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Top Tips for Betting on Basketball at Betlabel

Timing plays a crucial role when making predictions in basketball. As with many other sports, as well as having pre-tournament odds on the winner, you can bet on basketball in pre-match or in-play markets.

Although the odds for both can vary, the action of the event once it has started means that these odds fluctuate much more in live basketball betting. This allows you to play with the risk factor, reducing it if you bet on the team that is ahead or increasing it and adding greater value to the odds if you decide to bet on the team trailing on the scoreboard.

When to place basketball bets

The principle in basketball is clear. The closer the start of the match in question gets, the closer you’ll be to knowing the true value of your bet, as any doubts surrounding the fixture will have been dispelled.

That’s why at Betlabel we recommend taking a look at the betting markets on the day of the match. Why? Firstly, because it’s easier to find the full range of available betting markets, which vary and expand as the start time approaches. Secondly, because it’s more likely that all the factors that could influence the match’s outcome will be known: last-minute news, possible absences, rotations, rest periods…

With all this in mind, it’s up to you when and how to bet on basketball.

Value in Basketball Betting

Although it does not offer as wide a range of markets as football, the reality is that the variety of basketball betting options is one of the broadest in the world of sport. The fact that a match cannot end in a draw always opens up the possibility of extra time to determine the winner.

With fewer time intervals than those offered by tennis betting on games and sets, quarter markets always provide an interesting counterpoint to those on halves or the end of the match. However, among all the options for making value predictions in the world of basketball, two stand out: totals and handicap markets.

Totals and Handicap Lines in Basketball Betting

One of the best tips for betting on basketball that you can find at Betlabel relates to the range of lines available for ‘Totals’ and ‘Handicap’. To explain in general terms, the bookmaker sets a line so that you can bet on ‘over’ or ‘under’ it.

For example, in an NBA match between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers, you can find different options for placing your bets, such as:

‘Over or under 220.5 points’ in total
Warriors score ‘Over 115.5 points’
The Lakers score ‘Under 112.5’ points
‘Handicap -2.5 points’ in favour of the Warriors or against the Los Angeles Lakers

In other words, a single line is set so that you can make your prediction based on that fixed figure.

Imagine, for example, that the handicap line ranges from +8.0 for the Lakers to -5.5. In other words, you’ll be able to work with a 13.5-point range to gauge your risk and adjust your bet as you wish.

Basketball Over/Under Betting

The ‘Over/Under’ market refers to the total number of points scored in a match, whether for the match as a whole or for each of the teams involved. Bookmakers take statistics such as these into account when setting their scoring line:

Average points scored and conceded
Historical scoring records for both teams
Number of shots on goal per team
Possessions and finishes by the opposing teams

If you don’t want to take a 50-50 chance with your bet, browse the ‘Totals’ markets and decide whether to take less of a risk with a wider scoring margin or go for higher odds with greater risk.

Handicap in basketball betting

The handicap is the advantage or disadvantage given to a particular team, expressed as a number of points. For example, backing a team with a ‘-10.5-point handicap’ means your bet will only win if your team wins by 11 points or more.

Similarly, a ‘+10.5-point handicap’ for the underdog means your bet will win even if your team loses by up to ten points.

That is why it is very important to adjust the handicap line to avoid unnecessary risks and not simply bet a pre-set amount.

Basketball Betting: The Importance of Statistics

Statistics are essential for analysing the performance of players and teams. However, the impact of statistics takes on a much greater significance in basketball. This is particularly true with the introduction and rise of advanced statistics, which allow averages to be scaled to minutes, possessions… and make the value of the data in question much more tangible.

How often do you read or hear about possession percentages in football? It has been demonstrated on more than a few occasions that this is by no means a decisive statistic. A team with 30% possession may have far more goal-scoring opportunities than an opponent who holds 70% but fails to create chances in front of the opposition’s goal.

However, in basketball, statistics such as the pace of attack, number of possessions, points scored and conceded, shooting accuracy, number of rebounds, etc. are far more relevant. Not surprisingly, with the shot clock, the team with more possessions and shots in a match has a better chance of winning.

Key tips for your basketball bets

Statistical data such as the number of blocks, rebounds or steals in defence; or points, offensive rebounds or three-pointers in attack, help you identify the teams with the best statistics at each end of the court. This gives you an idea of the points scored and conceded, helping you determine whether the individual and team totals are too high to be beaten.
It’s not just in the NBA; in the EuroLeague too, there are teams with bench players who are better than the starters and who are often regulars in the closing stages of matches. This information helps you focus your bets from the second quarter onwards, which is when they start playing more minutes on the court.

You can bet on basketball based on individual statistics (a specific player’s points, rebounds or assists) and team statistics (points, number of three-pointers, etc.). These are a very valid option if you analyse the players’ ability, their defenders and the statistics of the players or teams you wish to bet on.
There are occasions when the odds for the underdogs are so high that it is worth taking that risk and betting on them. These predictions are almost impossible to get right consistently, but occasionally they can lead to a positive return. This happens more often during the NBA regular season, due to the large number of matches, which leads to more surprises.

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