It’s time for a hallowed holiday tradition: The NBA Christmas Day games. This year’s slate of holiday hoops brings some of basketball’s biggest stars to our screens. Get ready to watch the top three teams in the Eastern Conference, plus LeBron James, Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, and more.
Today, we’ve rounded up our picks for NBA Christmas best bets to wager on this holiday. To make the action even better, you can claim several sports betting welcome bonuses with our promo codes.
We’ve got our picks and best bets for these matchups below. But first, here’s how to get the most out of your betting with the top sportsbook bonuses available this Christmas.
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Top 3 Best Bets for NBA Christmas Day Games
The schedule for the Christmas Day NBA games consists of five matchups:
- Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks, 12 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets, 2:30 p.m. ET (ABC)
- Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers, 5 p.m. ET (ABC)
- Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Here are our three best bets for your money on the NBA’s Christmas Day games – and why we picked them.
Lakers +1.5 vs Celtics (-110 on FanDuel)
The In-Season Tournament reminded the world of what LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers can do when they push it into high gear. The Christmas Day games are a similar chance to take it to another level.
This will be LeBron’s 18th Christmas Day game. Last year, he surpassed Kobe Bryant for most games played on Christmas Day. He’s also the all-time leader in total points scored on Christmas Day, with 460 total points over those 17 games. He also leads in total assists (119), is second in rebounds (130), and is second in most 3-pointers made (28).
Across his 17 games, James has a 10-7 record. Maybe this is just the LeBron James effect getting to our heads, but we’re betting on the Lakers when the stakes are high.
Knicks +3.5 vs Bucks (-110 on DraftKings)
This one’s all about the Madison Square Garden magic. The Bucks, who are No. 2 in the East, are traveling to MSG on Christmas Day to take on the New York Knicks, who are currently 5th in the East.
The Bucks have been a much more consistent team than the Knicks, with long win streaks broken up by a few losses here and there. On the other side, the Knicks’ schedule has been a lot more spotty.
Still, we’re taking the Knicks to keep this one close. Jalen Brunson, R.J. Barrett, and Julius Randle have been in fine form this year, and the home crowd is sure to be revved up on the holiday. We like the Knicks here at home.
Miami Heat ML vs 76ers (-116 on FanDuel)
We mentioned how LeBron has another gear for exhibition games and specials. Let us reintroduce you to the concept of “Playoff Jimmy.” Jimmy Butler, perhaps more than any other player in the league, has a different gear we like to call “God Mode.”
Of course, Christmas Day isn’t the playoffs, and Butler doesn’t have the same record James does for the festive season. Nevertheless, the Heat have been good this year and we expect Miami to put on a solid performance at home on Christmas Day.
The Sixers are just 1.5-point underdogs, so we’re taking the Heat moneyline in this one. But if you’re hot on Miami, you could also take the Heat -1.5 if you like.
Happy sports betting.
