NBA Player Props – Basketball Betting
Basketball and the NBA remains one of the most popular sports to bet on in Canada. Here at VIPCasino.ca, we have a whole host of player props, futures bets, team bets and game bets available for almost all NBA markets you can think of.
The purpose of this article is to explain the nuances between the different types of bets available and go a little bit deeper on some player props markets that might interest you.
Are NBA Futures and Player Props Different?
Futures bets are prop bets that take place over a longer period of time, typically a season but can be longer or shorter depending on the market. Player props focus on one specific player. These bets can be made on a nightly basis e.g. how many points will that player score in a game. Futures bets can be placed on player performance too but this is usually related to their season long performance or accolades e.g. Fred VanVleet to be the leading regular season scorer this year.
Player Prop Strategy
Player probs are often used by bettors who do not have confidence in predicting the game outcome. Instead, they focus on the performance of one player and back them to perform over or under expectations.
There are a few key factors to look out for when researching your prop bet options. Things like player injuries, form guides, minutes restrictions and defensive matchups will all have an impact on the success of your bet. For example, an injury to a team’s star player might mean more minutes and scoring opportunities for a player who typically doesn’t get a chance. Likewise, if a player who usually scores in the 20-30 point range is coming up against a tough defender, he may not get the same shooting opportunities as he does on other nights.
Other bettors might review line movement and bet against the popular choice in the market. This is sometimes known as ‘fading the public’. It works on the premise that a casual bettor may not have the depth of knowledge of the markets and could be more easily swayed by ‘buzz’ around a certain player. For example, if a player goes on a scoring streak, his over/under line might go up and this might be an opportunity to place the bet.
Types of NBA Player Props
We have all the most popular NBA player props here on VIPCasino. For some games there will be specific double-double and triple-double offers for players. Some of the NBA’s star players will always be popular for these bets. Luka Doncic, LeBron James, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo are all known for their ability to fill up the stat sheet every time they step on the court.
The most common player props are:
- Over/Under Points
- Over/Under Assists
- Three Pointers Made
- Over/Under Blocks
- Over/Under Total Points + Assists + Rebounds
In the days of COVID, injury reports and health and safety protocols can play havoc with over/under lines. Late scratches can completely change the outlook of the game so it’s important to keep this in mind when placing your bets. Another popular player bet is the player to score the first field goal in the game.
NBA Betting Tips and News in Canada
With only one NBA team this side of the border, some of the betting articles and basketball news cycle can sometimes be tilted in favour of the Raptors and our players in the league. However, we aim to provide up-to-date and accurate basketball news and tips here on this site.
We try to go in-depth and give great insight into NBA betting on a regular basis.
Team Prop Bets
There are also team prop bets available on NBA games too. Although not as popular as player prop bets, they do provide a chance to focus on the team game rather than an individual. It’s rare for a night to pass without at least 3-4 games on the schedule so you have plenty of options to choose from here.
Team prop bets focus more on points score. This could be the first team to score, race to 30 points or the over/under points total for the duration of the game. More unique team prop bets like winner of the first tip are sometimes available too.
Popular Player Prop Bets
Next we’ll take a look at some of the stat leaders in the NBA and how this can help us decipher the player prop bets markets. We have the consistently great players who will have lines across the board. The likes of Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Joel Embiid will rarely have an over/under points line that dips below 25.5 per night. These players can score at ease and their teams rely on them to score 20+ points a night.
Likewise when it comes to rebounding, players such as Jarrett Allen, Rudy Gobert, Embiid and Deandre Ayton dominate the boards and they record double digit rebound games more often than not. When two of these players come up against each other it can be more difficult to predict and this can be a good opportunity to capitalize with a player prop bet.
There is rarely the same level of consistency when it comes to the assists. At the time of writing, Chris Paul and James Harden are the only two players who are averaging 10 assists per game this season. Paul and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland jointly hold the season-high with 18 assists in games against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans respectively.
There are players around the league who can light up the court but struggle to do it on a consistent basis. Correctly predicting when these players will put it in a big performance will go a long way to helping you being successful with your prop bets.
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