What the NBA Moneyline Numbers Actually Mean
American odds use a baseline of $100. A negative number — say -160 on the Milwaukee Bucks — tells you how much you need to wager to return $100 in profit. A positive number — say +135 on the Oklahoma City Thunder — tells you how much profit a $100 bet returns. The gap between those two numbers is the sportsbook's margin,
sometimes called the vig. Our NBA board shows both sides of each moneyline simultaneously, so you can see exactly where the implied probability sits before you commit. Implied probability is simply the moneyline converted to a percentage chance of winning — a -200 line implies a 66.7% chance for that side.