NBA Playoffs betting – Arizona

The NBA Playoffs consist of 2 months worth of post-season games to see who will become the NBA Champion for the season. The Playoffs occur after a grueling 82 game regular season. This time is considered the most popular for Basketball sports betting in AZ because it comes with some of the most promotions, bonuses, and fun betting opportunities.

Even though the Playoffs season is one of the more popular times for NBA sports betting, betting still works generally the same as it would during the regular season. Most sportsbooks use a point spread odds system to determine who will win the Championship.

Additionally, Arizona online gambling sites offer a variety of betting markets during this time. The majority of the betting markets are the same as the regular season. That being said, the NBA Championship often invites tons of unique promos and prop bets that make sports betting a bit more unique.

How to read NBA Playoffs odds

Reading NBA Championship odds is the first step to understanding how the whole betting process works. Though it is up to the sportsbook to decide which odds form they prefer, most list the NBA Championship odds as follows:

• LA Lakers: +200
• Milwaukee Bucks: +400
• Phoenix Suns: +600

These odds tell you the likelihood of each team winning the Championship. Generally speaking, the lower the number, the better the odds the team will win. So in the example above, the Lakers are most likely to win, whereas the Suns are least likely.

The odds tell you more than just who is most likely to win. They also tell you how much you will make based on a $100 stake.

For example, if you bet $100 on the Lakers and they win, you will win $200 in addition to the $100 stake, resulting in $300 total. With the same math, if you bet $100 on the Suns successfully, you will win $600 total plus the stake.

Do you have to bet $100?

In our example above, we predicted how much we would win based on a $100 stake. Using a $100 stake simply makes the math much easier to follow in an example.

You can bet as much or as little as you would like. Of course, using a different stake amount will make calculating your earnings a bit more difficult, but you can use an odds calculator to make the calculations a bit easier.

The second step to mastering sports betting in Arizona is to know your betting market options. The betting market or betting option refers to the types of beds you can place. The NBA Finals offer some of the most versatile betting options, but the most popular include finals, moneyline, point spread, props, and futures.

These betting options are readily available and popular during regular season betting as well, but more people tend to bet during the Playoffs simply because of the potentially bigger payouts.

Finals

Finals, sometimes called over-under betting or totals, involve wagering if the combined total will go over or under the oddsmakers’ predicted amount. How it works is that the oddsmaker will set a certain number as the combined final total. Remember, this total involves the final score for both teams. As the bettor, it is your job to decide if the total will be over the predicted amount or under.

Moneyline

Moneyline is considered the most basic wager type in just about every form of sports betting. With a moneyline, you will simply pick who will win. You don’t have to factor in finals, point spread, or any other factor. Just bet on which team will win and hope you are right.

Point spread

A point spread bet is when you wager on if the team will cover the spread, meaning that they win with more points than the oddsmakers predicted. You can win a point spread bet if the favorite covers the spread or if the underdog wins or loses by fewer points than predicted.

Prop bets

Prop bets are considered one of the more fun wager types. These bets are on specific events that can occur. For example, the 2018 NBA Finals had a prop that LeBron James would average a triple-double. As you can see, prop bets are about specific incidents, not the final outcome of the game.

Prop bets can be a bit difficult during the regular season. Certain sportsbooks will limit the prop bets available. However, more prop bets become available during the NBA Playoffs season. So, definitely take advantage of prop bets when they are hot.

Futures

Futures are way more popular for the NBA Playoffs than the regular season. Futures bets are those placed at any time during the season about future events. For example, many people like to wager on who will make it to the Playoffs or win before the regular season is up. These bets create season-long wagers with high potential earnings.

Whenever sports betting was legalized in Arizona, lawmakers permitted a total of 20 sportsbooks available within the state. Currently, not all 20 slots are filled, but there are still plenty of sportsbooks to choose from for NBA Championship betting in Arizona.

DraftKings NBA Playoffs betting

DraftKings offers great odds, an intuitive interface, and numerous betting options to make NBA Playoffs betting very fun. In Arizona, DraftKings is partnered with PGA and TPC Scottsdale.

BetMGM NBA Playoffs betting

BetMGM is a favorite sportsbook around the nation because they offer some of the best promos and bonuses. They also have quite a few betting options and a rather sleek website. It is currently undetermined who BetMGM will officially partner with in Arizona, but most experts believe it will be the Gila River Indian Community.

FanDuel NBA Playoffs betting

FanDuel has been a top fantasy sports provider for years and has recently become a leading sportsbook as well. In Arizona, they are partnered with the Phoenix Suns and their arena, making them the perfect sportsbook for NBA Championship betting.

William Hill NBA Playoffs betting

William Hill has been a very safe, reputable, and fun sports betting site for decades. Their sportsbook in Arizona is partnered with Harrah’s Ak-Chin and the Ak-Chin Indian Community.

Caesars Sports NBA Playoffs betting

Backed by the Las Vegas giant, Caesars Sports brings a little bit of luxury to NBA sports betting in Arizona. They are partnered with MLB and Arizona Diamondbacks in Arizona.

Bally Bet NBA Playoffs betting

Bally Bet is another great sportsbook if you are interested in NBA and WNBA alike. Bally Bet is partnered with the WNBA and Arizona’s Phoenix Mercury for Arizona sports betting fun.

WynnBET Sportsbook NBA Playoffs betting

WynnBET Sportsbook offers plenty of sports betting options in Arizona. They are partnered with the San Carlos Apache Tribe and the Apache Gold Casino Resort in the state.

Unibet NBA Playoffs betting

Unibet offers great odds and betting options for Arizona players. They are partnered with the Quechan Casino Resort and the Quechan Tribe in Arizona.

Now that you know the basics for NBA Championship betting in Arizona, here are some tips to keep in mind before you lay down the money:

Pay attention to top seeds

In the NBA, the top seeds are most likely to win. For the past few years, superteams, squads with three or more stars, tend to dominate in the NBA Finals. In fact, the number one seed is statistically most likely to win the Championship. Between the years 2013 and 2009, the number one seed won every year except for two.

We say this just to remind you to pay attention to the top seeds. Even if you are a diehard fan of a team lower in the bracket, it’s best to put your money on the teams favored to win. Of course, you could always place prop bets and finals on your favorite teams too.

Understand homecourt advantage

Homecourt advantage is something that can really make a difference on a team’s playing ability. Oddly enough, there are certain teams that tend to underperform in their own building. Therefore, it’s important to understand homecourt advantage and know which team the homecourt advantage applies to in the first place.

At the beginning of every Playoffs season, research every team record for home and away games. This will give you a good idea about homecourt advantage and what teams to be aware of. Even though homecourt advantage is important, the team’s ability to play off the road is often more important during the finals, so don’t discount that either!

Bet early with futures

Futures can be the most lucrative types of wagers for the NBA Championship. The earlier you bet futures, the more you will win. Since the NBA Championship is statistically most likely to be won by the number one seed, betting on the number one seed as early as possible is always a great idea for a futures bet.

At the same time, injuries, upsets, and other factors can affect the Playoffs and Championship if you bet too early. The key is finding the sweet spot for betting early while still having the most pertinent information available.

Start with money lines if you’re new to sports betting

If you’re new to NBA sports betting or sports betting as a whole, we always recommend starting with moneyline. Moneyline bets are the simplest and easiest to wager on. Of course, they don’t always lead to the top earnings, but it can be a great way to learn the trade without risking too much money in the process.

Have fun with player props

The last step to keep in mind is to have fun with player props. As we already learned, props are most available during the Playoffs season. Playoff player props can be a very fun way to wager on the finals while breaking the monotony of regular betting options.