NBA
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NBA 2025-26 Basketball Playoffs - Betting Odds, Tips & Free Live Stream Online
Featuring the biggest basketball superstars and the highest level of competition, the NBA is the most exciting league to bet basketball on at Stake Sportsbook. It is the best professional basketball league in the world, on top of being among the “big 4” professional sports leagues alongside the NFL, MLB, and NHL. During the NBA playoffs, the action on the court kicks up an extra notch, with the top teams and players all hoping to take home the NBA championship.
During the NBA season, and especially during the playoffs, sports betting fans flock to bet at Stake for a variety of reasons. Read on to understand why, and get a full lowdown on NBA betting by reading our sports betting guide, as well as picks and predictions, before you get started.
What is the NBA?
Being the most prestigious basketball league with the highest level of play, the NBA consists of some of the most popular sports teams in the world, like the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and many more teams across the United States and Canada.
With a wide array of franchise players and all-stars populating the league, the NBA is a powerhouse of stardom with superstars like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Jayson Tatum, not to mention rising stars like Victor Wembanyama and Desmond Bane.
History of the NBA League
Founded in 1946, the NBA has 30 teams split into 2 conferences - East and West. Each NBA team plays 82 games during the regular season, which lasts from November until May every year. The top teams of each NBA conference continue playing in the playoffs, which consist of four rounds of best-of-seven series.
The NBA Finals culminate every year in June, in which the Eastern Conference champion and Western Conference champion battle it out in a best-of-seven series to crown the new NBA Champion.
2025-26 NBA Season Recap
Not only are the Oklahoma City Thunder the reigning NBA champs, but they have also been the pre-eminent team during the 2025-26 regular season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks poised to win NBA MVP honours for the second straight season. He also has a chance to win NBA Finals MVP for the second straight season, as the Thunder finished with the best record and have the shortest NBA futures odds to win the title again.
Of course, the Thunder weren’t the only standout team in the NBA. The San Antonio Spurs snapped a six-year playoff drought behind Victor Wembanyama, who has established himself as a superstar and is the clear favourite to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year. They also have Keldon Johnson, who looks likely to be the NBA Sixth Man of the Year. Of course, the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, and Houston Rockets also had a good reason and could be factors in the Western Conference during the playoffs.
In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons were the best team during the regular season. They’ve made an amazing amount of progress over the last two seasons, winning just 14 games two years ago. That has made J.B. Bickerstaff a favourite to win the NBA Coach of the Year award. The Boston Celtics are also among the contenders, especially with Jayson Tatum returning from an injury late in the season. The New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers also deserve some praise for their seasons and should be taken seriously in the playoffs. The Knicks, in particular, won the NBA Cup earlier this season, proving that they can step up in big games.
Format & Schedule of the 2025-26 NBA Season
The 2025-26 NBA season is made up of several parts. This includes the preseason, regular season, NBA Cup, All-Star Game, and playoffs. Starting with the preseason, which began on October 2, 2025. The season will end in June, with the NBA Finals starting on June 4, 2026, and lasting up to 7 games.
Preseason
The first NBA preseason games were played on October 2, with the preseason ending on October 17.
Regular Season
The 2025-26 NBA regular season opened on October 22, 2025. The final day of the regular season was April 12, 2026. The regular season also includes the NBA Cup, which was played between October 31 and December 16, and ended with the Knicks beating the Spurs in the final.
All-Star Game
The NBA All-Star Game (February 15, 2026) was played at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. This year’s event was a three-team round-robin tournament, with Anthony Edwards winning MVP after leading his team to victory.
Playoffs
The NBA Play-In Tournament to determine the final two playoff teams in each conference is scheduled for April 14-17, 2026. The full playoffs begin on April 18 and run until the end of the NBA Finals, with Game 1 of the finals scheduled for June 4.
