NBA Odds: Spreads, Totals, Props & FAQ 2025

In the NBA, the scoreboard isn’t the only thing that changes by the minute – NBA odds do, too. From morning injury whispers to last-second lineup scratches, basketball lines swing with every bit of news. 

Welcome to your courtside guide to NBA odds and betting markets, from point spreads and moneylines to player props and live betting. By the end, you’ll have the insight you need to make smarter wagers this NBA season.

How to read and understand NBA betting odds

NBA betting odds come in three main formats, each conveying different information about the game and your potential payout. It’s essential to know how to understand odds when wagering on any sport, as this will help you navigate betting markets effectively.

NBA point spreads

Point spread betting is a form of wagering that levels the playing field between mismatched NBA teams. Instead of just picking a winner, you’re betting on whether the favorite can cover the spread or if the underdog will keep it close. The underdog is given extra points, while points are taken away from the favorite.

For example, if you wager on the Los Angeles Lakers -6.5, they’d need to win by seven or more points for your bet to cash. Meanwhile, the underdog gets those same points added to their final score. In this example, the Boston Celtics +6.5 would cash if the C’s lose by six or fewer, or win the game outright. On the Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app, you’ll see this listed in the Spread column.

NBA moneylines (Winners)

Moneyline bets (known as Winners at Hard Rock Bet) simply require your team to win the game – nothing less, nothing more. This is a great option for NBA bettors who want to back the favorite without worrying about covering the spread, or for those looking for a larger payout by betting on an outright upset.

For example, taking the Orlando Magic on the moneyline at -205 means you’d need to bet $205 to win $100, while betting on the Miami Heat at +170 would return $170 in profit on a $100 wager. You can find NBA moneylines in the Winner column at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook.

NBA totals (over/under)

NBA totals betting requires players to predict whether the combined score of both teams will be higher or lower than the number set by the sportsbook, which is known as the total.

In other words, you’re not picking which team wins; you’re predicting how many total points will be scored in the game.

For example, if there’s a point total set at over/under 218, you’d be tasked with picking whether both teams score more or fewer than 218 total points. For totals like this example, that don’t feature a half point at the end of the number (known as the hook), there is a chance that the game could end on exactly 218 total points – when this occurs, it is called a push and all bets on either side are refunded.

These bets are found in the Total column when looking at NBA matchups at Hard Rock Sportsbook.

NBA Futures

NBA futures betting lets players wager on long-term outcomes that play out over the course of the season. Instead of focusing on a single game from tonight’s slate, futures betting allows you to predict how the season as a whole will unfold.

Since these outcomes depend on a full season’s worth of performance, they carry more uncertainty – but that also means more opportunity for players who can spot value early.

Popular NBA Futures Markets

• NBA Championship Odds
• Eastern Conference Odds
• Western Conference Odds
• Division Winner Odds (Atlantic, Central, Southeast, Northwest, Pacific, Southwest)
• Regular Season Team Win Totals
• NBA MVP Odds
• Rookie of the Year Odds
• Defensive Player of the Year Odds
• Most Improved Player Odds
• Sixth Man of the Year Odds

How to read NBA futures odds

Reading and understanding NBA futures odds is simple, especially if you’re already familiar with moneyline betting. Just like any team’s game odds, Hard Rock Bet lists futures prices for each team or player within a given market.

In most cases, every option in the market will display positive odds (+), particularly early on in the season when the outcome is still wide open. The closer we get to the end of the regular season – and the clearer the whole picture becomes – the odds begin to tighten, and a few teams or players may even move into negative territory (-) as favorites. The concept is simple:

• The higher the positive number, the less likely that team or player is to win – but the bigger the payout if they do.
• The lower or negative number, the more likely the oddsmakers think they’ll win – resulting in a smaller payout and a label as “chalk.”

For example:

• The Oklahoma City Thunder +250 to win the NBA Championship means a $100 bet would return $250 in profit if they win.
• That same $100 unit on the Denver Nuggets +650 to lift the Larry O’Brien would return $650 in profit.
• A heavy favorite like Cleveland Cavaliers -500 to win their division would require a $500 stake to win $100 in profit.

NBA Prop Betting

NBA prop bets let you go beyond traditional wagers like spreads and totals. Instead of focusing solely on who wins or how many points are scored, prop betting allows you to zero in on specific aspects of a game such as team performance, game events, or individual player stats.

