NBA / Basketball Betting Sites & Guide In Nigeria

Sports betting is all the rage in Nigeria right now! With basketball season and the NBA games coming up, punters all over the country are looking into how they can place their bets. Among these bettors are both seasoned players and some newcomers.

If you are a newcomer in the sports betting scene and want to catch up with the rest, you’ve stumbled across the right article. Today, we’re coming at you with our very own basketball betting guide for Nigerian punters.

We’ll include all there is to know to get started with this exciting journey as well as recommend the best sports betting site in Nigeria. So, don’t be afraid to embark on this journey with us and follow all the pointers we mention today to have an enjoyable betting experience!

Without further ado, let’s get started!

The Best Nigerian NBA / Basketball Betting Sites

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Which Basketball Tournaments Are Good To Bet On in Nigeria?

If you’re confused about which tournament or league to place your bet on, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. There are numerous betting options when it comes to matches, tournaments and leagues, at the end of the day it’s just about finding the right one for yourself.

You could be more passionate about the local premier leagues and may want to place bets on the D’Tigers. Or you may want to bet on the NBA Finals that are coming up. Whichever the case is, we think getting acquainted with all the popular options is a good start before making your choice.

This is why we have briefly explained the popular basketball betting events in Nigeria so you can have a better idea!

NBA

Without a doubt, NBA is the most popular basketball competition in the world and also in Nigeria. There are hundreds and thousands of NBA fans probably reading this article right now and nodding along!

If you love the Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls or the Toronto Raptors, the NBA may be for you. You get to see your favourite international players and teams fight for victory while also making a win by placing good bets!

Euroleague

The Euroleague is another international basketball league that is insanely popular in Nigeria. It is a professional European basketball cup competition that is known to be among the top in Europe.

Each season the league chooses 10 players, of which 5 players are chosen both for the first and the second team. There are a total of 18 teams in the Euroleague. So, if you’re into the European side of basketball, this could be your pick.

WNBA

Another fan favourite among punters in Nigeria is the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) League. This is a professional basketball league in the U.S and is composed of 12 teams.

Interesting to note that the NBA actually founded this league! If you want to watch the Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm or the Houston Comets win a match while you make a buck, this might be the league for you!

Nigerian Premier League Basketball

Our last pick is the Nigerian Premier League Basketball, which is definitely a preferred option for many punters in the country. Mane online bookmakers have been promoting this national league and rightfully so. With the right strategies, you can really win big in this league all the while supporting your national teams and players!

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Which Tournament Are The Most Important in Basketball Betting?

When it comes to sports betting, there are some tournaments and leagues that are more important than the rest. You have to be on the lookout for these events if you want to have a nice outcome from your online bet.

The NBA, NCAA, WNBA and Euro Cups are definitely the main leagues and tournaments to observe if you are getting into basketball betting. Among these, NBA betting is the most sought out by punters across Nigeria.

NBA Playoffs

Let’s start off with the NBA playoffs. The format and structure of the NBA playoffs have changed many times over the years. However, it currently consists of 8 teams from each conference. The teams are ranked according to their regular season win and loss records.

8 teams from each conference feature in the NBA playoffs which make a total of 16 teams that compete for the title.

NBA Championships

The NBA Championships are by far the most exciting and spectacular matches in basketball. These are also very unpredictable. So you can either win big or win nothing at all. In fact, there is very little you can predict beforehand.

This is one of the most difficult as well as professional championships to date and grabbing a piece of this is nothing short of thrilling.

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NBA Betting: The Odds in Basketball

After selecting a tournament or league, you need to start thinking about the odds of your bet. This isn’t special to basketball betting but for sports betting in general.

In basketball betting, there are some main types of odds you can bet with. There is the point spread, the money line and totals. We’ll briefly talk about each of these to help get you started.

Finding the Best Odds

Let’s explore some of the types of odds with some examples so you can easily understand the structure of this type of betting.

