NBA betting sites: Best sportsbooks for betting on NBA games

NBA betting has become more popular than ever in recent years, and the playoff field is more competitive with the Play-In Tournament and lower seeds making deep runs. It makes the regular season even more attractive from a sports betting standpoint. There are several sports betting apps in which fans can register, claim a welcome bonus, and meet their basketball betting desires throughout the season and postseason.

Best NBA betting sites

Comparing the best NBA sportsbook promos

The table below shows some of the best sports betting promos currently available at NBA betting sites.

As you can see, there is no shortage of sportsbooks offering generous bonuses to new users who want to get started. The first step when looking to bet on the NBA is to find the right sportsbook, or sportsbooks. It is worth claiming as many sportsbook promos as you can in order to maximize your potential winnings, and the aforementioned NBA betting apps provide ample opportunities.

How to bet on NBA games

The most common bet types regarding the NBA are the spread, money line and total. 

Upon logging into any NBA sportsbook, bettors will see a list of games that are taking place that day. At a quick glance, users will also see the spread, money line and total for each of those NBA games. 

Point spread

The spread is the predicted point differential in the final score between two teams. The team that has a negative number is the favorite in this particular game. For example, if the Los Angeles Lakers are -4.5, they would need to win by at least five points in order for a spread bet to be successful. Meanwhile, if the Denver Nuggets are +4.5 in that game, they would need to win outright or lose by four points or fewer in order for the bet to win.

Money line

When it comes to the money line, whichever team wins the game is the winning side for the bet. A team with negative odds would be categorized as the favorite in most circumstances, while the team with positive odds is the underdog. There are also cases where both teams are viewed as having an equal chance of winning, and those teams might both have -110 money line odds. If the chosen team wins outright, it would be a winning wager.

Total

The total indicates the total number of points that are scored in a game. You're betting on whether or not you believe that the combined point total in a game between two NBA teams will go over or under. For example, if the total for the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat is set at 225.5 and you bet the over, you would need at least 226 points between the two teams for the bet to win.

NBA prop betting

Props continue to be incredibly popular when betting on sports, and prop betting is especially common when betting on the NBA. The NBA has an abundance of star players who are filling up the stat sheet on a nightly basis, which also factors into the popularity of prop bets.

At most sports betting apps, you can bet on the following prop bets:

• Over/under props such as Shai-Gilgeous Alexander Over 29.5 points (-110)
• Yes/no props such as Jayson Tatum to record a double-double (+115) or Kawhi Leonard to record the first basket (+600)
• H2H props, where you pit two players in the same game against one another and can wager on a spread, moneyline, or total in relation to their respective stats. For example, in a battle between Jimmy Butler and O.G. Anunoby points props, Anunoby is -0.5 (-125) while Butler is +0.5 (-105).
• Team props such as Cavaliers Over 120.5 points (-115)
• Race to "X" points props, where you select which team will score a given number of points first. You'll have the opportunity to select which team will score anywhere from 10 to 40 points first.

NBA parlays

A parlay is when you place two or more wagers, called "legs", in a single bet. In order for you to win your parlay, every leg of it must win.

The odds you'll get from a parlay are enticing, but the more legs you add, the more likely you are to lose.

• A traditional parlay, such as Thunder -13.5 (-106), Nuggets moneyline (-390), and Pelicans/Clippers Over 218 (-110), would have +366 odds.
• A same-game parlay is when the parlay legs all come from the same game. For example, in a gam between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, a SGP including Jaylen Brown over 18.5 points (-118) and Bam Adebayo over 8.5 rebounds (-136), might have +205 odds (depending on the sportsbook).

NBA futures

Like all sports, the NBA provides many futures betting opportunities. Bettors can place wagers on who will win an NBA title, who will win an individual award and even seasonal stat leaders. 

Some of the more popular futures include:

Team-based futures

• NBA Champion: Betting on which team will win the NBA Finals.
• Conference winners: A bettor can place a wager on which team will win the Eastern or Western Conference.
• Division winners: Fans can place a bet on which team will win a specific division in the NBA.
• Team win totals: Bettors can wager on if a certain team wins over or under a certain threshold. For example, the Celtics to record over 59.5 wins.

