The past few years since the global pandemic have been significant for the world of online sports betting. Although sports were paused for a brief period when the world was crippled by the virus, this memorable period in our recent history gave greater rise to digital forms of entertainment due to the increased reliance on digital devices and home entertainment.
Online sports betting was certainly one of the biggest benefactors of the acceleration of the digital transition and once sports returned, NBA fans began slowly flocking back towards online sportsbooks, fuelled by the brief absence of sport. Over the years, online sports betting has gained greater recognition with more literature, coverage, opinions, and strategies emerging across an increasing number of online sources, including review websites and social media.
The growing clamour has led to more conversation around the intricacies of sports betting including tactics and approaches and as a result, more players are looking for the edge on online betting platforms, aided by the deluge of data now integrated into sports betting algorithms to produce static and dynamic odds. Due to the rapid end-to-end pace of basketball, sports betting on individual matches can often prove difficult.
But with a better idea of how load management can affect line movement, players can perhaps come out on the right side in a game of such small margins. With the NBA Finals not until June 2026, there is plenty of time remaining in the season to sharpen up betting strategies. And keeping up with the news and statistics can make the difference.
Staying Ahead of the Game
People say hindsight is a wonderful thing. But in sports betting, foresight can be incredibly valuable. With a long 82 game season, there is not an NBA player that can endure the rigours of elite level basketball for eight months. Therefore, load management is key for any head coach and periods of rest, even if short, are expected throughout the season.
For NBA fans that scour the betting markets for player props or spreads, the presence or absence of a key player can make a substantial difference in a basketball match, which can also have a significant impact on betting options like those found on NBA markets at SpiderBets. In a game where match momentum is extremely important, that momentum can be stunted during a short breather for a game changer. With that in mind, there are a few tips to try and stay ahead of the game and take advantage of odds before any line movement.
Take Advantage of the Data Available
In the current digital era, we are becoming increasingly reliant on data that can now be rapidly farmed, processed, and analysed by Artificial Intelligence (AI). The growth in influence of AI has benefited sports fans massively as data from all aspects of basketball can be collected and assessed to create patterns, including performance data on the minutes played, when and from where points are scored and data related to load management such as appearances and even when players are taken off the court. Just to name a few.
Of course, this factor squarely depends on how a basketball game is playing out, and scenarios when a team has a healthy lead tend to present opportunities for rest. However, clues are already given by the NBA schedule released by the league ahead of the first tip-off. For NBA teams, load management is especially key over back-to-back games and if these can be identified ahead of time, there are greater chances to identify when players could be rested.
Stay Informed
Despite the growing influence of data, the more traditional methods are also useful for sports betting. By reading the news and keeping up with team updates, especially any players that pick up knocks and niggles, punters can forecast how many minutes a player could get or how a player will perform and get ahead of the line movement curve.
