Whether you’re unwrapping presents, spending time with loved ones, or in my case, finishing up Chinese food leftovers from the night before, Christmas day is often best-spent flipping on the television and binging some of the best regular season action the NBA has to offer.
Today offers a five-game all day slate, beginning with the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks tipping off at Madison Square Garden at noon ET, and culminating with the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets wrapping up the day at 10:30 p.m. ET.
If you’re looking for our entire team’s picks for every game today, you can find it HERE:
Along with BetSided’s Reed Wallach, and a special appearance from our hoops guru Peter Dewey, here are our NBA best bets, along with our top player props for today’s Christmas matchups.
You can also find the best available odds for every game and prop below in your specific state:
NBA Best Bets Today (Christmas Day)
- Grizzlies -6.5 (-110) @ Warriors
- Nuggets -3 (-110) vs. Suns
Grizzlies -6.5 at Warriors
A few seasons ago when Steph Curry battled injuries, amidst a host of other wounded key contributors with the team, the club mirrored one of the worst in the league, and we are seeing that once against with Curry on the shelf with a shoulder injury. The Dubs just dropped their last two games by a combined 68 points to the Nets and Knicks and have another surging opponent on tap with the Grizzlies, who are tied atop the Western Conference.
Since the start of December, the Grizzlies have the best defensive rating in the league, lining up with the return of Jaren Jackson Jr. from offseason foot surgery. Now, Desmond Bane is back too, as he contributed to a 25-point win over the Suns on the road on Friday night.
While this game was billed as a Western Conference semifinals rematch, it’s shaping up to be a blowout for Memphis against a short handed Warriors team. – Reed Wallach
Nuggets -3 vs. Suns
Devin Booker is set to return for the Suns in the Christmas day nightcap from a groin injury, but it’s no easy task to come back from three missed games, in altitude against one of the best home teams in the NBA.
Meanwhile, Michael Porter Jr. is expected to play in a second consecutive game despite dealing with a heel injury the past month or so. He showed up in his first game back from injury with a very efficient shooting performance. MPJ ranks sixth-best in the league this year on corner 3–point shots, and having him available to spread the floor makes the Nuggets that much more dangerous vs. a Suns team that ranks 23rd in the league in road defensive rating over their last 10 games.
The Nuggets are 20-11 straight-up (SU) at home this season, and while they’re just 8-6-0 against the spread (ATS), their average margin of victory in their own arena is +9.7; fourth-best in the NBA.
Phoenix has not been a good team on the road this year; going just 5-9-0 SU and 6-8-0 ATS.
Booker might be back, but the Suns’ struggles away from home have continued to exist even when he’s played this year. I’ll take advantage of the slight odds move back towards Denver and back the Nuggets both on the moneyline, as well as ATS. – Ben Heisler
Best NBA Prop Bets Today (Christmas Day)
Isiah Hartenstein OVER 5.5 Rebounds (-148)
Hartenstein has gone past this number in seven of his last eight, with the lone time failing to clear the number being a 5-rebound performance in limited time during a 132-94 blowout of the Golden State Warriors.
He’s consistently crashing the boards, and the Knicks’ terrific home defensive numbers should lead to more opportunities on the glass; ranking No. 3 in defensive rating at MSG over their last 10 games.
Hartenstein’s rotational minutes may often come at times when Embiid is off the court. Should that be the case, we may see him clear this number much earlier in the game. – Ben Heisler
Donte DiVincenzo OVER 4.5 Total Assists (+100)
The Warriors are without Steph Curry and are likely going to struggle against the Grizzlies, but somebody has to pick up the slack. So far, that’s been DiVincenzo, who totaled six assists in two games without Curry last week before missing the last two. He is expected to play on Sunday and should received north of 30 minutes as one of lead ball handlers on the roster.
With a game totaled north of 230, the expectation is that there will be a ton of possessions and in turn a lot of opportunities for DiVincenzo to clear this mark. – Reed Wallach
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.