Check out the futures odds for the top favorites to win the 2026 NBA Title, per DraftKings Sportsbook (last updated August 1, 2025):

• Oklahoma City Thunder +260
• Houston Rockets +700
• Denver Nuggets +750
• Cleveland Cavaliers +850
• New York Knicks +850

Player-based futures

• Awards winners: Fans can place bets on who will win individual awards such as MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year.
• Individual prop futures: Bettors can place wagers on a specific player to average a certain number. For example, betting that Nikola Jokic will average 24.5 points on the season.
• Seasonal stat leaders: Betting that a certain player will lead the NBA in a certain category. For example, betting that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will lead the league in scoring.

Below, you can see some of the favorites to take home some of the NBA's most coveted awards for the 2025-26 season, last updated August 10, 2025.

NBA MVP

• Nikola Jokic +200
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +250
• Luka Doncic +650
• Giannis Antetokounmpo +900
• Anthony Edwards +1500
• Victor Wembanyama +1800

Rookie of the Year

• Cooper Flagg -185
• Dylan Harper +900
• Ace Bailey +950
• V.J. Edgecombe +1000
• Tre Johnson +1200

Defensive Player of the Year

• Victor Wembanyama -175
• Chet Holmgren +700
• Evan Mobley +900
• Amen Thompson +1800
• Dyson Daniels +2200

Most Improved Player

• Deni Avdija +1400
• Andrew Nembhard +1400
• Ausar Thompson +2000
• Amen Thompson +2000
• Bennedict Mathurin +2200
• Scoot Henderson +2500
• Josh Giddey +2500

Can you bet on the NBA Draft? 

Yes, you can bet on markets like which player will be the first overall pick or over/under a prospect's draft position, but not in all states that have legalized sports betting. 

AZ, AR, CO, DE, FL, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MT, MS, NE, NC, NV, NH, NJ, OH, OR, TN, WI, WV, WY and Washington D.C. all allow NBA Draft betting. Some of these states only offer in-person betting, though, at retail sportsbooks. Not all allow online sports betting apps. 

Some states have additional rules when it comes to draft betting. Arizona does not allow live betting once the draft starts. Markets are also limited in Colorado, Michigan, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Tennessee, too, once the draft begins. Iowa and Nevada shut down markets 24 hours before the draft begins. 

Some states, like New York, do not allow NBA Draft betting even though sports betting is regulated there. Connecticut, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia are the other states that have legal sports betting, but do not allow NBA Draft betting markets.

Ohio and Maryland allow NBA Draft bets but require individual market approval.

NBA live betting

Traditionally, NBA sports betting revolves around placing the majority of wagers before a game tips off. When you bet on a live game, you need to bet quickly because the odds are constantly changing. If a favorite goes up big early, the spread might increase. If two teams combine for only 100 points in the first half, a pre-game total of 223.5 might come down significantly.

For example, say Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards hits his first couple of shots, and you think that he is going to have a big game. As the game unfolds, his live points total or any other offensive statistic will have updated lines. You can then bet that current number while the game is taking place.

It's best to place a live bet during a timeout on the court. That's because the live lines are constantly changing, so it might be hard to lock something in before it changes again.

How to bet on the NBA Finals

Throughout the regular season, bettors will consistently see some of the NBA's top teams as double-digit spread favorites fairly often when they're playing teams in the middle or bottom tiers of the league. However, the margin for error becomes a lot smaller when the NBA Finals roll around.

For example, if two of the top teams in their respective conferences do battle, most games will likely have smaller spreads, and it may make more sense to bet the money line.

In order to entice bettors to place wagers on the NBA Finals, major sportsbooks, such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and others, will hand out profit boosts that can be used on same-game parlays, while also offering bonus bet promotions from time to time.

NBA betting tips and advice

In recent years, the concept of load management has become extremely prevalent in the NBA. Load management simply means that NBA teams will often sit their players on the second night of a back-to-back or if a player is a little banged up. It's important for users to keep an eye on injury reports leading up to game day before making a wager.

It's very important to study the numbers when it comes to where opposing defenses rank when placing a wager on a certain player's points or assists. Keeping an eye on injuries remains one of the biggest angles for NBA prop bets. For example, if Jalen Brunson isn't playing on a given night for the New York Knicks, perhaps that makes Mikal Bridges' points prop a lot more attractive. 

Finally, one of the most crucial basketball betting tips is to pay attention to and target situational angles. Fading a team playing their second night of a back-to-back (especially on the road) is often profitable. Additionally, long road trips or three games in four nights impact performance.