While the NBA season officially begins in October, many fans don’t start watching until Christmas Day. With college and professional football winding down, coupled with star-studded basketball showdowns create premier betting opportunities.
For the Yuletide matchups, the NBA is gifting five games for fans starting at noon. Starting with the Boston Celtics (20-7) versus the Toronto Raptors (21-8) and culminating with the Denver Nuggets (20-8) playing the New Orleans Pelicans (7-23) at 10:30 pm ET.
The highest-profile game of the holiday, however, is the Los Angeles Face-off. The Clippers (22-10) will take on the Western Conference-leading Lakers (24-6) at 8:00 pm. According to the odds, the game will be close with the Lakers favored by a single point.
Lakers’ superstar LeBron James has played 13 Christmas Day games over his career, averaging 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists and going 9-4 overall. Flanked with marquee defenders Paul George and Kawhi Leonard from the Clippers could pose a problem for the four-time MVP.
The day’s other games include 2018-19 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks (27-4) taking on Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers (21-10) and James Harden’s Houston Rockets (20-9) against the hobbling Golden State Warriors (6-24).
The Warriors are in the midst of their worst run in the Steve Kerr era. Riddled with injuries to the team’s superstars, two-time MVP Steph Curry broke his hand in late-October and five-time All-Star Klay Thompson has missed the entire season since his July knee surgery.
A full breakdown of the December 25 games is below along with the spreads, money lines and totals. To gain a better understanding of betting on the NBA, we offer a guide here.
Christmas Day NBA Betting Lines
Boston Celtics (-2.5) vs. Toronto Raptors
12:00 pm ET | ESPN
- Money line: BOS -140, TOR +120
- Total: TBA
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (-1)
2:30 pm ET | ABC
- Money line: MIL -110, PHI -110
- Total: TBA
Houston Rockets (-10) vs. Golden State Warriors
5:00 pm ET | ABC
- Money line: HOU -560, GSW +430
- Total: TBA
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers (-1)
8:00 pm ET | ABC/ESPN
- Money line: LAC -110, LAC -110
- Total: TBA
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets (-10)
10:30 pm ET | ESPN
- Money line: NOP +430, DEN -560
- Total: TBA
