NBA Betting Odds

The NBA is second only to the NFL in betting action in the United States. Bettors in states with legal sports betting have jumped at the chance to bet on professional basketball. Florida is now one of those states with retail sites at various Seminole-operated casinos and the Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook accepting online wagers from anywhere in the state.

The Miami Heat and Orlando Magic are Florida’s two NBA teams, and both have passionate fan bases who will put their money on the line to bet on each team’s fortunes. To get in on the action check our guide to betting the NBA online in Florida below.

NBA Finals odds

With a popular sport like the NBA, legal online sportsbooks always offer odds on the next champion. NBA Finals odds are fun to follow all year because they will change as teams move up and down for a variety of reasons including offseason moves such as trades or free agent signings, the NBA draft, coaching changes, injuries and more.

Usually when the season begins one or two teams will be designated by online sports betting sites as the favorites to win the NBA title. For example, entering the 2023-24 season the defending champion Denver Nuggets were around +450 or +475 at most sportsbooks to repeat as champs. Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics had even shorter odds at about +375 to win it all at many sites when the season began.

Eastern and Western Conference odds

Picking the Eastern or Western Conference winner will generally be easier than picking the overall winner since you’re dealing with fewer outcomes. It’s still going to be a major challenge, however. As we’ve seen in recent years, injuries have piled up for even some of the top teams, so the risk remains high.

As noted above, prior to the 2023-24 season, Denver and Boston were the heavy favorites to make the NBA Finals. In both cases, their odds were around +230 or so at most sites to win their respective conferences. Meanwhile, most other teams had much longer odds with even the top contenders set at +1000 and longer.

NBA player prop odds

The NBA is a star-driven league, and many fans may follow individual players instead of teams. The rise in fantasy sports and social media influence for players has increased the popularity of individual athletes, and we’ve seen this extensively with NBA betting on player props.

Player props can include betting on players’ statistical performance in individual games, such as on how many points, rebounds, or assists they accumulate (or combinations thereof). There are also many individual player award props you can bet as futures (see below).

Miami Heat odds

As the top NBA team in Florida for many years, the Heat always get plenty of attention from bettors in the state. For individual games, sportsbooks will have the three main types of bets available: moneylines, point spreads and totals. Beyond those options, you can take a look at props, futures and live betting.

Regardless of what you may want to bet on when it comes to the Heat, there are always going to be plenty of betting options as sportsbooks and oddsmakers continue to get more and more creative. See the dedicated Miami Heat odds page for more.

Orlando Magic odds

The upstart Magic actually outperformed the Heat in 2023-24, finishing with a higher seed in the Eastern Conference and making the playoffs for the first time after a four-year drought.

As the Magic continue their resurgence, sports bettors have plenty of opportunities to bet on their games. As with any team in the NBA, all the standard bets will be available, and you can see more on the Orlando Magic odds page.

Live NBA betting odds

Live betting refers to placing a wager on a game while it is in progress. You no longer have to make sure to place your bets prior to game time because live betting is now available online and, with sportsbook apps, on your phone. Odds and numbers will change by the second based on the latest events during the game, and you have to be quick in getting your bets in due to the rapid pace of the shifting odds.

For an example of in-game betting, let’s say you want to bet on the Miami Heat to cover the point spread in their next game, but the 5.5-point spread is a little too high for you. If you wait until the game starts and Miami falls behind in the first quarter, you might see the spread go down to 4.5 in response, and you can then place your bet with the more favorable spread.

Best Florida sportsbook for NBA betting

Legal sports betting means the sportsbooks are regulated and safe to bank and bet with, which is not always the case with offshore sportsbooks. It’s up to personal preference for what you are looking for among the most popular sportsbooks.

In Florida currently, only the Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook, is available for online wagering. That means you can’t bet at DraftKings Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, or other sites that are live in other states.

NBA betting lines explained

Earlier, we listed some of the most popular NBA betting options like the point spread, moneyline and over/under. If you’re unclear about what any of those terms mean, we’ll explain them here along with some examples involving the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic.

NBA spread bets

Spread betting is the most popular way to bet on the NBA. Regardless of your betting experience, you’ve probably heard of the point spread. When two teams take the court, oddsmakers will essentially give the lesser team a head start to even the playing field.

For example, let’s say the Heat are favored by 4.5 points in their upcoming game against the Indiana Pacers. For Miami to cover the spread, it needs to not only win the game, but win it by more than 4.5 points. On the other side, the Pacers are the underdogs and need to either win the game outright or lose by fewer than 4.5 points.

NBA moneyline bets

Moneyline bets are among the simplest options. All you are betting on is which team will win the game. This time, however, the odds will represent perceived differences in team skill. If you would like to pick the favorite to win on the moneyline, you would receive a smaller payout with a correct wager than you would if you correctly bet on the underdog to win.

NBA over/under bets

Over/under bets can also appear as totals at the sportsbook. For these bets, you do not care which team will win or how many points it will win by. When betting on the over/under, all you worry about is how many points the two teams will combine to score.

For example, the Orlando Magic could be playing the Boston Celtics, and oddsmakers have set the total line at 210.5. If you believe the two teams will combine to score fewer than 210.5 points, you would bet on the under. However, if you think both teams could combine to exceed 210.5 points, you’d take the over.

Dive into the detailed rules surrounding NBA betting at legal online sportsbooks here:

• NBA betting rules

Line shopping for best NBA odds

The odds for a specific bet can vary from sportsbook to sportsbook. If you look at the board and notice a bet you’d like to place, you could shop around at various sportsbooks and place the bet at the one with the best lines or odds. While the numbers will likely be close, even small differences can end up looming large.

Lines may change for a variety of reasons, and sportsbooks will adjust their numbers based on how much money is going to one side. If one team’s point spread is receiving a high percentage of betting money, sportsbooks will react by trying to get bettors to take the other side to even it out. This is the sportsbooks’ way of minimizing risk.