If you’re going to be an avid NBA sports bettor, then be advised that it is a year-round commitment. The NBA regular season starts in October and ends in April. This is followed by a length postseason, which means the entire NBA season lasts over six months. Add in the preseason and you’ve got about eight months of professional basketball in the U.S. Even the off-season is a busy time with trades, free-agent signings, and the NBA Draft in June.
With eight months of basketball, 30 teams, and games a good five out of seven days a week, there’s a lot of preparation to do before you’re ready to start betting. Here’s an overview of how to make winning NBA sports bets.
NBA Draft
It’s important to monitor the NBA Draft, which occurs in June. Although not as important as the NFL Draft, you will find that professional basketball’s version will include a few impact players. As far as membership goes, the NBA is the most exclusive league in the U.S., which means very few impact players or difference makers are drafted each year.
Season Previews
About six weeks before the season starts, you’ll find NBA previews on the internet and at your local newsstand. Get as many of these as you can and read up to become familiar with the league, conferences, and teams. You can learn a lot about teams from these previews, where you’ll get key information on players, coaches, the front office, last year’s season, new players, and more.
Although these previews are fairly useless once the season begins, they will get you up to speed on the league and will offer you some useful information that you can use when the season first starts.
Training Camps & Preseason Play
Prior to the preseason, teams will be in training camp. At this time, you’ll start to get some ideas regarding a team’s health, their outlook, and their chemistry. You’ll hear about veterans and how they are feeling and see who looks ready to play and who needs work. Pay attention to training camp and you’ll get some useful insights.
The NBA has a relatively short preseason where teams warm-up for the real thing. On average, a club will play eight games over a two to three week period of time. The games mean nothing. They are a time for clubs to try out the new guys, try out some plays, and get the blood moving. If you are going to bet on the preseason, do so
in the final week, as teams start to play more seriously and starters begin to really see some action on a consistent basis.
News
Check the news every day of the week throughout the year. This includes staying tuned to the NBA during the off-season. A lot can happen in those four months that the league is not playing any games. Trades, changes in the front office or in the coaching ranks or the lives of players, serious issues, such as illness, trouble with the law, or marital strife, can become manifest.
Also, be sure to check out what happened in the NBADL (NBA D-League) in the past season and who will be playing in it next season. This is the only minor league in basketball that is directly associated with the NBA and there’s a lot of upcoming talent in it. The summer basketball leagues are also worth looking at.
Information is Key
The NBA is a complex league, and, if you’re serious about sports betting and making cash, it demands constant attention. Engage in as much preparation as you possibly can before the regular season starts and you’ll be ready to start betting on NBA games at the first tipoff.