Point Spread

This is one of the most common ways to bet in NBA betting. The odds in this market will try to make sure that each team has a 50/50 chance of winning. Bookmakers can do this by predicting the number of points to be made by each team. The favourite and the underdog are signified with a minus and plus sign respectively.

For example, Boston Celtics can have odds of -7.5 while Miami Heat has +7.5. In this case, the favoured team is Boston Celtics while Miami Heat is the underdog. If you are to bet on the Boston Celtics, the team would have to defeat the Miami Heat with a total of 8 points.

Money Line

With the money line odds, you simply bet on the likelihood that one of the two teams will win. This is the most straightforward form of NBA betting. The odds will vary with the money line, this means that there will be lower odds on the favoured team and higher odds on the underdog.

For example, let’s say that the Chicago Bulls have odds of -150 while the Philadelphia 76ers has odds of +135. In this case, the Chicago Bulls are favoured to win over the Philadelphia 76ers. In this case, you must wager ₦150 to win ₦100. If you want to wager on the underdog, you need to wager ₦100 to win ₦135.

Totals

If you are betting on totals, you are trying to predict whether the total number of points in the game is over or under the value given by the bookmaker. This is the combined total of both the favourite and the underdog team. Essentially, you are betting against the bookmaker in this form of NBA betting.

For example, the Miami Heat has odds of -9 and the Los Angeles Lakers has odds of +9 and the over/under of 215. If you place a bet on the under and if the combined score of the team doesn’t cross 215, you would win the bet. Remember that comparing your odds is the best way to go with NBA betting. You can convert your odds in the online sportsbook and choose one form that is suitable for you. Compare your odds with different bookmakers before settling on one.

Also, after comparing your odds, think about if you want your bet to be long term or short term.

Short Term and Long Term Betting

Short-term and long-term betting is both commonly seen in basketball betting. Short term betting is when you bet on a single match or game that exists for a shorter time, they also tend to have smaller odds. Long-term betting is when you bet on an entire season or championship, for example.

Odds Range in Basketball

Now, let’s move on to the odds range. If you are thinking about the odds range at Betway, we’ll give you a helping hand. The Boston Celtics are definitely the talk of the town with 1.52 odds in the Boston Celtics Vs. Miami Heat in the upcoming game.

The biggest odds are ranging between 1.21 to 1.72. Some teams aren’t seeing the best odds, like the Portland Trail Blazers that are going against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The odds range will differ from betting site to betting site and may change very frequently. At the time of writing, these were the odds speculated at Betway.com.

What Bets Can You Place?

Once the odds are out of the day, you can move on to choosing the type of bet you will place. For basketball betting, you can have multiple options to choose from.

Keep in mind that some of the bets offer more risk and winning margins over the others. So, a punter’s preference really comes into play when choosing a bet. Some of the popular bets in basketball betting are accumulator bets, over/under bets or handicap bets. An accumulator bet is made of multiple selections that are combined in one bet. For this type of NBA betting, all your selections need to come in for the bet to win.

Whereas, Over/under bets is when you bet on the combined score of the favourite or underdog team. This is when you bet against the bookmaker that the total will either be under or over the line they have set.

Lastly, Handicap betting is point spread betting or line betting, which we have talked about above. This form of betting gives an equal opportunity to each team in the game.

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Which Basketball Betting Markets Are Available For Nigerian Punters?

The betting type is also in line with the betting market. When it comes to NBA betting, there are many markets where you can place your bets. Let’s talk about some of these markets in detail.

• Parlays

This betting market consists of point spread betting with multiple teams or selections. Parlays can be up to 10 or 15 teams, depending on the betting site. Teams in the Parlay must be able to cover the spread in order for you to secure a win, otherwise, you’ll lose the bet completely.

• Quarter/Period

Another type of market is the quarter or period bet. Here, you can bet on total point odds and winning odds on each quarter. The duration of the fourth quarter will depend on the bookmaker, some include overtime in this period. In some cases, even the highest-scoring period is taken into account.

