---

Make the Right NBA Picks with This Guide

As sports gambling applies to the professional NBA basketball league, there is a six-month season made up of 30 teams that play 82 games. Therefore, each and every week, there is plenty of action to slam dunk some wagers on.

All of those games also mean that there is an extensive storyline of winning and losing, high scoring and low scoring, healthy players and injured players to remain cognizant of.

If you start betting on NBA games too late in the season or you take too many weeks off where you aren't paying attention, you could become so out of the loop that you have to re-educate yourself all over again from scratch.

In order to make sure that you get in the game with your head on straight, here is a quick guide to making the right NBA picks.

Pre-season Homework

You may not be an NBA player, but you should be studying the game as if you were. In order to be successful, it will take you to make many educated decisions on what games are worth betting your hard-earned income on.

Prior to the start of the NBA season, you should be reading and watching as many interviews and respected analyses about the state of the league, the stand-out players, individual teams, and coaches.

Which teams struggled last season and why? Which NBA organizations were dominating their competition? Which exciting new draft pick players have been added to weaker teams that may have the newfound talent they need to elevate into the playoffs in the new season?

Study the Matchups

Paying close attention to the dynamics involved in matchups that you are placing bets on is key. Don’t make bets based on what you assume about a team; make sure you have factored in current information.

Home vs. Away

We have all seen those special basketball teams that appear as though they cannot be beaten on their home court. Some teams seem like their luck has gone the other way, and they can't win a single game out on the road when they are the away team.

You can bet on them at home and bet against them when on the road, as long as your fact-checking is adding up.

Also, be aware of that great team that was destroyed by a squad with a miserable team; there is probably a high chance that they are going to do whatever they can to flatten their next opponents to redeem themselves.

There could also be teams that have been on an undefeated streak that could be flying high on the bolstered ego and could be overdue for an upset.

Second Half Wagers

Betting on the last two quarters of an NBA game can actually be a lucrative opportunity for you to hop in on. With second-half wagering, essentially, you are putting your money on the basketball club that you think will put in more points in those final two quarters of the game. Quite often, it’s the team that’s behind.

There can also be scenarios where there is a wonderful team that has a large lead and is known for losing that lead in the second part of the game.

Choosing the team that is going to give much more effort in the second half of the game is normally a great way to pick a winner.

Is Defense on Top or Tired?

During the first half of the season, it is easy to strictly focus on the teams with the most electrifying shooters and a star-studded offensive display from the three-point line.

But make sure that you don't ignore teams that are operating with the top defenses.

When a team's offense is struggling early on in the season, they may keep totals down but still win games by close scoring margins. There is a lot of emphasis on getting the ball in the basket. It is called basketball for a reason.

But special teams are ones that are strong at stopping other clubs from putting points up on the board, and tight point spreads are available from betting bookmakers for you to gamble on such teams.

As the season gets closer to ending, teams will also be getting closer to the end of their energy levels. The defense may get played way more laxer, especially if a team feels that they have no chance to make it to the playoffs.

Professional NBA Handicapper

For a reasonable amount of money, use a professional NBA handicapper who has the inside scoop on games, players, and organizations and follow their advice.

Now that you have these beneficial NBA betting tips to make the odds that you will be making money more prosperous for you, get to work and start studying the stats to see how you can get these upcoming basketball games to work in your favor.