Joe began writing for Basketball Insiders at the start of 2023. A keen sports fanatic ever since his first days playing football in junior school, he has developed a flair for writing over the coming years, and graduated with a BA in English Literature. His professional background in the gambling and sports industries now extends to five years, mostly covering horse racing and US sports. He has previously written for sites such as gg.co.uk and cheltenhamfestival.net on the horse racing side, having grown passionate about the sport by visiting his local tracks on a regular basis. As well as this, he has the honor of being published in the Royal Ascot magazine in 2019.
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Following his graduation with an Honors in Business Administration, Nick redirected his focus from conventional stocks and bonds to the world of sports team performance investments. He employs a unique blend of advanced statistics and historical data to construct intricate sports investment models, pinpointing value opportunities and consistently yielding profits. Nick's contributions extend beyond a single platform, as his work can be discovered on outlets such as Pistons Powered, SafeBettingSites, Winners And Whiners, and numerous other publications.
All posts by Nick RaffoulAs regulatory authorities continue to grant sportsbooks licenses to operate within American state lines, the demand for NBA live betting has increased exponentially, becoming the preferred choice of many a gambler.
Because fast-action, wagering in-play is still in its formative years on our shores, we thought it would be wise to fill our readership in on this emerging market trend. So, read on to discover everything you need to know about NBA live betting.
NBA Live Betting Lines
![NBA Live Betting and In Play Guide [cur_year] - Top 10 NBA Live Bets Sites!](https://www.basketballinsiders.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-07-at-15.03.10-300x167.png)
Betting lines broadcast before the game gets underway (moneyline, total points, and spread) will still be available during NBA live betting. The odds fluctuate quickly based on the score/ performance of teams/players, though.
It’s also commonplace for sportsbooks to close the major game lines towards the end of a game if a particular event begins to look odds on, and bettors executing their live NBA betting strategies begin to smell green.
Besides the major Live NBA betting lines just mentioned (moneyline, total points, and the NBA live betting spread), it’s the prop market that tends to offer the most versatility and optionality – it’s also the most fun market to wager on, in our opinion.
The live betting prop market is split into two main categories: team & player
Examples of NBA live betting options on the teams’ markets include:
- Win/Lose quarter or half
- Over/Under on points/rebounds/assists in a quarter/half
- Spread betting on the quarter or half
Examples of NBA Live Betting on the players’ prop markets include:
- Over/Under on points scored/ rebounds/ assists
- Will player X score a Double-double/triple-double
- Over/ Under on 3-pointers
- Over/Under on points, rebounds, and assists combined
- Player matchups: Chris Paul vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo – most points (for example)
During the playoffs and finals, the NBA live betting lines tend to get even more creative, so expect to see all manner of prop bets during this phase of the basketball season, especially if a particular team/player is doing something remarkable that people want to wager on.
For example, several sportsbooks ran head-to-head spread options on Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) during the 2021 NBA Finals, which was a fun bet; some ran head-to-heads on Giannis vs. Deandre Ayton for most rebounds, too.
Where optionality is concerned, sites such as Bovada and BetUS really do serve up the most interesting and unique NBA live bets, especially on the prop market. So, if that’s something that floats your boat, these sportsbooks are well worth a look…
NBA Players Leaderboard
NBA Live Betting Odds
![NBA Live Betting and In Play Guide [cur_year] - Top 10 NBA Live Bets Sites!](https://www.basketballinsiders.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Westgate_SportsBook-300x180.jpg)
One of the best things about NBA live betting is that the odds and lines are constantly updating, giving bettors a chance to exploit better value on the NBA live game lines.
Just as a simple example based on the final 2022 conference standings, imagine tuning in to this coming season to watch the +150 Houston Rockets (finished 15th in Western Conference) vs. the -150 Phoenix Suns (finished 1st in Western Conference), and the Rockets may have gone up early in the first quarter, 20-10, for example (perfectly normal for an underdog to do so in a basketball game).
The odds may suddenly start drifting on a Suns’ victory – perhaps oddsmakers stress about the lack of energy and alter the moneyline to -100. But you know the Suns are the better team; they’ve just gotten off to a slow start…
Of course, it’s better to get the Suns at -100 than it is at -150, and, in a nutshell, that’s what live-betting is all about. That’s effectively how it works and why so many pro bettors treat it as their go-to when betting on basketball games.
Explore Our Expert-Written Sports Betting Guides
Live NBA Betting Tips
![NBA Live Betting and In Play Guide [cur_year] - Top 10 NBA Live Bets Sites!](https://www.basketballinsiders.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-06-at-14.52.49-300x161.png)
- Always pay attention to the team’s schedule: stats indicate that teams playing 3-4x per week tire quicker, struggle to maintain consistently high standards, and often tire during the second half of a game. Keep an eye on the team’s schedule and bet against teams that have played a bunch of games on the road in quick succession (for example)
- Check the lineups and injury news: Research is a pivotal part of any safe betting strategy. Check out the NBA betting picks on sites such as ours, make sure you know who is injured or fit again, study the past results between the two teams, etc. You wouldn’t buy a stock that you knew nothing about, so don’t rely solely on NBA betting odds – do the research and level the playing field with the oddsmakers.
