Christmas may be the best day of the year for a certain sport. The NBA provides us with more than 12 hours of basketball from a carefully selected group of the league’s most entertaining teams.
Pick the games you’re most excited to see before the season begins, and chances are that game will be played on Christmas.
Christmas is an ideal day for basketball betting. At any given time, only one game is in progress. With no overlap, you can reset after each game, modify your units, reconsider lines, and jump back in when the time arises.
So let’s go over Wednesday’s five games and select the best bets from each to preview the NBA’s Christmas bonanza.
Where to watch NBA Christmas Day games
- Knicks vs. Spurs, 12 p.m. ET, ABC/fubo
- Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, 2:30 p.m. ET, ABC/fubo
- 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 best bet
The name of the game against Victor Wembanyama is space. The Knicks will want to keep him as far away from the basket as possible in order to create respectable driving lanes for their ball-handlers, and the simplest way to do so is to have their center shoot threes.
San Antonio might react by putting Wembanyama on Josh Hart, the Knicks’ poorest shooter, so he can serve as a helper, but Hart is making 40% of his three-pointers this season, and giving Karl-Anthony Towns a mismatch when he is playing as well as he is appears to be a no go.
So expect Wembanyama to guard Towns, and the Knicks will be deliberate about Towns shooting threes to keep the Defensive Player of the Year favorite away from the rim. The Pick: Towns Over 2.5 3s.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks best bet
We witnessed this battle in the playoffs last season, and Dallas easily triumphed, but the Timberwolves are currently a shambles. They miss the space Towns provided.
Mike Conley’s decline and the addition of Julius Randle have eliminated much of the offense’s structure. The defense has progressed from impenetrable to garden variety decent.
I just can’t imagine a team playing so chaotically winning on the road against a Dallas team that has come together brilliantly in recent weeks. The Mavericks are 8-2 in their last ten.
Luka Doncic is preparing to make his MVP push. These are just two teams heading in separate ways. The Pick: Mavericks -5.5.
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics best bet
Derrick White enjoys playing against the Sixers. He averaged more than 18 points a game against them last season and 16 points per game the previous year, and keep in mind that his overall scoring was not as good as it is now.
Philly’s plodding frontcourt and dreadful point-of-attack defense bring out the best of White. Expect him to play aggressively in a game that the Celtics should dominate. The preferred color is white. Over 14.5 points.
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors best bet
Speaking of messes, the Warriors are 3-10 over their last 13 games. They’re still working Dennis Schroder into the lineup, and the Lakers clearly know him well.
The Lakers are far from flawless, but they’ve quietly tightened a couple things up recently. Their once-abhorrent defense is now ranked second in the NBA over the last six games, which is hardly a meaningful sample size, but the effort and energy have improved.
This is the fourth time LeBron James and Stephen Curry have clashed on Christmas, and while Curry’s club was favored in all three, James won two of them. Games between them are always close, so even if the Warriors win, I prefer having the additional points in case it comes down to the wire. The Pick: Lakers +4.
Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns best bet