The National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season and postseason provides basketball fans with plenty of exciting games to watch and bet on. Here at Betting Tips Africa, we will be your point of reference if you want to profit from NBA tips. We will endeavor to provide throughout the regular season and into the playoffs, analysis, NBA predictions, and odds for all the major upcoming NBA games.
Our NBA experts are very experienced having followed the league for decades and will provide well-researched NBA betting tips covering a wide variety of betting markets .
List of NBA predictions
LA Clippers vs Dallas Mavericks prediction
LA Clippers got off to a perfect start in this series as they picked up a 109-97 win over Dallas in game 1 on Sunday at Staples Centre. With superstar Kahwi Leonard ruled out to start this series, James Harden turned the clock with a vintage performance in the first half, scoring 20 of his ... More
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns prediction
Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Playoff Series between Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns takes place at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, just like Game 1. The Timberwolves already lead the series 1-0 after an emphatic 120-95 win in the opening game. The home team are still slight favorites to win this game, but ... More
Milwaukee Bucks vs Indiana Pacers Prediction
Number 3 seed Milwaukee Bucks will host Number 6 seed Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of their 1st Round NBA Playoffs Series in the Eastern Conference. In the last 5 head-to-head meetings, the Pacers got 4 wins and the Bucks only 1 win. The Pacers are slight favorites to win this playoff series, but with ... More
Denver Nuggets vs Los Angeles Lakers prediction
This is a rematch of the 2022/23 Western Conference Final, which the Denver Nuggets swept. This time the two teams meet in the first round of the 2024 Playoffs with Denver as 2nd seed and LA as the 7th seed. The Nuggets have already got the better of Lakers in the regular-season series 3-0, winning ... More
Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat prediction
The Philadelphia 76ers host Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament starting this week in a bid to secure 7th seed spot for the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The winner of this match faces the number 2 seed New York Knicks in the play-offs. The race for this season’s play-in tournament was tight and had to ... More
Sacramento Kings vs Golden State Warriors prediction
The jostling for the final playoff places in the West takes centre stage this week with the two playoff semifinals followed by the finals later in the week. The pick of the games is certainly the 9 vs 10 matchup pitting Kings and Warriors. It’s Deja Vu all over again for these Pacific Division rivals ... More
Denver Nuggets vs Miami Heat 12.06.2023
After splitting the opening two games in Denver, the advantage seemed to have shifted Miami’s way. However, the Nuggets underlined their superiority in this series by going to the South Coast and winning both games in Miami to take a commanding 3-1 lead, which brings them within one game of winning their maiden NBA title. ... More
Miami Heat vs Denver Nuggets 10.06.2023
Despite stealing homecourt in game 2, Miami failed to make the most of the opportunity to seize control of this series when they welcomed the Nuggets to the South Coast for game 3. They were outclassed and outgunned by the visitors who went on to win 109-94 behind record-setting games from their leading stars Nikola ... More
Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat 30.05.2023
It has come down to this. The two greatest words in sports: Game 7. After falling 3-0 down in the Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Celtics have battled their way back to force a game 7. Derrick White’s game-winning tip-in off a missed Marcus Smart shot saved them from the jaws of defeat in game ... More
LA Lakers vs Denver Nuggets 23.05.2023
The Lakers’ fairytale run seems to be heading to an end in the Western Conference. After defying the odds to beat 2nd-seed Memphis and 6th-seed Miami, their matchup with the top-seed Denver Nuggets has proven to be a bridge too far for them to cross. They have been outclassed by the clinical execution of Denver ... More
Denver Nuggets vs LA Lakers 17.05.2023
Number 1 seed Denver Nuggets continued their quest for Championship glory when they eliminated high-powered Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the Conference Semifinals. Despite the barrage of attacking might imposed by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker for the Suns, the Nuggets stuck to their style and were led by their imposing MVP center Nikola Jokic who ... More
LA Lakers vs GS Warriors 13.05.2023
Defending champions Golden State Warriors avoided elimination in game 5 after beating the Lakers 120-106 to extend the series with game 6 coming back to the Crypto Arena in LA on Saturday. The game was back-and-forth for most of the opening half before the Warriors broke away right at the end of the 2nd quarter ... More
Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns 10.05.2023
Denver Nuggets will look to edge ahead in this series when they welcome Phoenix back in town for game 6 this Wednesday. After taking a commanding 2-0 lead, they lost both games in Phoenix, despite running them close both times. Their defence has completely failed to contain the Suns’ dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and ... More
Miami Heat vs NY Knicks 06.05.2023
Miami Heat have continued dumbfounding pundits with their post-season exploits. Not only did they become the first-ever 8th seed to upset the number 1 seed in 5 games, but they also proceeded to steal homecourt in the semifinal of the Eastern Conference after winning game 1 against the New York Knicks. They looked set to ... More
GS Warriors vs LA Lakers 03.05.2023
Defending champions GS Warriors were pushed to the limit in their first round match-up. But they left the best for last as they took down the Sacramento Kings in game 7 at the Golden 1 Centre. They needed Steph Curry to bring his A-game as he scored 50 points, the most ever points scored in ... More
Sacramento Kings vs GS Warriors 27.04.2023
In what has undoubtedly been the box-office series of the first round, 3rd seed Sacramento will look to move ahead in the series when they welcome the Warriors to the raucous Golden 1 Arena in the wee hours of Thursday morning. The tie is perfectly balanced with both teams taking care of home court through ... More
LA Lakers vs Memphis Grizzlies 23.04.2023
After a dominant game 1 performance, the Lakers came out with flat tires in game 2 and paid the ultimate price after falling into a big hole in the first quarter and never really recovering after that. They did attempt a comeback of sorts in the 3rd q but for every run they made, the ... More
Memphis Grizzlies vs LA Lakers 20.04.2023
In what is one of the most intriguing first-round matchups, 2nd seed Memphis Grizzlies failed to make the most of the homecourt in game 1 as they lost by 16 points to the 7th sees Lakers. What was a see-saw battle all the way to the 4th quarter quickly swung in the Lakers’ favor when ... More
Phoenix Suns vs LA Clippers 19.04.2023
After all the talk about their title credentials following the signing of Kevin Durant at the trade deadline, Phoenix Suns failed to live up to the expectations as they lost at home in game 1 of their first-round matchup with the Clippers 115-110. It was a back-and-forth affair but they ultimately came up short when ... More
If you want to read picks for other Basketball Competitions go to our Basketball overview & for the full list of all our betting tips visit our pick for win prediction site!
