How to bet on basketball – The basics – Part One
We will now look into some of the factors you have to consider when pondering to bet on basketball, it has its own intricacies that may not be obvious at first. We will use the highly rated NBA league for our examples throughout this article. Now let's get to it, get ready to learn how to bet on basketball.
How to bet on basketball - The Matchup
The obvious first check before you bet is to check the opponents of your team. How well do your team match up previously versus this team? Do they traditionally struggle more against this team than similar rated teams? This could be due to a bad stylistic matchup, the team may play a high paced quick break offense which some teams struggle to cope with, or they may have a strong front court which your team may not have the personnel to defend. It is very important to look at those much more specific things, rather than only the averages of statistics available.
You also have to take a look at specific player matchups. Your team may rely on their Centre to score the most points on the team, do the opponents have a quality defensive Centre that will be able to neutralize the threat? Perhaps have they played against each other before? Check out how they fared against each other then. If you end up thinking they will be able to neutralize the Centre you would have to take that into account and judge if your team has players in other positions to take over some of the scoring.
How to bet on basketball - Injuries
Injuries are an important consideration for betting in any sport but they are especially important in basketball. In the NBA teams have a maximum squad of 15 players with only a maximum of 12 active ones for any game. If a team loses a starter to injury then this seriously affects the minutes their reserve players have to play and can have a very large negative effect on the team’s chances of winning. As this sort of news obviously moves betting lines, be sure to pay close attention to player injuries when you think you have spotted a good bet. This, so you can walk away from the bet should such news arrive.
How to bet on basketball - Schedule
Unlike football with at least a few days rest between games basketball matches can take place on consecutive nights, this is an important consideration when looking at the value of a bet. A team may have had a few consecutive road games meaning they will be extra tired, and players may be carrying knocks or injuries. It’s obviously important to factor this into their chances of winning. On the opposite side; if a team has had the previous night off then they will be fresher than their opponents and should have an increased chance of winning.
How to bet on basketball -Momentum
Do some teams start slow and finish strong? Do others come out the blocks quickly and fade near the end. This is especially important when betting on markets such as 1st quarter or 1st half scores. You may find your team often starts fast and builds a lead before losing ground when the reserve players come in to give the starting 5 a rest. Would this make betting on the team to win the first quarter more profitable than full time bets? You would have to evaluate if the books have already taken this into account and set the line accordingly first but it’s an important concept to look at. Many a winning bet was placed with this information backing it.
Also, Individual players may carry momentum through a series of games. If a player is on a hot run with improved performances then ask yourself this; will these performances lead to the teams price being reduced for the next game? Some books may take differing views on it so it is wise to shop around for the best prices suiting your bet pick.
How to bet on basketball – the small edges
Again, as we have mentioned in numerous other articles; sports betting is all about taking the small edges when they show up. We want to emphasize that factors such as one night rest might improve the chances of winning versus the team travelling up and down the country, but don’t lose sight over the big picture. We suggest you read our piece on narrow framing for more information on this. Assign the right weight to the info or data, nothing more nothing less. Then move on with your handicapping.
How to bet - Final notes
We hope you enjoyed this beginner article on how to bet on basketball. If you did, do share it with your friends and follow us on your favorite social media site.
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