NBA prop betting has grown to become massively popular over recent years. You could be watching a game waiting for a player to a final three-pointer or a final rebound and it adds a lot more excitement than if you were just watching the game with nothing riding on it. Every shot means something to you, every substitution sees you become involved.
If you want to go further than just placing a moneyline wager on the winner or loser of an NBA game, prop betting is ideal for you. The world of NBA proposition bets (most commonly referred to as prop bets) allows you to bet on numerous different events within a game such as three-point shots, points scored, steals, blocks and a lot more.
Let’s take a look at NBA props in detail.
What are NBA Prop Bets?
NBA prop bets are wagers on a series of different events that occur within a single NBA game. They are an exciting way to involve yourself more in the game and bet on specific actions of a player or team.
It is important to note that prop bets are not linked to the winner or loser of a game. So they have no connection to your more standard point spread, moneyline or totals (over/under) bets on the NBA.
There are three main types of prop bets which are team props, game props and player props.
NBA Player Props
The largest and most popular basketball props market is undoubtedly player props, which allows you to bet on several aspects of a player’s performance during an NBA game. You are essentially predicting how you think an individual player will perform in terms of their in-game stats. Most NBA player prop bets are typically a prediction on whether a player hits either over or under an offensive or defensive statistic, or yes or no on whether the player is involved in a specific event or not.
As is the case in basketball betting, the odds for player prop bets will reflect on the likelihood of it taking place. So, for player props, the odds are tied in with the quality of the player, their past performances, current form etc. Consequently, LeBron is always going to have shorter odds than some of the lesser-known players in the league.
An important rule to be aware of which is very specific to the NBA is that a player must actually play in the game for the bet to be graded. If something happens and the player is forced to sit right before the game begins, your get will be settled as a push, and you will receive your money back. However, as always, we encourage you to read the terms and conditions of your chosen sportsbook to ensure that is the case.
There are several different combinations of player prop wagers in the NBA, including some of the most prominent below.
Combined Points Scored & Stats Props
There are tons of variations and combos of points scored props that are available. Some of these include rebound and points props, where you can bet on the number of rebounds and combined points a player has in a single game.
Let’s look at an example of this with Nikola Jokic, +/- 49.5 points, rebounds and assists. If you bet on the over, Jokic could score 40 points, get 5 rebounds and register 5 assists (for a total of 50 points across the three metrics) and you would win. As long as he reaches that 50 point mark and hits the over, you are a winner.
The most common stats used for these types of bets are points, rebounds and assists. It doesn’t matter how a player reached the combined total, just the number they hit when everything is added together. You can get really creative with NBA player props, just make sure you check the terms and conditions of your sportsbook.
Points Scored Props
These are the most popular type of NBA prop bets, possibly because they are the most straightforward. You are just betting on whether you think a player will score above or below a set number of points.
Sportsbooks will present a range of different points totals, over 25, 30, 35 etc, and assign odds next to each player to hit that target.
Double-Doubles & Triple-Doubles
Player props also give you the option of whether you think a player will record a double-double (a scenario where a player registers 10 or more in two categories of steals, assists, points, rebounds and blocked shots). You also have the opportunity to bet on a player to record a triple-double, which is 10 or more in three of the categories mentioned. This is a yes/no bet with the odds reflecting the probability of a player achieving this or not.
Three-Pointer Props
Three-pointer props are simple. They allow you to wager on the amount of three-points shots a player does or doesn’t make over a single game. With these props, you are betting on the number of three-pointers a player hits, not the points they score from draining these shots. You will only see the bigger name players listed for these props.
Defensive Props
Everyone tends to look towards offense in sports as it is seen as more exciting, but as the saying goes, defense wins championships. With NBA props, you can bet on the number of blocks or steals a player registers during a game. There are also sportsbooks that offer props for these statistics combined, and the same rules apply for the offensive combined props we have mentioned above.
NBA Team Props
Although this page has mainly focused on NBA player props, we thought it was worth mentioning NBA team props, too. They are pretty much identical to player props, but they look at the overall team achievements over a game, rather than a player. The odds will reflect whether the team is the favorite or underdog heading into the game.
Team props give you the opportunity to wager on the total number of points a team scores within a game (e.g. the Dallas Mavericks going over or under 230 points). In this case, if you bet the over, you will be a winner of the Mavs get 231 points. Team props can also be linked to other common in-game stats, like the total number of three-point shots a team nets in a game.
With team props, you are not putting all your eggs into one player’s basket, but rather, you are hoping the team you have picked can hit their targets, it doesn’t matter which players contribute towards that.
Tips for NBA Prop Betting
Player Props are perhaps not as well-known compared to moneyline or spread bets, but they should be. Here are some tips to bear in mind as part of your betting strategy for NBA prop wagers.
Research is vital
Prop betting requires you to read and watch all of the latest news and information on the teams and players throughout the league. We all have our favorite shows or podcasts we listen to, but it is important to broaden your horizons and get different perspectives. Even if you disagree with what the pundits are saying, you are constantly gathering info and it means you are making a more informed decision.
Ultimately you are increasing your knowledge and there might be little quirks you learn about a player or a team before a game that could change the way you were going to bet.
Learn about the statistics & categories
There are so many numbers and stats in the NBA that it can be overwhelming. Don’t forget, there are 82 games in a year and it can be hard to know where to start. We recommend starting out with a specific category in mind to look out for before adding others. For example, it would help to know which team or players are particularly good at hitting three-pointers so you can accurately predict those totals rather than predict the winners and losers of a game every night.
Once you understand the basics, you can then add more to your prop bets.
There is value in prop bets
Oddsmakers are very good at what they do, but they can’t make every line they set 100% accurate due to the amount of markets they work on. Prop bet odds are generated around statistical profiles of individual players. So, if you do your research, you may find some excellent value where a sportsbook has not priced the probability of a player getting a certain number of assists correctly.
NBA Props are Exciting
Prop bets, by their nature, are very exciting. Sure, you could place a simple over/under wager on an NBA game, but why not delve into how a player performs to add some excitement. More importantly, they can also be very profitable if you follow our tips.
