The NBA always treats us on Boxing Day. Apart from the finals, their Christmas Day games are the highlight of the season. In Australia, the games start at 4am (AEDT) on Boxing Day, so we are able to enjoy 5 massive games back to back without the pressure of all the commitments that come with Chrissy Day.
Last year we were treated to a mouthwatering fixture including a finals rematch between the Cavs and the Warriors, this year thankfully, we get the same. The big match will be the second of five stand-alone games so don’t worry about missing any of the action, we’ve got a full preview and tips for all five games here.
Boston Celtics at New York Knicks (4am AEDT)
Longtime rivals the Celtics and Knicks will kick off boxing day proceedings with an anticipated clash in Madison Square Garden. Starting at 4am, this one will probably only be watched by the diehards, nevertheless, it shapes up to be an interesting game. New York star Kristaps Porzingus is nursing a knee injury but expects to play, apart from that, both teams will go into this game completely healthy.
The Celtics suffered a tough fought loss to OKC on Saturday when Russel Westbrook went off for 45 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds. The loss was their first in the five games since point guard Isiah Thomas’ return from injury. The pocket sized star is averaging a monster 27 points and almost 7 assists per game this season and is the Celtics prime scoring threat, with him they are capable of scoring a lot against any defence.
The Knicks are another team with a high powered offence. They have scored over 110 in five of their last eight games on the back of Porzingus and all-star Carmelo Anthony who shot a season high seven 3-pointers in the Knicks win over Indiana a few nights ago. With Thomas back for the Celts and New York boasting some impressive recent form scoring the ball, I like this one to go over the modest line of 212.5.
TIP: Total Points OVER 212.5 - $1.87 at CrownBet
Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers (6.30am AEDT)
The most anticipated clash of the season so far is the finals rematch between the Cavs and the Warriors. Both teams sit atop their respective conferences and are favourites to return to the finals to create a trilogy of end of season matchups. The good news for us is that both teams will go into the game fairly healthy. The Warriors have no injuries of note while the Cavs will be missing only starting shooting guard J.R Smith, who underwent surgery Friday to repair a fractured right thumb and will miss 12-14 weeks.
The loss shouldn’t be too much of a blow to the Cavs, however, they boast a very deep bench and Smith’s 8.6 points per game should be found elsewhere fairly easily. Kevin Love returned to the lineup Saturday after missing two games through injury and had an immediate impact, pulling down 15 rebounds in the win against Brooklyn.
In my opinion, this has been the hardest game to predict in the season so far and the bookies see it a similar way. They currently have the Warriors as 1.5 point favourites, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that line was closer to a pick’em come game time. You most likely won’t get this much value on either team until they meet again in Golden State on January 16th, so just pick a side and roll with them. I’m a fan of getting $2.16 odds for LeBron James to win a game on Christmas Day so I like the Cavs to upset the Warriors at home in this one and LeBron to improve his Christmas Day record to 8-3 all time.
TIP: Cleveland Cavaliers to Win - $2.16 at CrownBet
Chicago Bulls at San Antonio Spurs (9am AEDT)
I think the NBA schedule makers expected the Bulls to be a little bit better than they are when they handed us this Christmas Day matchup. After some big off-season signings, the Bulls were the talk of the town for a brief period, until their season started and they looked mediocre at best. Their pieces just don’t fit well together, and their five losses from the last six games are a testament to that. When Jimmy Butler is struggling to score the ball, the Bulls can’t win games, and he’ll have the tough time of going toe to toe with the NBA two-time defensive player of the year Khawi Leonard on Christmas Day.
Leornard is an absolute beast defensively and Butler has been susceptible to having bad games against the league’s premier wing stoppers. He scored a measly 13 points in the Bulls matchup with the Spurs two weeks ago and has had a pair of 16 point games against Paul George and the Pacers. I like his under for points in this one, in fact I like anyone in the league to score under 24.5 against Khawi Leornard on any given night.
TIP: Jimmy Butler UNDER 24.5 Points – 1.77 at CrownBet
Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma Thunder (12pm AEDT)
Although this game doesn’t really have the league’s most dominant teams squaring off like some of the other matchups on Christmas Day, it definitely has some star power. Russel Westbrook for the Thunder and the young guns of Minnesota in Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach Levine are all some of the most ferocious competitors in the league, which should make this game a fun one to watch.
Neither team plays terrific defence, the Wolves have the 27th ranked defence in the league and while the OKC have a respectable 9th ranked defence, it’s much due to the rim protection of big Kiwi Steven Adams. With Towns being a terrific player away from the basket, it should bring Adams out of his comfort zone a little bit, and allow the Wolves to score more freely. I think the Thunder could easily put up 115 in this one, which won’t leave the Wolves much to do to cover the over of 209.5.
TIP: Total Score OVER 209.5 – 1.86 at CrownBet
Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers (2.30pm AEDT)
The final game of the day has been marred by injuries in the last few Clippers games. Blake Griffin suffered a knee injury that will see him miss up to six weeks while Chris Paul has a nagging hamstring injury that sees him as questionable for the cross town clash against the Lakers on Christmas Day. On the other side of the ball, Lakers bug man Larry Nance Jr will miss the game with a knee injury.
The line has been bouncing around a bit the last few days with Chris Paul being questionable, if he’s in, I like the Clippers to win this one and probably cover the 6.5 line, although that could shoot out if he is announced in the lineup. However, if he’s not playing, there are a few player markets that I am very interested in, JJ Reddick for example. Reddick’s point line should be set at around 14.5, without Paul and Griffin in the lineup, his usage should go up exponentially as the team’s first option on offence, look for him to surpass this line easily. Check back on this post closer to game time for more details on the tip.
TIP: JJ Reddick OVER 17.5 Points – $1.90 at CrownBet
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
