The NBA season is quickly approaching and after a wild summer of player movement, the 2019-20 campaign could be on the most highly-anticipated basketball betting online schedule in some time.

Whether you’re new to betting on pro hoops or have been taking on the NBA odds for years, here are a few simple tips and tactics to you keep basketball betting onlinein mind when wagering on the upcoming NBA season:

Spot the schedule
Situational handicapping really lends itself to day-to-day sports like basketball, which find teams in action three or four times in the run of a week. That means spotting valuable opportunities, like look-ahead and let-down spots, is even more abundant.

Bettors should always keep in mind the weight of recent wins/losses as well as the challenge ahead on the schedule. Teams can fall flat after a marque victory or get caught looking past a weaker foe to a challenging opponent ahead on the calendar.

Road and home splits should also be considered, especially when it comes to multiple games in a short period of time and back-to-back outings as well. The NBA has done it’s best to limit those situations, but they still pop up from time to time.

Injury impact
When it comes to star players, bookies do a good job working their numbers around the availability of those standouts and most often they’re accurately reflected in the odds and subsequent adjustments. However, there are some role players that have a deeper impact on a team’s outcome and aren’t equated for when missing time.

Point guards and centers can hold special value to the spread and total, due to them controlling the pace on offense and providing defense and rebounding in the paint. Losing a starting PG – or even a reliable backup – can force a team to play a different pace or suddenly spark turnovers from a thin backcourt.

An injured big man can drastically change how a team plays, most notably if the coach decides to go smaller rather than replace that center with the next biggest body. Teams can sudden shift gears when going smaller, picking up the pace and scoring more rapidly – which is a huge concern for NBA bettors taking a look at the Over/Under odds.

Pace of play
If you’re betting on NBA totals, you need to know about pace. Advanced statistics on how quickly a team plays are now common practice among handicappers, and the first place they should look when sizing up the totals.

If you find two faster-paced teams facing off, there could be value in leaning toward the Over. If two methodical offenses are matching up, look to the Under.

And when you have a mismatch in tempo, try to determine which side with dictate the pace of play. You can do so by measuring their past results versus former foes that play at similar speeds as their current opponent.

Pop the props
The NBA isn’t only about betting sides and totals. Much like the NFL, there are long list of alternate odds for the nightly action: everything from team totals, derivatives, player props and alternative lines.

If you don’t have a strong play on the spread or Over/Under, look to the props for another method to get action down.