Welcome to a jumbo edition of top picks! As against the carefully curated picks this space typically provides, I've decided to offer you all a present on this joyous day. There are five NBA games on Christmas. You're getting picks for all of them. So, without further ado, let's dive into today's top picks.
So which Christmas NBA picks do you have to back for an enormous 10-to-1 payout? And which team may be a must-fade? Visit SportsLine now to urge the simplest bet for each Christmas NBA game, all from the red-hot computer model and No. 1 NBA expert who are crushing sportsbooks with their NBA picks.
*All lines via William Hill
Boston Celtics at Toronto Raptors: Celtics -3
The Celtics and Raptors have already played once this season. The Celtics won by six. Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell all played therein game, but they will not be playing during this one. Call me crazy, but removing three of a team's best players likely isn't getting to cause a far better outcome. Yes, that's an oversimplification, but expecting a team as deep because the Celtics to lose to a Raptors team missing such a lot talent, even with Gordon Hayward and Marcus Smart sidelined, just seems unrealistic.
Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers: 76ers +3
The unstoppable force meets the immovable object. The Bucks have the NBA's best net rating, as they're crushing teams by 13 points per 100 possessions, buoyed by the NBA's second-best offensive rating (114.4). The 76ers are undefeated reception, led by the NBA's second-best home defense at 101 points allowed per 100 possessions. Philadelphia's preferred starting lineup has barely played together this season thanks to injuries, but when it's, it's allowed only 94.6 points per 100 possessions, a figure that's utterly mind-boggling within the context of a 2019 starting lineup. The 76ers should have that entire group on Christmas. that's the difference. The Bucks are a far better team overall, but the 76ers should not be getting three points reception once they are relatively healthy.
Houston Rockets at California Warriors: Rockets -11
The Warriors have already lost 12 games this season by 11 or more points. If there's a team in basketball to feel comfortable laying double digits against, it's them. Odds are, this turns into a reasonably cathartic beatdown for a Rockets team that has been denied consecutive trips to the NBA Finals by Warriors teams that wore these uniforms, but didn't employ these players. The NBA obviously expected a really different kind of game than this once they scheduled it for Christmas, but injuries happen, and therefore the Rockets should haven't any trouble with California in its present condition.
Los Angeles Clippers at l. a. Lakers: Clippers -2
The expectation coming into this game for weeks was that if any team was getting to be undermanned, it might be the Clippers. The Lakers have much more at stake from a narrative perspective after their opening day loss, and therefore the Clippers are so conservative in managing the minutes its players play that it might be reasonable to assume that the Lakers, going all out, would have beaten a Clippers team without much to play for here.
Instead, the Lakers are going to be twiddling with a hobbled Anthony Davis and LeBron James. The Clippers should have their entire roster available on Christmas. albeit you assume that these two teams are even, which they likely aren't at the instant, the Lakers haven't any alternative to James and Davis. they do not have a 3rd scorer or ball-handler. If they are not up to their typical standard, the Lakers can't game-plan around it. The Clippers have a spread of the way during which they will, and do, beat opponents. With only a two-point line, the Clippers should be one among the day's easier picks.
New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets: Nuggets -9.5
Here's a scary thought ... the Nuggets, who had struggled mightily offensively for many of the season, are up to seventh within the league thereon end of the ground in December. That hasn't accompany significant sacrifices on defense. they're sixth within the NBA in December defensively. The difference in net rating between these two teams in December alone is 16.1 points per 100 possessions. Suddenly, a 9.5-point spread doesn't look so scary. The Nuggets have found their winning formula. The Pelicans haven't. Expect a comparatively clean Nuggets win during this one.