NBA Playoff Teams
There are 20 total teams in the NBA playoffs. The top 6 teams from each conference qualify for the first round, while teams 7-10 in each conference participate in the NBA Play-in Tournament to determine the final 2 spots in each conference. Here are this year’s playoff teams:
Eastern Conference
Detroit Pistons
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Cleveland Cavaliers
Toronto Raptors
Atlanta Hawks
Philadelphia 76ers (Play-in Tournament)
Orlando Magic (Play-in Tournament)
Charlotte Hornets (Play-in Tournament)
Miami Heat (Play-in Tournament)
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs
Denver Nuggets
Los Angeles Lakers
Houston Rockets
Minnesota Timberwolves
Phoenix Suns (Play-in Tournament)
Los Angeles Clippers (Play-in Tournament)
Portland Trail Blazers (Play-in Tournament)
Golden State Warriors (Play-in Tournament)
The Celtics are the most successful team in NBA history, winning 18 titles, with their most recent coming in 2024. The Lakers are just one behind with 17 NBA titles. Next on the list are the Warriors, who have seven NBA titles, including four since 2015. Of course, the Bulls have six NBA titles to their credit, all coming during the 1990s. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the defending champions, with the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, and Milwaukee Bucks all winning titles in the last handful of years.
How to Bet on Basketball and Types of Basketball Betting
To start betting on the NBA, follow these simple steps:
Sign up for an account with Stake Sportsbook.
Deposit funds into your account using one of several local and crypto methods.
Look at a list of upcoming games and betting markets to decide what bets you wish to make. Consider checking out our list of the easiest sports bets for newcomers.
At Stake, the NBA odds include futures markets for the NBA champion and conference championships, as well as individual awards like NBA MVP odds. For individual games, here is a list of the most popular types of NBA bets you can find at Stake Sportsbook:
Winning Margin (Incl. Overtime)
Total (Incl. Overtime)
Handicap (Incl. Overtime)
1x2 (Incl. Overtime)
Draw No Bet (Incl. Overtime)
Odd/Even (Incl. Overtime)
150th Point (Incl. Overtime)
Point Spread (Spread)
Moneyline (Outrights)
Proposition Bets (Player Props)
Live Betting (In-Play)
NBA Basketball Odds & Payouts
When you use Stake Sportsbook, you’ll always have the option of viewing the betting odds in American, decimal, and fractional formats. This makes it easy to use your preferred format so you can understand the current odds and potential payout of every bet you make. Additionally, it’s always good practice to double-check the odds and payout before finalising a wager.
How to Live-Stream Basketball & Live Betting Markets
As soon as you create an account at Stake Sportsbook, some basketball games will be available to live stream directly from your account dashboard. Simply browse the upcoming basketball fixtures, look for the stream logo, because those will be the games you can watch live on the Stake platform. When you watch games live on Stake, not only can you track your bets and look for opportunities to cash out, but you can also place live bets, with the action unfolding in real-time.
Deposits & Withdrawal Methods for Betting on Basketball
After signing in to your account using a passkey , there are several deposit and withdrawal methods available to you. You can use our integrated crypto payment systems such as Swap Connect and Mesh for seamless direct deposits with several types of cryptocurrencies.
You can also choose from a wide range of local currencies to make wagers. No matter what currency you use, the Stake Vault helps to secure all of your Stake funds.
Basketball Betting Tips, Predictions, and Strategies
Before betting on basketball, you should always have a plan in place. This should include a strict budget and perhaps a proven system like the Kelly Criterion strategy. Many bettors use a system like this to guide their bets. For NBA betting, you should also keep these tips in mind:
Make sure you track player injuries closely and always check if a key player is going to be rested in a game before betting on that game.
Look closely at a team’s offensive rating and defensive rating during the season. But always take into account how the strengths and weaknesses of a team match up against one another.
With teams having off days between games during the playoffs, depth and fatigue are less important to consider than during the regular season. Most teams shrink their rotations during the playoffs, favouring teams with better star players rather than more depth.
Stake Sportsbook Promotions, VIP Club & Responsible Betting
Stake Sportsbook is happy to offer our users bonus offers and promotions. Those who join our VIP club can expect even more benefits and rewards, including profit boosts, a rakeback bonus, a reload bonus, and access to a dedicated VIP host. To learn more, our VIP FAQ page has answers to your questions.
At Stake, we are serious about offering top-notch customer support to everyone. We encourage all Stake users to gamble responsibly when betting on the NBA playoffs. Learn more about responsible gambling by reading our Stake Smart guidelines.