• Halftime/Fulltime

In basketball, halftimes are often the most lucrative periods for punters. You get to bet which team will dominate the first or second half and the over/under total points at halftime.

• Future Bets

In this type of betting market, you can make a bet beforehand on which team will win a championship in the NBA (the conference or the division). The earlier you place your bet, the higher your possible winnings could be.

Short Term Betting in Basketball

We talked briefly about this before, but now let’s go a bit in-depth. Short term betting happens when punters place their bets on short-term matches, games or events. These only exist for a small amount of time and are accompanied by quick winnings. You can expect to see smaller odds with short-term betting.

Examples of short-term basketball betting are placing bets on the halftimes or quarters.

Also, short-term betting includes live betting. We’ll get into that a bit later but essentially with live betting, you can place bets on live events. The perks of short-term betting are quick and fun. If you are a beginner in the sports betting sector, short-term betting may be a good option for you.

Long-term Betting in Basketball

On the other hand, with long-term betting, you get to bet on events that will take place over a longer period of time. This means that the match or tournament will not have an outcome for a while, this could be several days.

While the payout time is longer with long-term betting, there is the possibility to win big. This is because the wagering on these events is usually bigger than those on short-term betting.

Examples of long-term betting can be betting on championships, seasons or finals.

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Basketball Betting: Live Betting in Basketball

Short term betting features live betting. Live NBA betting is another exciting thing when it comes to sports betting in Nigeria. Live betting allows punters to place their bets while a sporting event is going on. The benefit of this type of betting is that you can find markets with better odds as the match goes on.

Moreover, this is also good for punters who have not yet placed their bets on the sporting event and want to wait till they see the team’s performance to make their choices. This is also a very thrilling experience for punters.

As the odds continue to change, your possible payout also changes with live betting. Live betting is very popular and is available in many markets.

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FAQ for Basketball Betting

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The Stars of Basketball

Basketball is loved far and wide and has brought about some of the best athletes of all time. Let’s talk a little about these basketball stars and their successes.

LeBron James

LeBron James was an immediate star when he joined the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers. The player led Miami Heat to the NBA titles in 2012 and 2013 consecutively. He also won another championship in Cleveland in 2016. In 2018, the all-star player joined the Los Angeles Lakers and is currently playing for them.

Michael Jordan

You’ve definitely heard of this basketball legend from the 1980s! Michael Jordan has become somewhat of a household name in Nigeria and across the world. This former American basketball player led the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships! He also is a 5-time winner of the Most Valuable Player Award.

Tamika Catchings

Tamika Catchings comes from Stratford, New Jersey and is a retired American basketball player. She formerly was a member of Indiana Fever and was named in the Class of 2022 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame! She is known to be one of the best female basketball players in the world.

Carol Blazejowski

Carol Blazejowski is known as the most popular and highest-ranked best female basketball player, who used to score an average of 40 points per game! She is one of the oldest and most renowned players of the game. Carol was the first woman ever in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, back in 1999.

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The Best NBA Teams

There are a number of famous teams in the NBA. These teams have reigned over the others for years in playoffs, finals and championships. Let’s have a look at some of them below.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are led by Coach Frank Vogel and house some of the biggest players in the game. The team was founded in 1947 and is currently owned by the Buss Family Trust. The team has won a combined total of 17 BAA and NBA titles.

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are led by Coach Ime Udoka and are owned by the Boston Basketball Partners. They are also called the C-Green, Celtics or Smash Machine. The Celtics won 11 of 13 NBA championships from 1957 to 1969!

Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls are led by Head Coach Billy Donovan and are owned by Jerry Reinsdorf. They have some of the most iconic players in their team. The team won 6 NBA championships between 1991 to 1998 with two three-peats!

Miami Heat

Miami Heat’s Coach is Erik Spoelstra and they are owned by Micky Arison. Between 2006 to 2013, the team has won 3 NBA championships! The Heatles, consisting of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, were an iconic trio that played in this team from 2010 to 2014.

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