff Betting Lines - The Moneyline
The NBA moneyline bet
is the simplest to understand. Bettors wager on a team to win. A moneyline
wager might look like this:
Boston
Celtics -200
Miami
Heat +170
In this example,
Boston is the favorite at -200. The favorite is always indicated by a minus
sign in front of its odds. Miami, of course, is the underdog at +170.
To win $100 on the
Celtics, one must wager $200. A bettor can wager $100 on Miami and win $170 if
the Heat wins.
The
Point Spread
Oddsmakers establish
a point spread to help even out the odds among two teams. It will help to look
at recent NBA scores. The spread also makes it more
difficult for a bettor to pick a winner. A point spread bet might look like
this:
Boston
Celtics -4 (-110)
Miami
Heat +4 (-110)
Again, the Celtics
are favored. They are favored to win by four points. In order to win a bet on
Boston, the Celtics must win by four or more points.
Likewise, for the
Heat to cover the spread, they must lose by three points or less or win the
game outright.
In both cases,
bettors must wager $110 in order to win $100. That is indicated by the odds
(-110) next to the point spread.
Reading
NBA Playoff Betting Lines - Totals or Over/Under
At most sportsbooks,
you will see an NBA playoff bet that looks like this:
Boston
Celtics -200 -4 (-110) 213.5 (-110)
Miami
Heat +170 +4 (-110) 213.5 (-110)
The moneyline and
point spread bets are displayed along with the game total. This is the final
set of numbers listed (213.5 in this case).
Bettors can wager on
whether the final combined score will go Over or Under the posted total.
Standard odds for a totals bet are also -110 meaning one would have to wager
$110 to win $100.
Once the NBA
Playoffs are over, you should consider shifting your focus to the MLB. There is
a ton of value on the baseball betting board. Take a look at MLB betting options in 2022.
NBA
Playoff Betting Tips
One of the more
consistent NBA playoff bets is to wager on game totals, specifically the Under.
The biggest difference between regular season and playoff games in the NBA is
pace. It is important to learn about totals when examining sportsbook
NBA Playoff betting lines.
The average number
of possessions in a regular season game is typically more than that of a
playoff game. Take last season as an example.
During the regular
season, teams averaged 99.2 possessions per game. In the playoffs last season,
that number dipped to 96.1. Pay close attention to this stat when you’re
watching the game and considering placing some live betting wagers.
Fewer possessions
means fewer scoring opportunities which usually means less points are scored
per game.
In the last seven
NBA seasons, the Under is 269-228-9 in playoff games. That’s 54 percent of
games resulting in the Under.
Where the Under
really hits is in Game 7 of a playoff series. Teams are tense knowing that
elimination faces both teams. Every possession counts. As a result, Game 7s are
notorious for going Under the total. Basketball
scores and odds will always tell that story.
Since 2005, the Under
is 33-21 in Game 7s. That makes it worth exploring the Under in betting the NBA
playoffs.
How did your NCAA
Tournament picks do? Did you read our article on the March Madness betting menu?
