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It’s that time of year again! Merry Christmas and sit back and watch the NBA. The league offers up five games, ones that will take place despite the league’s recent uptick in the number of COVID-19 positive tests.
That’s the big news in the league right now. Bettors need to make sure they are making their lists and checking the injury/illness reports twice prior to placing their wagers.
That said, here is an NBA Christmas Day betting preview and picks.
Atlanta Hawks vs. New York Knicks
Best Bet: OVER 213
The Hawks and Knicks are almost mirror images. Atlanta has two wins in its last eight games; the Knicks have two in their last seven. Both teams had an injured list a mile long with players in health and safety protocols due to COVID.
The biggest question will be who plays on Sunday. Trae Young, Kevin Heurter, and Clint Capela didn’t play for Atlanta on Thursday night. The Knicks could be without Nerlens Noel, Kevin Knox, R.J. Barrett, and a handful of others.
With the Knicks at 2-6 ATS in their last eight games and Atlanta at 3-6 ATS in their last nine, we’ll play the total. The Hawks average over 110 points a game. The Knicks are at 106. New York scored 117 Thursday night while Atlanta struggled to reach 98. Combined, that’s still more than the Christmas Day total. Over.
Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Best Bet: BUCKS -3.5
The Bucks are 10-1 in their last 11 games at home. They have won their last two straight and covered both times.
Yes, Giannis Antetokoumpo is listed as questionable but the Celtics have a huge number of players listed the same on their injury report.
Boston did beat Milwaukee back on Dec. 13 117-103. This is perfect payback. Take the Bucks -3.5.
Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns
Best Bet: UNDER 217.5
This should be the best matchup of the day. It makes sense since the Suns and Warriors have the two best records in the NBA.
Both teams rank in the top five on offense and defense. When the two teams played on Dec. 3, Golden State got the best of the Suns in 118-96 victory. Suns leading scorer Devin Booker did not play in that one, but he will on Christmas Day.
Steph Curry (27.7 ppg) is second in the NBA in scoring and the Warriors have won five of their last six games. Phoenix has won five straight and covered the spread in four of the five.
This should be a tight, hard-fought game that goes down to the wire this time. The Under has hit in 10 of the Warriors last 15 games and in 14 of their last 18 road games. The Under is 10-1 in the last 11 Suns- Warriors matchups.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Best Bet: UNDER 238
It would be hard to trust either team to cover in this one. Brooklyn is 12-17-1 ATS this season while the Lakers are 12-20 ATS. At home, L.A. is 6-12 ATS. No thanks.
What is hard to swallow is a total of 238. Sure, the Lakers play at one of the faster paces in the league. They’re only 10th in the league in scoring though averaging 109.8 points per game. Brooklyn is 11th at 109.7.
Combining the two teams injury reports might make a small book. Anthony Davis is out. Trevor Ariza may be out as well as a number of other Lakers. Kevin Durant and Lamarcus Aldridge are questionable for the Nets. Plus, Brooklyn is a top-10 defense. Over 238? I don’t think so.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz
Best Bet: MAVERICKS +12
This game opened with the Jazz a 5-point favorite but news of Luka Doncic and COVID-19 bumped the Jazz up to a +12-point favorite.
This is another one that comes down to who plays. Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and a slew of other Mavericks are on the NBA’s injury report as questionable for this game. The Jazz are healthy. They have two players on the injury report and neither is there because of COVID.
Still, a double digit spread is hard to cover in the NBA. Dallas is 4-2 ATS in its last six games and the Mavs are 7-3 ATS in their last ten games on the road.
