The second season is right around the corner, so it’s time to start getting ready to bet the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The 2020-21 NBA regular season is heading toward its home stretch as teams near 60 games played. Teams will play 72 games this year, 10 fewer than in a normal season. That means that playoff time is near.
Like last season, a play-in tournament will kick off the postseason. The play-in will determine the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds. It will also add a few more games for bettors, who need to be getting ready to bet the 2021 NBA playoffs.
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The Play-In Tournament – Betting the 2021 NBA Playoffs
Bettors will have the opportunity to bet on the play-in games. The seventh-place team in each conference will host the eighth-place team. The winner of that game earns the No. 7 seed.
The ninth-place team hosts the tenth-place team. The loser is eliminated and the winner travels to the loser of the seventh-place versus eight-place game. The winner of that game earns the No. 8 seed and the playoffs then continue as normal.
The play-in tournament adds more opportunities for NBA bettors.
Betting Options
There are some NBA bets that are only available during the playoffs. For example, bettors can find a number of wagers on playoff series. The easiest series bet is picking the winner, but there are also bets on the exact series result – i.e. Utah 4-1 over Memphis – and the total number of games in the series.
There will also be options to bet on the overall NBA champion as well as the conference champions in the futures market. These bets are open all season and continue through the playoffs though the odds tend to get shorter, especially on favorites.
Bettors will also be able to bet on individual performances like the NBA Finals MVP as well as individual game props. There will also be series prop bets like which player will have the most points, assists, or rebounds in a series.
Then, there is the latest trend – live betting. NBA bettors will be able to engage in live betting with the upcoming playoffs. This is a fast, exciting way of engaging in games and winning bets.
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NBA Playoff Betting Strategies: Home Court Advantage
While home court advantage can be debated and certainly in a COVID-19 affected season, statistics show that NBA teams win around 60 percent of their home games during the regular season. That number rises to nearly 65 percent during the postseason.
In the playoffs, home teams, aka the higher seeds, play the first two games at home and each series follows the same format: 2-2-1-1-1. Should a series go to a seventh game, it is played on the court of the higher seed.
Some teams have a distinct advantage when playing at home. The two biggest home court advantages are enjoyed by Denver and Utah. Ball Arena in Denver is at the highest elevation in the league. Playing at elevation has an effect on players giving the Nuggets an advantage.
Whether one believes it or not, home court advantage is a factor to consider before placing your NBA playoff bets at online sportsbooks.
Rest Advantages
Another consideration worth looking at when you want to bet the 2021 NBA playoffs is rest. There are teams in the early rounds that may have a distinct advantage when it comes to rest. Take the 2018 playoffs when Houston beat Minnesota in five games in the first round.
The Rockets second-round opponent, Utah, took six games to beat Oklahoma City. The Jazz were forced to play in Houston just two days after beating the Thunder. Houston won easily against a tired Utah.
Upset Victims Heading Home
In the first two rounds of the playoffs, there is one bet that is as close to a sure thing as you’ll find. What bettors are searching for are NBA favorites playing on the road that fall victim to the upset.
Favored teams that lose on the road and then play their next game at home win at a staggering pace. Teams facing this situation win 78.9 percent of the time straight up and they cover the spread at a 60.5 percent clip.
Fade the Public – Bet the 2021 NBA Playoffs
The NBA playoffs represent one of the best situations to bet against the public. Because it’s playoff time, an influx of square bettors enter the fray with little knowledge of betting. Squares tend to bet heavily on favorites and Overs.
Savvy bettors can find those lines that have been influenced by the public and take advantage by betting the other side. It’s just one of many ways to capitalize on betting the NBA playoffs in 2021.