A Brief History of the NBA
For you to appreciate what you see now, it is prudent to take a little peek into the past. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league formed in the United States in 1949 by the merger of two rival organizations, the National Basketball League (founded 1937) and the Basketball Association of America (founded 1946). In 1976 the NBA absorbed four teams from the American Basketball Association (ABA), which disbanded that year.
League growth and membership
By the time we got to the early 1980s, the NBA was plagued by financial challenges. There were low attendances, low TV ratings, and a lack of national appeal which meant the most teams (franchises) were making losses. Things however turned around with the appointment of David Stern, NBA commissioner from 1984, He revolutionized the sport and helped to turn it into an international entertainment company.
He engaged in aggressive marketing of NBA star players like Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird in the 80s, and, went a notch higher with Michael Jordan in the 90s. Other innovations ideas included league caps (limits) on player salaries, lucrative broadcast rights for network and cable television, and expanded All-Star Game festivities.
The NBA membership was divided into two conferences, each with three divisions. There were 30 teams, aligned as follows
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors
Central Division: Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Washington Wizards
Western Conference
Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs
Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz
Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings
NBA CHAMPIONSHIP
The top-ranking teams from each conference at the end of each season engage in a 7 game playoff series to determine the NBA champion.
The most dominant teams in NBA history include the Bill Russel led Boston Celtics from the 60s, the Lakers teams from the 80s and early 2000s, and of course the Michael Jordan Chicagoo Bulls from the 90s. In recent years, the Steph Curry Warriors team have dominated winning 3 titles in 5 years between 2015 and 2019.
NBA BETTING MARKETS
Moneyline
Moneyline betting is very straightforward and easy to understand, so it is the most common choice for novice bettors. It involves simply picking the winner of the game, regardless of the margin of victory. Each team is assigned a Moneyline, with the favorite having a small odds and the underdog having bigger odds
Handicap
The handicap bet is one of the more popular bet types when to comes to the NBA. We have strong and weak teams in the association. Bookmakers, therefore, use the handicap to even out the game from a punter’s perspective. The handicap basically represents the projected winning margin for the strong team or losing margin for the weak team – here you can find our handicap tips.
Totals (Over/Unders)
Betting on totals, also known as over/unders, involves picking whether the combined score of the game will go over or under a predetermined number set by bookmakers. Typically, NBA basketball has quite a bit of scoring compared to most other sports, even the college game. So the trend is mostly on the higher side.
Prop Betting
Prop bets are wagers on in-game events excluding the standard moneyline, run line, and total, which are the three most conventional and popular basketball bets out there. Many NBA props are centered around whether a specific player will reach a statistical milestone set by oddsmakers. There are also many team and game props to choose from as well.
NBA Futures Betting
This entails placing bets on markets that are long term in nature. These typically tend to have very good odds. Although most markets here are team-oriented, there are also future bets on players as well. Some common NBA Future Bets include:
- NBA Champion
- Eastern/Western Conference Winners
- Division Winners
- Team Win Totals
- To Make/Miss Playoffs
- Player Awards (MVP, Sixth Man, Scoring Champion, Rookie of the Year, etc)
Punters need to note that many of these future markets remain open even after the season has started and the odds would keep fluctuating depending on the performance of the team/player.
Live Betting
Live betting is available on most bookies for NBA games. With the growth of mobile betting, this has also grown in popularity. As the game progresses, bookies automatically update the odds for the various markets available inplay for that game. This allows punters to bet on it from start to finish.
What NBA tips do We offer?
From these bet types, our expert tipsters offer the following for our selected NBA tips released every Mondays and Thursdays:
- Moneyline
- Handicaps
- Totals (Over/Under)
- Player Specials (When Available Pre-Match)
You can take advantage of betting bonus sites that offer various promotions from most bookies for new punters to try out these NBA predictions.
NBA ODDS
Many bookies offer NBA games for betting purposes. However, there are some bookies that usually go over and above to provide hundreds of betting markets (both pre-match and inplay) on the NBA games.
Based on our assessment of these bookies we recommend the following bookies for our NBA betting tips: 1xBet, 22Bet, Melbet and Bet365.
As explained before, the convenience of placing bets through the mobile app cannot be overated. Get more details on the best apps and how to download them from our review of the best betting apps in Africa