NBA Betting Explained: How to Bet on Basketball
Betting on NBA games at North Carolina sportsbooks is easy. Just follow these steps:
- ✅ Choose a sportsbook.
- ✅ Create a new player account.
- ✅ Deposit funds using one of the sportsbook's approved methods.
- ✅ Navigate to the NBA betting section, where you'll find tabs of upcoming NBA games and betting markets.
- ✅ Choose the type of bet you want to place.
- ✅ Enter the amount you want to wager into your betslip and confirm your bet.
- ✅ Monitor the NBA game and collect any winnings you earn!
How to Read NBA Betting Lines: How NBA Moneylines Work
NBA odds are almost always presented in the American odds or moneyline format. You'll see either a plus sign or a minus sign in front of a number. The number following a plus sign (+) is the amount you can win on a $100 bet. The number following a minus sign (-) is the amount you would need to bet to win $100.
These odds demonstrate an NBA team's perceived chances of winning or losing. Negative odds indicate the favored basketball team; positive odds indicate the underdog. All you have to decide is which team will win.
The American odds format is used to indicate not just moneyline markets, but totals, futures, and prop bets, as well. So, if you understand how NBA moneyline odds work, you'll understand the rest of NBA betting that much better.
NBA Betting Tips for North Carolina Bettors
- 💡 Stay up to date on the latest NBA news, such as injury reports, transactions, game locations, player stats, and matchup history.
- 💡 Click through all the tabs under "NBA" at betting sites. You might find some timely and interesting markets available.
- 💡 Shop for the best odds! The same bet could have different odds across multiple sportsbooks. For example, DraftKings has Nikola Jokic at +250 MVP odds, while BetMGM has his MVP odds at +200. The +250 bet would yield a higher payout for the same result.
Best Basketball Betting Sites in North Carolina
There are eight operators with a online North Carolina sports betting app license. Here's what I think each one does best for NBA bettors:
- 🐝 Best for Hornets Fans: bet365 North Carolina
- 🏀 Best for NBA Betting Markets: DraftKings North Carolina
- 👋 Best for Beginners: BetMGM North Carolina
- 🛜 Best for Live NBA Betting: Caesars Sportsbook North Carolina
- 🎁 Best Daily NBA Promos: ESPN BET North Carolina
- ⭐️ Best for NBA Specials: FanDuel North Carolina
- 🔥 Best for Trending NBA Bets: Fanatics North Carolina
- 🎮 Best for Daily Fantasy: Underdog Sports North Carolina
NBA Betting Markets: Popular Types of NBA Betting
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NBA Futures Odds NBA futures odds are a type of betting odds that relate to events or outcomes that will occur in the future, typically over a longer period of time during the NBA season. Common examples include NBA Finals winner, division winners, MVP and Rookie of the Year. -
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NBA Player Prop Bets NBA player prop bets, short for "proposition bets," are wagers placed on specific events or individual performances within an NBA game that have nothing to do with the overall outcome. Some common examples include points totals, rebounds totals, first or last scorer, and three-point totals. -
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NBA Spreads: How NBA Point Spreads Work An NBA point spread is a margin of victory that sportsbooks establish to encourage betting on both sides of a matchup. Sportsbooks assign a point spread to every game. The favorite team has to win by the designated amount of points, and the underdog has to lose by the designated amount of points, for the bet to pay out. -
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NBA Against The Spread Betting NBA against the spread betting (ATS) means placing a wager on an NBA team with the expectation that they will perform better than the point spread set by the sportsbook. When you bet against the spread, you are not just betting on a team to win the game, but also considering the margin of victory. -
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NBA Parlays An NBA parlay bet combines multiple individual bets into one single bet. To win, all the selected bets within it must be correct. If any of the bets in the parlay is incorrect, the entire parlay is lost. As you combine more selections, your odds get longer and you risk more, but your potential payout is higher. -
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NBA Live Betting All of the NBA bets I discussed above can be made pregame or as during live betting. Sportsbooks update odds for these markets in game depending on how the action is unfolding. Depending on the terms of the wager, you can cash out bets early, edit them or place new ones after an NBA game tips off.
Today's Best NBA Bets in North Carolina
I recommend checking odds boards and North Carolina sportsbook promos daily to see what value you can find. There are a few betting categories I keep a close eye on throughout the NBA season.
Top 5 NBA Team Records
These are the top 5 teams by record as of the end of the 2024 regular season:
- 🥇 Boston Celtics: 64-18
- 🔺 Oklahoma City Thunder: 57-25
- 🔺 Denver Nuggets: 57-25
- 🔻 Minnesota Timberwolves: 56-26
- 🔺 LA Clippers: 51-31
Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets are North Carolina's hometown NBA team. The Hornets were established as an expansion team in 1988 and operated as the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans from 2002-04. The franchise returned to Charlotte in 2004.
Unfortunately, they have the longest active playoff drought in the NBA and currently have one of the worst records in the league.
NBA Playoffs
The NBA playoffs are a multi-round, best-of-seven tournament that concludes with the NBA Finals. Teams advance through the First Round, the Conference Semifinals, and the Conference Finals.
The top six teams in each conference automatically earn a playoff seed, while the Nos. 7-10 teams compete in the play-in tournament to determine the final two seeds.
We're tracking the Hornets playoff chances throughout the NBA season.
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals cap the NBA playoffs. The last two teams standing, the Eastern Conference champions and the Western Conference champions, face off in a best-of-seven series. Games alternate between each team's home arena. The winning team is awarded the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
We're also tracking the Hornets NBA Championship odds for this season and beyond.
End-of-Season Awards
Each league's end-of-season awards look slightly different. These are the main ones you can place a futures bet on in the NBA:
North Carolina NBA Basketball Betting FAQs
Create a new player account at a North Carolina sportsbook and make a deposit. Find the NBA betting section, and choose the type of bet you want to make. Enter the amount you want to wager into your bet slip; your potential payout will be automatically calculated.
The moneyline bet in the NBA is a wager on who will win a game. Moneylines indicate the favored team and your potential payout on a winning bet. The underdog is represented by a positive number, the profit on a $100 bet. The favorite is represented by a negative number, the amount you'd need to bet to win $100.
A +4.5 betting line in the NBA points to the underdog team on a point spread bet. This spread would mean that the team associated with that number is expected to lose by at least 4.5 points. The plus sign means that team is the underdog in the matchup.
The best NBA betting site is up to you, but there are several coming to North Carolina I recommend. bet365 is partnered with the Charlotte Hornets, while DraftKings and FanDuel are both great betting destinations for live betting and NBA specials. BetMGM, Caesars, Fanatics, ESPN BET and Underdog Sports are also expected to launch in NC.
Yes, it can be profitable to bet on pro basketball. But, it depends on the bets you choose to make. It's important to be smart in which NBA bets you place. I recommend following tips and advice, as well as your own personal responsible gambling limits.
Author
Shannon Lane is a commercial editor and fact-checker for BetCarolina. She's spent the last decade working in sports media, including at NFL Media and as a reporter/fact-checker at Sports Illustrated. She covers everything NFL football to give North Carolina sports betters the best information on the Panthers and other NFL teams.
