What Are NBA Prop Bets?

Did you know that you can bet more than sides and totals on NBA games? A great way to enjoy and make money in NBA betting is to bet props. You can not only bet on the outcome of an NBA game, but you can also bet on specific things that will happen throughout the game. There are some things to understand when you make an NBA prop bet and some things to keep in mind. What we want to do is break down what an NBA prop bet actually is, look at the odds, provide some examples, look at why you should make an NBA prop bet and then give some NBA prop betting advice.

What is an NBA Prop Bet?

An NBA prop bet is simply a wager that is placed within an NBA game that is not related to the overall outcome. NBA prop bets can revolve around specific point totals, player props or team totals. These prop bets do not affect the overall outcome of the game, as they are specific to the player or the situation. There are numerous prop wagers for every NBA game during the season so you always have countless opportunities to make money.

Let’s look at a specific NBA player prop example to help you understand what an NBA prop bet looks like. Let’s say we have an NBA player prop on how many points Stephen Curry will score in a game. Here is an example of what the odds might look like.

Stephen Curry over 31.5 points (-110)

Stephen Curry under 31.5 points (-110)

In this example you are betting on how many points Stephen Curry will score. If you think he is going to score at least 32 points then you bet the over. If you think he will score under 32 points then you bet the under. There are a lot of other player props such as rebounds, assists, steals, turnovers, three-pointers, or you might see a combination of some of these things.

There are also what are called team props. These are where you are betting for a team to go over or under a posted total or for a specific outcome. It could be as simple as betting which team will score first. You may see other NBA team prop bets like which team will score 40 points first or it might be a specific number of points. For example, you might have the Golden State Warriors team total listed at 220 and you could then bet over or under that number.

Why Choose NBA Prop Bets?

Why would you want to wager money on NBA prop bets? The first reason is that you can make money betting NBA props. Instead of having a limited number of choices on a typical NBA betting day, you can now have hundreds of choices. You can zero in on an NBA prop bet where you feel the line is off. You can find some excellent sports betting opportunities on NBA prop bets simply because it is harder for the sportsbook to put out a great number on every single NBA prop. You can get access to some great NBA player information right at your fingertips and you may be able to find some nuggets that the sportsbooks have overlooked. It is much easier to find overlooked data on prop bets than it is on a full game line.

NBA Prop Betting Tips

When you are betting NBA props you really want to stick to things that you know. It is always best to bet on players or teams that you are very familiar with. The more you know about a player or a team the better off you will be when it comes to making NBA prop bets.

You might also want to avoid the scenarios in sports betting where a player is due. It could be that a player is in a shooting slump and you think he is due to break out of his slump so you bet his point total over. Going against a streak is always risk in sports betting, as you are far better off riding a streak until it is over.

Another tip is to always look at the right data when you are making your sports wager. Don’t just blindly look at the numbers without taking home/away statistics into account and also don’t neglect specific player vs. team statistics. If you just look at the basic statistics you are not doing enough research to make winning bets consistently.

Another consideration when making an NBA prop bet is choosing the right sportsbook. You may find that one sportsbook offers better odds on a regular basis on their NBA props than another one does. You should always line shop for all of your sports betting, but keep in mind that some sportsbooks are simply better when it comes to NBA prop bets.