By The Capital Sports Report Staff
The regular NBA season is about to end, which means that the NBA playoffs are about to start and are a crucial part of the NBA calendar for teams in the playoffs because this is where it will be decided which teams will go to the finals. However, this is also a favorite part for bettors because most big payouts will be here.
So, if you want to join in the fun but are new to NBA betting, we have some tips for you to follow if you want to profit from the NBA playoffs. You have to note that even though these are effective tips, they don’t guarantee you are winning your bet. Instead, they give you a better chance of winning. That said, let’s start!
Look for Better Numbers
One of the most effective ways to increase your chances of winning is having access to multiple sportsbooks. More access to sportsbooks increases your payout, especially if you’re pretty confident with your bet. For example, let’s say that you live in LA and you feel that the Los Angeles Lakers will keep it close against the Boston Celtics on this particular game night.
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You then check your local sportsbook and see that the NBA spreads are 8 in favor of the Boston Celtics, and so you bet $110 on the Lakers, thinking they will probably win or keep it within 8 points by the end of the game. On the other hand, one of your friends is in New Jersey, where it’s mostly Celtics supporters. He then goes to the local sportsbooks and sees that the Celtics are supported by 8.5.
And then, lo and behold, by the end of the game, the Celtics win by 8 points. So your bet pushes, meaning your original bet will be brought back to you, meaning you neither win nor lose while your friend got the total of $100 profit and all that because he bet on a wager with just an extra 5 points. So what’s the lesson here?
The lesson here is broadening your horizon and looking for different numbers on your bets through multiple sportsbooks. The chances are that you could see better bets that could potentially win you your bet outright. And if you have the money, you can even make multiple bets. For example, imagine your profit if you bet on the Lakers on two sportsbooks with that extra point.
Home Court Advantage
Typically, a home-court advantage gives the home team +3 points. This means that if two teams with even-strength opposing each other but the other team is on their home court, they typically have a 3 point advantage. This accounts for the few hours they have more for sleep, the fans encouraging them, the preferred treatment of the referees, etc.
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A good example of this is Utah Jazz. They tend to have a 3.5 to 4 point advantage on their home court most of the time. Let’s have a fair spread of a game between the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Golden State Warriors played in Oakland.
Milwaukee Bucks = 6.5
Golden State Warriors = 8.5
Let’s say the Warriors have a home-court advantage which is 3 points. If you calculate their handicap, you would have 2 points for the PR and 3 points for the home-court advantage, making it a 5.5 point edge for the Warriors. This would make it a 5.5 point favorite against the Bucks in the Oracle Arena.
Check the Gameday Injuries—All of Them
Late-coming information about the teams’ injuries happens all the time, and most of the time, it is announced after the odds are published, and many people have already made their bets. As a bettor, you should constantly be updated on the teams’ news before making your bets.
Due to these sudden changes, professional bettors advise you to make your bet as close to the news as possible. In addition, some people point out that a game-changing injury is as likely to go against the opposing team as it does against the team you’re betting with. With that in mind, if you know the latest update on both of the teams, you will be least likely to be disadvantaged.
For example, let’s say that the Denver Nuggets announced midday, a few hours before game time, that their starting lineup, which consists of two All-Stars in Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray, are all out with injuries against the Detroit Pistons. Due to the timing of the announcement, many people would continue betting on the Nuggets, even though they think that Jokić and Murray are playing.
Professional bettors, however, bet heavily on the Pistons, as not only is this a significant edge on them, but they also have the home-court advantage. The line then dropped from -3 to -2. So even though more than 70% of the bets are on the Nuggets, more than half of the Pistons’ payouts are for the best.
Even if Denver is statistically a better team than Detroit, the two Nuggets stars missing in action can be more than enough to favor a struggling Pistons team in this context.
Final Words
Although these tips are somewhat basic, they have a certain science behind them. The numbers involved in these tips are proven effective and trustworthy. By following these tips, you will give yourself a chance to win more frequently. The NBA playoffs are coming soon, so it will be a huge chance to test these tips.
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