NBA game props

Game props are bets based on events or outcomes that happen during a specific matchup, rather than the final score. Common examples include:

• Total Points by Both Teams: Predict whether the combined total score will be over or under a set number.
• Winning Margin: Bet on how many points one team will win by (example: Clippers to win by 6-10 points).
• Race to 20 Points: Wager on which team reaches 20 points first in a game.
• Overtime Props: Bet on whether the game will go to overtime.

NBA team props

Team props, on the other hand, focus on the performance of one specific team during a game, rather than both sides combined. Examples of NBA team props include:

• Team Total Points: Bet whether a team will score over or under a certain number of points.
• Team to Win All Quarters: Wager on either team in a matchup to win all four quarters, respectively.
• First-Half or Quarter Totals: Bet on how a team performs in a specific period (example: Hornets First-Half Points Over 58.5).

Team props are great if you have insight into a team’s offensive or defensive tendencies, such as the pace of play or matchup advantages.

NBA player props 

Player props focus on individual player statistics rather than overall game outcomes. Players at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook can wager on several markets including points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers made, steals, blocks, or even combinations of stats (known as Combos, like Points + Rebounds + Assists).

These bets are extremely popular among NBA fans and players who follow trends, fantasy sports, or analytics-driven performance metrics. Most player props are offered as over/under lines: for example, LeBron James Over 27.5 points or Stephen Curry Over 4.5 made threes.

You can find NBA player props easily in the Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook app by selecting a specific game and navigating to Player Props for that matchup, or simply by clicking Player Props at the top of the NBA betting menu to browse all available options regardless of game.

A few more examples of NBA player props offered at Hard Rock Bet include:

• First Basket Scorer
• Points
• Rebounds
• Assists
• Steals
• Blocks
• Three Pointers Made
• To Record a Double Double
• To Record a Triple Double
• Points + Rebounds + Assists
• Steals + Blocks

NBA Parlays

Just like player props, parlay bets are among the most exciting and popular ways to wager on NBA action. When you place an NBA parlay, you’re combining multiple individual bets – known as legs – into a single wager that only wins if every leg included is successful.

To qualify as a parlay, your bet must include at least two separate legs, but beyond that, the possibilities are wide open. At Hard Rock Bet, you can build parlays with up to 20 different legs, mixing and matching from various NBA markets like spreads, totals, moneylines, and even player props.

Imagine you want to combine several games on a busy NBA slate. You believe:

• The Warriors (-120) will beat the Trail Blazers
• The Celtics -7 (-110) will cover the spread against the Hawks
• The Knicks (+110) will win outright as underdogs at Bucks
• The Mavericks (+105) will take down the Raptors
• The Bulls -5 (-110) will handle business against the Kings

When all five of these selections are combined into one parlay, your overall odds would come out to around +2777. That means a $10 wager could pay out roughly $277.57 in profit if every leg wins.

However, if even one of those five legs loses, the entire parlay loses.

NBA Same Game Parlays

NBA Same Game Parlays (SGPs) allow players at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook take their parlay experience to the next level. Instead of building a parlay across multiple games, you can now combine several legs from one single NBA matchup into one big bet – giving you more ways to win while watching just one game.

This opens up endless combinations and lets you craft bets that match your predictions for how one specific game will play out.

Let’s say you’re watching a marquee matchup between the Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers. You could build a Same Game Parlay that looks something like this:

• Rockets to win
• Over 233.5 total points
• Kevin Durant Over 23.5 points
• Donovan Mitchell Over 2.5 made threes

This four-leg Same Game Parlay would carry odds around +1800, meaning a $10 wager would return $180 in profit if all four legs hit.

Live Betting on NBA Games

Live betting on NBA games (also known as in-play betting) gives fans the chance to place wagers after the game has already tipped off, letting you react in real time as the action unfolds on the court.

At Hard Rock Bet, you’ll have the option to wager on markets including which team will win the next quarter, updated spreads, totals, and moneylines based on live scores and even live player performance props as the game progresses.

Whether you’re reacting to a hot shooting streak or a clutch defensive stand, NBA live betting at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook keeps you right in the center of the action.

NBA odds and betting FAQ

Still any questions about NBA betting? We’ve got answers.