NBA Preview: Christmas Day Edition

3 years ago - Sportingbase

Christmas Day is one of the marquee days on the NBA schedule. Here are three elite games one should consider when placing a bet!

Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks–Sunday–12pm ET

Having a NBA game on Christmas morning has become common place at Madison Square Garden in New York. In fact this will be the 55th Christmas Day game all-time involving the Knicks. New York is 23-31 all-time. The 76ers are red hot as they are winners of seven straight.

Our Pick

Even though the Knicks are three games above .500 at 18 wins and 15 losses, they are the only team in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference that is below the .500 mark at home as they are 8-9 at MSG. The Knicks (+2) have lost their last two games at home to two teams below .500–the 15-18 Toronto Raptors and the 14-18 Chicago Bulls. That is why I like Philadelphia. The total line at this time is 217. The Knicks have been over 217 in their last three games, while the 76ers have been over 217 in seven of their last nine games, so take the over.

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Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics–Sunday–5pm ET

This game features two elite teams in the East. The Celtics (23-10) lead the Bucks (22-10) by half a game. These are in fact not only the two best teams in the East, but the entire NBA.

Our Pick

The Celtics are the five-point favourite, and that line just seems a little too high for me. There is a strong possibility that the Celtics win on Christmas Day, but it very well could be less than five points. The Celtics have only one win in the last seven games by five points or more and that was on Friday where they beat Minnesota 121-109. The line on Sunday is 224.5. Take the under here as the Bucks are averaging 109.2 points against and the Celtics are averaging 112.2 points against. That is a total of 221.4 points against, which is 3.1 points less than Sunday’s total line.

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Memphis Grizzlies @ Golden State Warriors–Sunday–8 pm ET

The Grizzlies are best in the West at 20 wins and 11 losses. In fact they are tied with the Denver Nuggets. The Warriors meanwhile are only at 15 wins and 18 losses.

Our Pick

These records are deceiving. The Warriors are excellent at home where they have a record of 12 wins and two losses. Taking the Warriors at +6.5 points seems to be the safer pick. Also take the over at 229.5. Don’t be surprised if the Warriors have great success shooting the ball from downtown. They lead the NBA with 16.2 three points made per game.

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