A Betting Guide for the 2023 NBA Playoffs

Playoffs Structure (and Play-In Tournament)

The top 6 teams in the West and East Conferences directly qualify for the playoffs. The teams that finish seventh through tenth in both Conferences proceed to a Play-In tournament.

The Play-In Tournament

The Play-In Tournament determines the final playoff spots in each conference by offering a chance for lower-seeded teams to secure a postseason berth. The tournament involves teams ranked 7th through 10th in each conference (Eastern and Western) based on their regular-season records.

The format is very simple:

Game 1: The 7th seed faces the 8th seed in a single-elimination game, with the winner securing the 7th playoff seed in their conference.

Game 2: The 9th seed plays the 10th seed in another single-elimination game, with the loser being eliminated from playoff contention.

Game 3: The loser of Game 1 (7th vs. 8th) plays the winner of Game 2 (9th vs. 10th) in a final single-elimination game. The winner of this game earns the 8th playoff seed in their conference.

Playoffs

The 8 teams from both Conferences are paired according to their seeds, first with eighth, second with seventh, third with sixth and fourth with fifth. They play in a best-of-7 series and the winners proceed to the Conference Semi-finals. The winners of that round advance to the Conference Finals, where the winner of the Conference will be determined. The two Conference winners then go head-to-head in the NBA Finals, with the winner taking the NBA Championship.

Betting Opportunities

The Playoffs is the defining period of the season, where any qualifying team can clinch glory. In each fixture, the games in the series are played every other day, meaning you can watch the same two teams play against each other up to 7 times in the space of 2 weeks. As a punter, this is a golden opportunity to analyse statistics and use them to aid your decision-making.

Outright Betting

Outrights are always handy bets as you can get good odds, even on the favourites. These are bets relating to which team will win the NBA Championship. You can find the odds on individual teams and then pick the one you think will become the next champions. There may also be outright bets relating to whether the winner will be from a certain division or which Conference will win the NBA Finals.

For example, if you think the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers both have a strong chance of winning the championship, you can bet on the winner to hail from the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. However, if you think the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks can win it, you can extend your bet by wagering on the Eastern Conference to win the division.

Pregame Markets

There are all sorts of pregame bets that you can take advantage of. Standard bets include moneylines, handicap bets and totals, but there are loads more to explore. As the games are played in such close proximity, it may be worth checking out player betting markets, game props, and other bets, which relate to specific events in each game.

Live Betting

If you have watched a lot of basketball games or are familiar with the teams and their players, you can benefit greatly from live bets. Once a game is in play, the live betting market will open and there will be a huge range of markets to take advantage of. You may see something in the way a team is playing in the first few minutes that convinces you they will win. Alternatively, a team may start the game poorly, and you can quickly capitalise on their lack of form by betting against them.

Betting Tips for the Playoffs

There is no way to know what will or will not happen in a game, but you can always do your homework. With the proper research, you may choose better options, with a greater chance of winning. Here are some quick tips:

Series over Round

By following a series, you will be able to pick up on the body language and strategies deployed by both teams. If you bet on each game in the series individually, not only will you have lots of more betting opportunities, but you may stand a better chance of winning. This does not mean that betting on the outright result between two teams is not good, just that you may stand a better chance of winning if you cut up each series into individual games.

Team Rosters

Which players are in form, which team is playing more coherently, are there any injuries, are either or both teams keeping the same squads from game to game. These are all questions you should be asking and investigating.

Home Court Advantage

The teams play both home and away, but the courts change only after every second game. The first two games are played at the stadium of the team with a home-court advantage. The third and fourth games are played at their opponents, and then it switches back. Those first two games are vital, and it is important to check the home and away statistics for both teams.