NBA odds are crucial for basketball bettors to understand. After all, the odds determine your potential payout, and small differences can have massive impacts in the long run. On this page, we offer a preview of current NBA odds and a complete rundown of common NBA bets, odds, and how they all work. Read on for your guide to NBA odds.
Types of NBA Odds
The NBA is chock-full of play styles, game-changing events, and players. This makes for a wide array of possible bets on NBA games. Below, we’ll cover some of the most popular NBA odds available today.
Pick a winner. That’s the goal when you bet the moneyline. If you place a moneyline bet on a team and they win, your bet wins. As a result, the odds on these bets can be lopsided in a mismatched game or close to even when the teams are equally good.
Moneyline Example
- Milwaukee Bucks: +166
- Philadelphia 76ers: -198
These odds tell us that the Bucks, with positive odds, are the underdog. Bets on them to win are less likely to hit, but they would pay out bigger wins. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers have odds with a minus symbol in front of them, which makes them the favorite for this matchup. Bets on them have a higher chance of success (according to the sportsbook) but pay less relative to an underdog bet.
Point-spread betting takes lopsided matchups and evens them out by giving adjusted points to the underdog, while the favored squad gets an adjusted disadvantage. In betting, point spreads are very real.
Point Spread Example
- Indiana Pacers -6 (-108)
- Detroit Pistons +6 (-112)
In order to cover the spread (make the bet win), the team must either overcome its adjusted disadvantage or keep the game close enough for its adjusted advantage to put them in the lead. The odds above show us exactly how this works.
The Pacers have a spread of -6, which means they need to win by more than six points to cover the spread. If the Pacers score 106 while the Pistons score 97, the Pacers cover because their score with -6 points factored in is 100, still enough to beat the Pistons at 97.
The Pistons, meanwhile, can win outright or lose by fewer than six points to cover the spread. If the final score is Pacers 100, Pistons 97, the Pistons cover the spread because their total with the spread factored in is 103.
Totals are also called Over/Under bets. In these wagers, the final score has bearing, but the actual winner of the game doesn’t matter. This is because totals are concerned only with the total number of points scored. At the end of the game, combine the two teams’ totals. If that total is over the set threshold, the “Over” hits. If it’s beneath the set threshold, the “Under” hits.
Totals Example
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics
- Over 223.5: -108
- Under 223.5: -112
These NBA odds tell us the Knicks and Celtics are expected to combine for around 224 points. Whether they achieve more or fewer points will determine the outcome of a bet for either site. Say you bet the “Over,” and the final score is Celtics 120, Knicks 112. The total combined points add up to 232, more than the line of 223.5.
An “Under” bet would hit if the total score were lower than 22.35. For example, Celtics 105, Knicks 100 would total 205, and the Under would be the winning bet.
Futures bets are wagers placed on a long-term outcome, usually involving the winner of the league, major end-of-season awards, playoff appearances, or other distant possibilities.
Because they’re hard to predict, futures odds offer big payouts. They come with high risk, though. As seasons go on, futures odds will change drastically based on player and team performance.
Futures Example
To Win the 2024-25 NBA Championship
- Boston Celtics: +320
- Oklahoma City Thunder: +650
- New York Knicks: +750
- Philadelphia 76ers: +1000
- Minnesota Timberwolves: +1000
- Denver Nuggets: +1100
These odds were taken during the NBA preseason. Before the new season, every NBA team will be included with odds to win the championship.
Parlay odds combine wagers into a single bet with multiple individual bets (legs). The odds for parlays are higher than single bets because they’re higher risk. Every leg of a parlay must hit for the parlay to win.
Parlay Example
- Timberwolves moneyline: -118
- Bucks +4.5: -110
- Pacers-Pistons Over 233.5: -110
- Total odds: +573
As you can see, the odds for this three-leg parlay would pay $573 of profit on a $100 bet. However, if even one of the wagers within the parlay loses, the whole thing is a bust.
Many sportsbooks also offer same-game parlays, which let you combine multiple wagers within a single game.
