One of the best days on the NBA calendar is upon us! US fans will be celebrating Christmas while watching the five game slate but here in Australia we’ll be tucking into leftovers and settling in for a monster Boxing Day of NBA action kicking off from 4.00am.
We have you covered with NBA betting tips for all five games on the Boxing Day slate below.
(All previews written prior to teams games on 24th of December)
NBA Boxing Day Betting Tips
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks
4.00am (AEDT)
The Knicks start as 1.5 point underdogs at home and have won eight of their last 10 to jump into 6th place in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers sit just one spot above them in the East standings but after battling injury to key players through most of the season so far, they have finally got the majority of their core all back and healthy.
James Harden has been back in the line-up for seven games and the 76ers have won their last six. I think they continue to roll on the road.
Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks
6.30am (AEDT)
The Lakers are a lock to be involved in Christmas Day action regardless of their current form, which is why they are taking on Dallas on the road despite having an ordinary season to date. Anthony Davis remains on the sidelines with a foot injury while Russel Westbrook and Austin Reaves have also missed the last few games with niggles.
On the other side of the ball, the Mavericks are basically fully fit and are 12-5 at home this season. I think they win this one against an undermanned Lakers side.
Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics
9.00am (AEDT)
The Celtics have lost three on the trot to loosen their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference. They now sit tied with the Cavs and Bucks at the top of the East table but have a great chance to pull clear of the Bucks again at home here.
I like the unders here. The Bucks are ranked 4th in total defence in the NBA and the last seven games between these two sides have resulted in an average of just 203.2 total points per game.
Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
12.00pm (AEDT)
The Warriors have lost seven of their last 10 games and are without their star point guard Steph Curry for at least the next month. The only positive for them here is that they have been great at home this season, maintaining a league best 12-2 record there while going just 3-16 on the road.
This’ll be a tough ask without Curry against a Grizzlies side that is 19-11 on the season and 2nd in the Western Conference. Staying away from this line and opting for the unders instead here. The last three meetings between these two teams has resulted in just 211.3 average total points, and scoring will be even tougher for the Warriors with Curry out of the line-up.
Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets
2.30pm (AEDT)
This one screams overs to me. These are two of the highest scoring teams in the competition, both averaging 115 points per game. A whopping 270 points were scored in their last meeting with Devin Booker going off for 49 points while Nikola Jokis had 28.
The Nuggets have been getting in some absolute shootouts of late as well. Their last seven games have resulted in an average of 232.8 points. Take the overs here.
