Free NBA pick'em leagues

The NBA plays almost every night from October to April, which makes it a great fit for a pick'em league that never goes quiet. Start a free league with friends, pick from the same real lines, and follow the standings all season.

What you can pick

• Spread — the favorite has to win by more than the number.
• Straight Up — just pick the winner.
• Total Points — over or under the combined score.
• Player Stats — over or under a player's points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers, steals or blocks.

Weekly or daily

NBA leagues run on a Monday-to-Sunday week. In a pick'em league, members make their set number of picks any time during the week, from whichever nights they like. That suits a group where some members follow every night and others check in once a week.

For more urgency, try a Pick'em Survivor league with a daily cadence: one pick is required for every day that has games, and a single loss knocks you out. Double elimination gives each member one mulligan. The league types guide compares every format.

Late-season games

Late in the season some teams rest their stars, and lines can move after injury news. Your pick is locked at the line you took when you made it, so it pays to check the injury report before you pick, not after.

Back-to-backs and the schedule

Teams often play on consecutive nights, and the second game of a back-to-back, especially on the road, is when tired legs and rested stars show up. Lines usually account for it, but not always. Checking which teams played last night is one of the simplest edges in NBA pick'em.

The NBA Cup group games in November count as regular-season games and are on the board like any other. If your group wants to keep going after the regular season, set the league's end date to cover the Play-In and playoff games as well.

Postponed games

NBA games are rarely postponed, but when one is and it isn't played, picks on it are voided: they don't count as a win, loss or push. In a Balance league, the units come back.

Standings

Picks are graded automatically after each game, and standings sort by win percentage, with a push counting as half a win. Your Stats page shows your record by pick type, so you can see whether you're strongest on player stats or should stick to spreads. Scoring and tiebreakers are explained in the pick'em rules.

Free, with no money

An NBA league on Covers Only is free: no entry fees, no prizes and nothing to buy. Mix in other sports, such as college basketball, in the same league if your group follows both.