There may be no better day for a particular sport than Christmas for basketball. The NBA offers over 12 hours of hoops from a select group of the league’s most interesting teams. Choose the game you’re most looking forward to before the season. That match will likely be played on Christmas Day.
Structurally speaking, Christmas is a great day for basketball betting. Only one game can be played at a time. Without duplication, you can reset after each game, adjust your units, revisit your lines, and jump back in when the opportunity presents itself. So let’s preview the NBA’s Christmas festivities by taking a look at Wednesday’s five games and picking the best bets from each one.
Where can you watch the NBA Christmas Day game?
All Wednesday games will be broadcast on ABC and streamed on fubo (try it for free).
Knicks vs. Spurs, 12:00 p.m. ET, ABC/FUBO Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, 2:30 p.m. ET, ABC/FUBO Celtics vs. 76ers, 5:00 p.m. ET, ABC/FUBO Warriors vs. Lakers, ET 8:00 PM Standard Time, ABC/Hubo Suns vs. Nuggets, 10:30 PM ET, ABC/Hubo Betting Line: Knicks-9; O/U 223.5
The name of the match with Victor Wembaneyama is spacing. The Knicks want to keep him as far away from the basket as possible to create proper driving lanes for ball handlers, and the easiest way to do that is to make sure the center can shoot 3s. San Antonio could counter by putting Wenbanyama on Josh Hart, the Knicks’ weakest shooter, so he can serve as a helper, but Hart is shooting 40% from three this season. And he’s giving Karl-Anthony Towns mismatches just like when he’s playing. He seems like a beginner. So expect Wembaneyama to guard Towns and the Knicks to intentionally shoot threes to keep the Defensive Player of the Year candidate away from the basket. Carefully selected: Towns over 2.5 3 seconds
Betting line: Mavericks -5.5; O/U 221.5
We saw this matchup in the playoffs a season ago, and Dallas won easily, but more pertinently, the Timberwolves are in a mess right now. They miss the spacing that Towns provided. The decline of Mike Conley and the introduction of Julius Randle removed much of the structure of the offense. The defense has gone from being impregnable to being extremely good. You can’t rationally pick a team playing this chaotically to beat a Dallas team that has come together so well in recent weeks on the road. The Mavericks are 8-2 in their last 10 games. Luka Doncic is ready to win MVP. These are just two teams going in different directions. Pick: Mavericks -5.5
Betting line: Celtics -10; O/U 222
Derrick White loves playing for the Sixers. Remember, he averaged over 18 points per game against them last season, and 16 points per game against them the year before that, but his overall scoring wasn’t as high as it is now. I want you to keep it. Philadelphia’s slow frontcourt and terrible point-of-attack defense are bringing out the best in White. I expect him to be aggressive in games where the Celtics should be in control. Pick: White over 14.5 points
Betting line: Warriors -4; O/U 225.5
Hey, speaking of chaos, the Warriors are 3-10 in their last 13 games. They still have Dennis Schroder on the team, and the Lakers clearly know Schroder well. The Lakers are by no means perfect, but they have quietly stepped up a few things lately. Their once hated defense has ranked second in the NBA over the past six games, and while it’s not a meaningful sample, at least the effort and energy have improved. This will be the fourth time LeBron James and Stephen Curry have faced off on Christmas Day, and Curry’s team was favored in all three games, but James won two of them outright. Games between the two tend to be pretty close, so even if the Warriors win, you’ll want to pocket the extra points in case the contest goes down to the wire. Pick: Lakers +4
Betting line: Nuggets -3; O/U 233.5
Yes, on paper, this should be a gunfight. But these two teams just met on Monday in a game that combined for 207 points. Jamal Murray, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Grayson Allen are all out, so it’s unclear who will actually be available for this game. The Suns are 23rd in pace. The Nuggets took the fewest 3-pointers in the NBA. Despite the low score of this match, there are many reasons why overs cannot be won this high. Pick: Less than 233.5
