What are the key #'s to consider when betting NBA games. For example, in football a home team always gets a 3 point advantage if they are evenly matched and there is a dead space between a lot of key #'s 3,4,7,10. How would the spreads in the NBA relate to Football spreads? I was never really a basketball bettor in the past and am just trying to get a handle on how the spreads pan out in basketball. For example, the Lakers were 12 point favorites against the Clippers on opening night. Would that be the equivalent of a 17-20 point football favorite? I know the sports are completely unrelated but I would like insight into key #'s.