NBA odds include deep prop bet selections. Prop is short for proposition, and it essentially means an outcome that isn’t intrinsically tied to the outcome of a game. Popular prop bets include specific outcomes by individual players or teams.
Prop Examples
- Home team total points odd/even (-106/-114)
- Kevin Durant to score 3+ three-pointers
- LeBron James over/under 11.5 assists
Explore your preferred sportsbook for all sorts of prop betting opportunities and associated NBA odds.
Live betting is exactly what it sounds like: wagering on a game while it’s in progress or “live.” Live betting comes with advantages and setbacks. The main advantage is that odds can change quickly, so you might get a beneficial swing for your team. If your favored team is trailing early, their moneyline could be more valuable in live betting than pre-game. The downside is the opposite: a leading team will have worse-paying odds. Plus, you have to be quick on the draw with live betting and snag advantageous odds early before they change.
How To Read NBA Odds
Reading NBA odds can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before, but there really isn’t much to it. Let’s use a moneyline example to illustrate what information the odds can tell you.
- New York Knicks: +162
- Boston Celtics: -194
What information do these odds give us? Quite a bit, actually. They tell us which team is favored and exactly how much a bet on either team would pay.
To identify the favorite, look for the “-” symbol in front of the odds. That indicates a team is favored. The “+” symbol tells us the associated team is the underdog. In the event that both teams have a minus symbol in front of their odds, you can assume that the teams are close to evenly matched, but the team with the higher number following the symbol is narrowly favored.
The odds also tell us how much bets would pay on either team. A $100 bet on the Knicks would pay $162 in profit (plus the initial bet back). Meanwhile, a $194 bet on the Celtics would pay $100 plus the original wager back.
Simply put, if you see a plus symbol, that’s how much you’d win on a $100 bet. A minus symbol indicates how much you’d need to bet to win $100.
Finally, the odds can be used to calculate the implied probability or the actual likelihood of either bet to win as a percentage. We have a dedicated Implied Probability Calculator that does the math for you.
NBA Line Shopping
Line shopping can benefit you if you plan to place many bets over time or even a few wagers per year. It’s the practice of looking at lines across various sportsbooks and placing your bet at the one with the most advantageous odds.
For example, FanDuel’s moneyline odds for the Pacers vs. Pistons are:
- Pacers: -240
- Pistons: +198
DraftKings, meanwhile, offers the following odds.
- Pacers: -218
- Pistons: +180
That’s a sizable difference. Betting on the Pacers is more valuable at DraftKings, where a $218 bet pays $100 (compared to a $240 bet at FanDuel). However, FanDuel has the better odds for the Pistons at +198. A $100 bet pays $198 there, whereas DraftKings only pays $180 on the same wager.
Such differences can make a big impact, so we encourage all NBA bettors to seek out the best lines at various sportsbooks.
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NBA Odds FAQ
NBA odds are odds on basketball games. NBA odds tell you how likely a team is to win (or cover the spread, exceed a total, etc.). They also tell you how much you can win if your bet is successful.
Yes. DraftKings is one of the best sportsbooks in the country, and it has a veritable smorgasbord of NBA odds and available bets.
Yes. FanDuel updates its odds on NBA games as they’re in progress, and it does so quickly. This makes it a prime destination for NBA live bettors.
Odds of +110 mean the team is the narrow underdog and that a bet of $100 would pay $110 in profits along with your bet returned.
Odds of -110 are about as close to even as most sportsbooks will get with their lines. It has a roughly 50% chance of winning. A $110 bet on these odds would pay $100 in profits.
Over/Under bets are also called totals. These bets are on two teams to combine for more or less than a set total. It doesn’t matter who wins the game; all that matters is the final combined score.
You can find the best NBA odds by visiting multiple sportsbooks and comparing their odds on your desired bet. Small differences in odds can have a major impact on how much you own.
This is all down to your preference. We like prop bets for NBA fans because there are so many stats and in-game events to bet on.
FanDuel is our top NBA sportsbook thanks to its incredible interface, competitive odds, and top-tier same-game parlay builder.
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