- Be ready to react quickly: in order to grab the best live NBA betting odds, you need to react quickly and trust in your research and NBA betting strategy. There simply isn’t time to start overthinking in the NBA live arena. Do your homework but follow your gut when live, in play.
- Hedge your bets: You might be convinced that the Boston Celtics beat the New Orleans Pelicans. But, when live NBA sports betting, it’s always wise to hedge your bets. Will it be a close game? Check out the pelicans on the spread. Will it be a low-scoring affair? Hit up the over/under NBA betting lines.
- “Vegas Odds Know Best”: this tip is specifically for the over/ under market. Vegas NBA oddsmakers are good at their job – that’s why they’re employed. The game might get off to a fast/slow start, but the chances are that the score will end at close to what the Vegas oddsmakers said it would before the tip-off.
- Take advantage of risk-free bets/ deposit bonuses: why risk your money when you can risk someone else’s? Look around the best places for live betting NBA, exploit all the free deposit bonuses and risk-free bets, and place your wagers. You literally can’t lose.
NBA Live Betting Strategy
![NBA Live Betting and In Play Guide [cur_year] - Top 10 NBA Live Bets Sites!](https://www.basketballinsiders.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screenshot-2021-07-09-at-10.16.44-300x106.png)
It’s tough to consistently make money wagering on the NBA if you don’t put in the groundwork. Visit forums and sportsbook betting news pages (here at basketballinsiders.com, for example, we provide plenty of live NBA betting tips and predictions for as many games as we can).
Doing the research is an important part of any financial venture, including live betting on NBA games. If studying up on the latest news, tactics, et al, isn’t something that you enjoy doing, you might want to try your hand at another side hustle.
It doesn’t end there, though. Access to the best NBA betting strategies and tips can also pay dividends, which is why we’ve listed a few below for you to check out. But don’t stop here – there are many, many strategies when it comes to gambling. Have a read; do some more research – it does pay off. There’s nobody out there betting on live NBA for a living who doesn’t put in the hard yards (to coin a football term).
- NBA Over-Under Strategy: The most important thing to do here is to study the total points scored in previous encounters between the two teams and also the recent points totals; perhaps just for the last 5 games for each team. We recommend figuring out a mean average over the last 5. If the team you are wagering on – let’s say the L.A. Lakers – averaged 90 points in the last five encounters, – and especially if the field goal percentage is down in the low 35-40% range – then it’s probable that the Lakers struggle to put up points the next game, too. Try to make things as predictable as you can.
- NBA Moneyline Betting Strategy: there are numerous NBA betting strategies on the moneyline. But, one that we’ve grown to enjoy, is the NBA underdog moneyline betting strategy. It’s simple to implement, too. In short, look for tight contests where a narrow underdog is expected to lose and vouch for the underdog. This one pretty much comes out of the daytrader’s handbook: the idea being that you win more when you win and lose less when you lose. You may even lose more bets than you win. But, in the long run, each team in a basketball game has a 50% chance of a W, and the odds will always be in your favor.
- No blowouts spread betting strategy: Imagine you log into your favored NBA betting app to find that the New Orleans Pelicans have opened up a massive -15.5 favorite vs. Chicago Bulls. The Pelicans have been tasked with not only beating the Bulls, but turning them into leather shoes and then stomping those shoes into the dirt by 16 points! Should you take this bet on the spread? Well, this NBA points spread betting system says, ‘No!’ The ‘No Blowouts on the Spread’ rule suggests not wagering on such results. It’s not that they never happen; we’ve all seen our favorite team get trounced by 20 at one time or another. It’s just statistically unlikely, so you’re better off leaving this -15.5 spread alone or checking the sportsbook’s alternate spread for a closer score.
NBA Live Streams
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The NBA is one of the most-watched sports leagues in the world, competing with soccer for global viewing figures in big markets such as Asia. Because of this, getting the licensing rights to broadcast NBA games can be tricky for sportsbooks.
Though the sites we’re analyzing today are all technically offshore, and though we can’t totally rule out that one or two of them do live-stream NBA in Timbuktu, so far as the live-streaming of pro basketball in America goes, you’re better off coughing up the money for the NBA app (which is awesome by the way) to use in conjunction with your favorite live NBA Betting app.
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NBA Live Betting & In Play Guide Conclusion
When searching for a sportsbook with the perfect combination of NBA live betting and in-play guides, just remember to vouch for a sportsbook that updates the action constantly; has deep markets and interesting prop betting options; boasts among the best odds, and has an aesthetic quality that you personally like: cool graphics, etc.
Then, over on ‘the guide’ side of things, be sure to pick a sportsbook that caters to bettors; one that provides picks, strategy, etc. A sportsbook that gives you no indication of how to bet on the NBA; offers no tips; broadcasts no potential betting options, or fails to tell you what your fellow bettors are doing with their dollars just seems untrustworthy to us.
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