Basketball Betting

Each of the 29 U.S. and one Canadian NBA teams plays a regular season schedule of 82 games. The season begins in October and goes until early April, at which point the NBA playoffs begin. With so many games to pick from, and Basketball Betting Odds often released days in advance, it's easy to get involved.

There are many popular basketball tournaments to bet on including:

NBA Playoffs

The NBA playoffs begin in April. From there, three rounds are played and eventually this results in just a single team remaining from each conference. These pairs of teams then advance to the NBA Finals. NBA Championship Winner odds are often shorter this time of year and grow even closer as teams advance and become more evenly matched.

NCAA March Madness Basketball Championship

The men's college basketball national champion is determined by a single-elimination tournament called NCAA March Madness. The NCAA basketball championship odds always present an opportunity to find some betting value. With so many high-powered teams in the mix, the winner is far from certain.

Olympic Basketball

In Olympic basketball, teams are determined by country and placed into a group of four total teams. The top eight teams (two teams from each group and two additional teams) advance to the quarterfinals. The winner of each semifinal game plays for gold, with the two losing teams playing for bronze. Basketball Olympics odds can be quite long during the group stage. 

FIBA Basketball World Cup

The FIBA Basketball World Cup odds are similar to the Olympics. They vary depending on the round. There are 32 qualifying teams as opposed to just 12, meaning more group-stage games as well as games to watch and bet on in general.

EuroLeague Basketball Betting

When it comes to European Basketball, the EuroLeague is the top-tier men's professional basketball club competition in Europe. You can get the latest odds with us and bet on the EuroLeague Winner! Some of the most successful teams in EuroLeague include Panathinaikos, Real Madrid and Olympiacos.

There are a few different Basketball Betting Markets to choose from. Some of the most popular types available are:

Money Line

Placing a basketball moneyline bet is relatively straightforward: just pick an outright winner. For example, betting on the Boston Celtics to beat the Miami Heat.

Spread Betting/Handicap Betting

Betting on the spread in basketball means betting on one team to cover the spread. For example, if the Los Angeles Lakers are a -12.5 spread favourite to win, the team would have to win the game by 13 points or more.

Totals (Over/Under)

Making a basketball totals bet simply means betting on any basketball market focusing on the total number of the final score. For example, if the Celtics and Raptors have an over/under total of 112.5 points, and you were to bet the over, the teams would need to combine for 113 points or more for the bet to hit.

Parlays/ACCAs

Submitting a basketball acca bet means combining more than one bet. For example, a three-leg basketball parlay bet could include a Nuggets win, over 101.5 total points, and over 12.5 rebounds from Nikola Jokic. In this case, all three bets would need to independently hit to register as a win (even though they're connected).

Live Basketball Betting

Get the best In-Play Basketball Betting Odds and bet on live basketball! The odds are subject to changes in real-time and are constantly changing depending on the live action!

NBA Betting for first-timers may be difficult to grasp at first, so here's an example: if the Boston Celtics have 2/1 odds of winning, a £40 bet would net a £120 payout if the bet proves correct.

The best basketball bet tips surround the headlines going into a given game. Whether a team is on a hot streak or is facing a team that has a lot of injuries, it can have an impact. Other factors such as suspensions and home-court advantage can also come into play.

You can bet on basketball by signing up to talkSPORT BET. We've got Basketball Betting Offers and new customer sign-up offers where you can bet and get free bets to use on selected Sports Betting Markets - including basketball. 

Follow the latest news at talkSPORT for some Basketball Betting Tips.

Before getting started, it's also important to know how to gamble safely. Placing limits on yourself based on what you can afford to spend is a good rule of thumb when betting on basketball, or other sports.