The NBA game is made up of four quarters and two halves. While the final score is what matters, the first half and second half can often tell a very different story. The first half is often higher scoring while the second half is more defensively minded.
Thanks to the higher scoring environment in the first half, many people like betting on the first half and only the first half. It is also a popular bet among those without a lot of time on their hands. Enter NBA 1st Halfs betting.
This article is going to cover all you need to know about betting NBA First Halfs. Where to bet them, how to bet them and our own strategy for betting them. These are a really fun bet so let’s get right to it.
Where To Bet NBA First Halfs:
America: A good place for all NBA betting is Bovada who offer a wide selection of options including NBA First Halfs.
Canada: A top site online to bet the NBA is Sports Interaction. They offer some great betting options and NBA First Halfs.
Everywhere Else: 888 have NBA First Halfs on just about every game during the season.
What are NBA First Half bets?
NBA First Halfs are when you bet on the outcome of the first half of the game and only the first half of the game. The second half doesn’t matter, overtime doesn’t matter, the final score doesn’t matter. All you are concerned with is the results of the first half of basketball.
These are fun when you like an offense to get hot in the first half or simply can’t stay up that late.
There are three main bets that you can place on the first half, but there are also a lot of props as well. I’ll just cover the most popular first bets here though.
First Half Moneylines: A moneyline is a bet on the outcome and nothing else. You are only betting on what team will win. While not all teams are created equally, a line will be set to favor the favorite. The Celtics might be a -300 favorite against the Hornets with +300 underdog line.
A $300 bet on the Celtics would win $100. A $100 bet on the Hornets would win $300. On the off chance that the first half ends in a tie, both bets would be considered a push and money would be refunded.
First Half Point Spreads: A point spread is a number set based on how much better a team is than another. The Celtics might be a -4 point favorite in a game which means that whatever the final score is, you subtract four points. If they still would win the game, you would win the bet.
First Half Over/Unders: A total amount of points set that the combined score needs to hit. A first half total might be something like 101.5. If you bet over, the total points scored by both teams needs to be 102 or higher. Anything less and that would be a loss.
Common NBA First Halfs Questions:
Do players typically play the same amount of minutes in NBA First Halfs?
The nice thing about NBA First Halfs is that the substitution patterns of coaches and players rarely change in the first half. A starter will play all of the first quarter and sit at the start of the second while another might leave eight minutes into the first quarter and start the second.
The rest patterns of star players rarely changes in the first half and the second half is when teams start tweaking things in order to try and win the game.
How many halves in an NBA basketball game?
A “halve” isn’t just a clever name, it’s actually a unit of time. Meaning that they take the length of the NBA game and divide it in half. That means there are two halves to an NBA game and it is impossible for there to be more than that.
How To Bet NBA First Halfs:
Finding NBA First Half lines is rather easy for on most of these online betting sites.
Bovada and Sports Interaction: From the NBA section click on the “+” option where it will have a number accompanying it. That will lead you to a selection of props for the game including First Halfs.
888: Similar to above, you find the game you want and click the “+” button with the corresponding number. Scroll down to Half Time and you will find the First Half line within.
NBA First Half Betting Strategy:
One thing I am always on the lookout is fast starting underdogs. A lot of times young teams don’t finish well, but they play well in the first half as they have a lot of athleticism on the team.
The first half lines are often skewed towards the favorites so a well researched underdog in the first half can pay well. Be on the lookout for who starts strong, who doesn’t and what teams haven’t finished well. Those are the first half trends that can make you some coins.