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Basketball Predictions Explained

Money Line – This is an American sports term simply meaning ‘to win’. If you are backing a team on the money line then they must win for your bet to come in.

Point Spread – This is a handicap system based on points, and works the same as handicaps in football predictions. For example, a Miami Heat -2.5 point spread means they must win the game by 3 clear points or more for your bet to come in, with the opposite being the case for a +2.5 point spread. If the spread is a whole number and the team end up winning by or losing by exactly that number, then the bet becomes a push and your money is refunded.

Alternative Point Spread – This is the same as a standard point spread but with a different number of points. Not many bookies offer this market but some, like bet365, offer 10 points either side of the point spread line. We love putting accumulators and banker doubles onto these as part of our NBA tips!

Game Totals – This is simply predictions on the total number of points scored in a game. This might look like: Indiana Pacers @ Miami Heat – Over/Under 195 =. This means you need 196 or more total points in the game to win the Overs and 194 or less to win the Unders. If the game total is a whole number and ends up being the same as the total points scored then your bet becomes a push and your stake is refunded. Note that all of the above includes overtime!

Alternative Game Totals – This is the same as ‘game totals’ but with a different number of points. Again this can be found on bet365, found under the alternative game totals tab.

Parlay – This is an American term for an accumulator. But don’t worry, our basketball predictions tips use the British term!

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