There may not be a greater single day for a particular sport than Christmas for basketball. The NBA provides us 12-plus hours of hoops from a rigorously curated group of the league’s most attention-grabbing groups. Choose the video games you are most excited to see earlier than the season, and odds are, that recreation goes to get performed on Christmas.
Structurally talking, Christmas is an ideal day for basketball betting. There’s just one recreation performed at a time. With out overlap, you’ll be able to reset after every recreation, regulate your models, rethink traces and dive again in when the chance strikes. So let’s undergo Wednesday’s 5 video games and decide one of the best bets from every to preview the NBA’s Christmas extravaganza.
The place to look at NBA Christmas Day video games
All video games on Wednesday are being broadcast on ABC and can be streaming on fubo (Attempt without cost).
- Knicks 117, Spurs 114 (Grades)
- Timberwolves 105, Mavericks 99 (Grades)
- Celtics vs. 76ers, 5 p.m. ET, ABC/fubo
- Warriors vs. Lakers, 8 p.m. ET, ABC/fubo
- Suns vs. Nuggets, 10:30 p.m. ET, ABC/fubo
San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks finest wager
- Beting line: Knicks -9; O/U 223.5
The secret towards Victor Wembanyama is spacing. The Knicks are going to wish to maintain him as distant from the basket as potential to create cheap driving lanes for his or her ball-handlers, and the best method to do this is to ensure their middle is taking pictures 3s. San Antonio may counter by placing Wembanyama on Josh Hart, the weakest Knicks shooter, so he can function a helper, however Hart is making 40% of his 3s this season and giving Karl-Anthony Cities a mismatch when he’s enjoying in addition to he’s looks like a nonstarter. So count on Wembanyama to protect Cities, and for the Knicks to be intentional about Cities taking pictures 3s to maintain him the Defensive Participant of the Yr favourite away from the basket. The Choose: Cities Over 2.5 3s
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks finest wager
- Beting line: Mavericks -5.5; O/U 221.5
We noticed this matchup within the playoffs a season in the past, and Dallas gained it comfortably, however extra pertinently, the Timberwolves are only a mess proper now. They miss the spacing Cities introduced. The decline of Mike Conley and the introduction of Julius Randle has eliminated a whole lot of the offense’s construction. The protection has gone from impenetrable to backyard selection good. I simply can’t fairly decide a staff enjoying this chaotically to win on the street towards a Dallas staff that has come collectively fantastically over the previous couple of weeks. The Mavericks are 8-2 of their final 10. Luka Doncic is able to make his MVP push. These are simply two groups shifting in numerous instructions. The Choose: Mavericks -5.5
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics finest wager
- Beting line: Celtics -10; O/U 222
Derrick White loves enjoying the Sixers. He averaged over 18 factors per recreation towards them final season and 16 factors per recreation towards them the yr earlier than, and have in mind, his total scoring wasn’t almost as excessive as it’s now. Philly’s sluggish entrance courtroom and horrible point-of-attack protection simply brings one of the best out of White. Anticipate him to be aggressive in a recreation the Celtics ought to management. The Choose: White Over 14.5 Factors
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors finest wager
- Beting line: Warriors -4; O/U 225.5
Hey, talking of messes, the Warriors are 3-10 of their final 13 video games. They’re nonetheless working Dennis Schroder into the fold, and the Lakers clearly know Schroder fairly nicely. The Lakers are certainly not good, however they’ve quietly tightened just a few issues up recently. Their once-abhorrent protection ranks No. 2 within the NBA over the previous six video games, hardly a significant pattern, however not less than the hassle and power has improved. That is the fourth time LeBron James and Stephen Curry have met on Christmas, and whereas Curry’s staff was favored in all three, James gained two of them outright. Video games between them are usually fairly shut, so even when the Warriors win, I like having these further factors in my again pocket in case it goes all the way down to the wire. The Choose: Lakers +4
Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns finest wager
- Beting line: Nuggets -3; O/U 233.5
Sure, on paper, this needs to be a shootout. However these two groups simply performed on Monday in a recreation that produced 207 whole factors. Jamal Murray, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen all missed the sport and it’s unclear who will truly be accessible for this one. The Suns rank twenty third in tempo. The Nuggets take the fewest 3-pointers within the NBA. There are simply too many explanation why this recreation could possibly be low-scoring to take such a excessive over. The Choose: Below 233.5
