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The NBA’s Christmas Day slate is finally here, which means a full day of top-tier basketball is upon us. With five great games on the schedule, we’re providing our best parlay picks for today to help you earn some extra cash this holiday season.
Let’s dive into these matchups and get right to our NBA Christmas parlays and predictions.
Please note that all odds and lines are current as of 10:00 a.m. ET on Friday, December 24.
Best NBA Christmas Parlay
NBA Christmas Top Parlay Picks
Wager: 2 Units To Win 2.58 Units (+129) at Caesars
- Brooklyn Nets Moneyline (+100) at Los Angeles Lakers
- Utah Jazz Moneyline (-700) vs Dallas Mavericks
Brooklyn Nets Moneyline (+100) at Los Angeles Lakers
Unfortunately, health and safety protocols have complicated what should be one of the two best Christmas Day games. The Brooklyn Nets are expected to be without Kevin Durant and several key role players, while the Los Angeles Lakers have lost a handful of reserves as well.
However, even with the absences mounting on Brooklyn’s end, I still like them to take down the Lakers on the road. The Los Angeles Lakers have been extremely inconsistent this season, and with Anthony Davis sidelined with an MCL injury, their crucial advantage on the glass is diminished.
So long as the Nets can get solid production from James Harden and a few others in this one, they should be able to win this one.
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Utah Jazz Moneyline (-700) vs Dallas Mavericks
Of all the Christmas matchups, this one is the most lopsided. The Utah Jazz have been one of the best teams in the league this season, while the Dallas Mavericks have struggled to live up to expectations.
The difference has been on the offensive side of the court for the Mavericks. Over the past two seasons, Dallas has ranked among the league’s elite in offensive efficiency. This year, they’ve hung around the low-to-mid 20s.
Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz have remained an elite two-way team. Led by Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Utah is shooting lights-out from three-point range and dominating the glass.
Expect the Jazz to dominate the Mavericks in what should be a low-scoring game, per our NBA gameday odds.
The Utah Jazz have been dominating their opponents on both sides of the ball this year, ranking among the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating. (Image: USA TODAY Sports)
NBA Christmas Longshot Parlay Prediction
Wager: 2 Units To Win 18.40 Units (+920) at Caesars
- Boston Celtics Moneyline (+130) at Milwaukee Bucks
- New York Knicks Moneyline (-220) vs Atlanta Hawks
- Golden State Warriors Moneyline (+205) at Phoenix Suns
Boston Celtics Moneyline (+130) at Milwaukee Bucks
In recent years, Celtics - Bucks matchups have been particularly entertaining and hard to get a read on. Milwaukee has generally been the better team with the better record, but that hasn’t stopped Boston from keeping things competitive.
Such is the case so far this season. Despite sitting below Milwaukee in the standings, Boston has won each of its first two meetings with the Bucks this year.
Jayson Tatum has been terrific in both, averaging 34.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, while Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled in his lone appearance.
Regardless of who has been on the floor and who hasn’t, these games tend to be closely-contested. Ignore the spread and roll with the underdog here. The value is too good to overlook.
New York Knicks Moneyline (-220) vs Atlanta Hawks
The New York Knicks lost the only meeting between these two teams this season, but there’s reason to believe things could go the other way this time around.
Atlanta’s strength is its offense, which is one of the top five in the league. The Hawks shoot the three-ball at a higher clip than any other team in the NBA and take a ton of high-percentage looks.
The reason we’re going against them here, though, is because several of their top players will likely be unavailable for this matchup. Trae Young, Clint Capela, and Danilo Gallinari have all recently entered into health and safety protocols.
Should they end up being available, the Knicks could still pull this one out. Julius Randle had one of his worst performances of the season in New York’s loss to Atlanta earlier this year, and he was dominant against them last season.
Golden State Warriors Moneyline (+205) at Phoenix Suns
As the teams with the two best records in the NBA, this matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns has the potential to be the best game on the slate.
Stephen Curry is the most exciting player in basketball, and barring any last-minute changes, he’ll be good to go on Christmas Day. He was instrumental in Golden State’s lone win over Phoenix this season, racking up a game-high 23 points in the Warriors’ 22-point victory.
The Suns won their other meeting with the Warriors this season by eight, but it took Curry having one of the worst shooting performances of his career for that to happen.
The Warriors are the better team overall, but winning could be tough with Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins potentially out of the lineup for this matchup. However, I have a hard time betting against Curry in any situation, so let’s ride with him and see if he can do something magical.
NBA Christmas Same Game Parlay Picks
Wager: 2 Units To Win 5.28 Units (+264) at Caesars
- Utah Jazz -12 (-110) at Caesars
- Total Points Under 214 (-110) at Caesars
For my same game parlay, I’m going back to what appears to be the most predictable game on the slate. There are a lot of reasons why I like the Jazz to cover and the Under to hit in this one, but I’ll spare you the time and just focus on a few of the most important ones.
One factor that plays a big role here is pace. The Jazz play at an average pace, while the Mavericks are one of the slowest in the league. The slower the pace, the fewer possessions available. And considering that Dallas ranks so low in offensive metrics and Utah so high in defensive, everything seems to point to the Under.
As far as the spread goes, the Jazz are simply a far superior team. Even when the Mavericks are fully healthy — which they aren’t expected to be for this one — they lack the necessary firepower to keep up.
Thanks for reading our NBA Christmas Parlays Picks & Predictions! For more NBA Christmas betting tips, check out our NBA bet of the day.
