Best NBA Bets: Christmas Day Odds

DraftKings Sportsbook is also preparing for the holidays and Lines for these five matchups Thursday night. While there are still plenty of details to be decided in the 138 days until Christmas, here are a few of the bets that jump out at me as top options on this list.

Boston Celtics -4 vs. Philadelphia 76ers (-110)

The defending champions have home advantage in the middle game of the five-game extravaganza and are a strong early option against the Sixers. At this point in the season, no one knows if Joel Embiid will play or not, but even if he does, the Celtics are a good team to watch at home.

Last season, Boston went 64-18 in the regular season to secure first place in the Eastern Conference. They were even more impressive at TD Garden, going 37-4. They faced the Sixers four times last season. They lost their first road game in Philly, but won their other three games by scores of 10, 6, and 18 points.

The Celtics played at the same time last Christmas and beat the Lakers by 11 points in Los Angeles. Philly lost its Christmas Day game to the Heat by six points.

While the drama surrounding Team USA may have died down considerably in four months, there's a strong chance that Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum will be scorched earth after their Olympic losses. While the Celtics will be competing with basically the same team, they'll face a Sixers team that may not have quite come together yet. In a Christmas Day spotlight matchup at home, they look like they could pull off a big win here, so I'm giving them points without hesitation.

Denver Nuggets (-105) at Phoenix Suns

The Nuggets and Suns are both in action on Christmas for the third year in a row. In 2022, the Nuggets beat the Suns by three points in overtime thanks to a great 41-point performance from Nikola Jokic.

Last year, the Nuggets beat the Warriors by six points on Christmas Day, while the Suns lost to the Mavericks by 14. The Nuggets finished eight games ahead of the Suns in the Western Conference and had a more successful playoff run.

This offseason, the Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and acquired Russell Westbrook and Dario Saric. The Suns lost Eric Gordon but were able to sign Tyus Jones and Monte Morris.

The stars on both teams remain largely the same, meaning it will likely come down to which team is healthier at this point in the season. With the Suns' stars battling so many injuries in 2023-24, it's hard to imagine them staying healthy for the entire season in 2024-25, so I expect Joker, Jamal Murray, and the Nuggets to be in better shape and ready to play for this contest. Denver has proven to be a great team in the regular season, so I'm betting on them to win outright in this matchup, which they enter as one-point underdogs.

All odds provided by DraftKings Sports Betting and all odds are subject to change.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and sometimes play the games I advise on using my personal account. While I have expressed my personal opinion on the games and strategies mentioned above, they do not necessarily reflect the opinion(s) of DraftKings. and do not represent a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All clients should use their own skills and judgment in assembling their own positions. I may use different players and strategies than those I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to non-public information.