NBA Christmas Day Betting Cheat Sheet
Washington Wizards at New York Knicks (+5, 192)
The Washington Wizards’ meeting with the New York Knicks on Thursday was intended to be a matchup of Eastern Conference contenders when the NBA selected the game to begin its annual Christmas Day showcase. Unfortunately, only one of the teams kept up its end of the bargain. The Wizards are off to one of the best starts in franchise history, but the host Knicks are on a five-game skid and have the most losses in the league.
Washington, two games behind Toronto for the best record in the East, is on just its second losing streak of the season after falling 99-91 at home to the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. Starting shooting guard Bradley Beal had 15 points but did not score after after being hit in the head during the third quarter and going through concussion protocol, although he did return. The Knicks, meanwhile, have been off since losing 118-108 to the Raptors on Sunday — their 15th defeat in their past 16 games.
ABOUT THE WIZARDS (19-8 SU, 11-16 ATS, 13-13-1 O/U): Among the players who struggled in the loss to Chicago was 11-year NBA veteran Rasual Butler, who went 1-for-7 from the field for his worst shooting performance of the season. The journeyman has been a pleasant surprise off the bench for Washington, averaging 10.8 points after never exceeding five points a game in the previous four seasons. His struggles against the Bulls were particularly surprising considering he was coming off a 17-point outing Sunday against Phoenix — one of six times he has scored at least 14 points this month.
ABOUT THE KNICKS (5-25 SU, 12-18 ATS, 15-14-1 O/U): Carmelo Anthony keeps producing even as the losses mount. Anthony leads the team with 23.7 points per game and has scored in double figures in all but one game he has appeared in this season. The seven-time All-Star acknowledged being 20 games under .500 is difficult to image, telling reporters “it doesn’t seem real” after the loss to Toronto.
TRENDS:
*Wizards are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games vs. a team with a winning % below .400.
*Knicks are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 home games.
*Under is 8-1 in Knicks last 9 home games.
*Wizards are 3-10 ATS in the last 13 meetings in New York.
Oklahoma City Thunder at San Antonio Spurs (-5)
The San Antonio Spurs are trying to stay afloat in the loaded Western Conference without one of their best defensive players, but they might catch a break and miss one of the league's top offensive stars on Christmas Day. The Spurs host an Oklahoma City team that is likely to be without reigning MVP Kevin Durant on Thursday. The Thunder have lost three of four as they scramble to keep up in the West during an injury-plagued season.
The Thunder surged back into the Western Conference playoff picture after getting stars Durant and Russell Westbrook back from injuries, but Durant has missed the past three games with a sprained right ankle. The Spurs also have been forced to get by without key players at times, including defensive whiz Kawhi Leonard, but they got point guard Tony Parker back from a five-game absence with a hamstring injury and he scored 26 points in a 125-118 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. "It was hard to watch, a tough time," Parker told reporters of his time on the bench, during which the Spurs endured a four-game losing streak. "So I was just trying to bring energy and be aggressive."
ABOUT THE THUNDER (13-16 SU, 14-14-1 ATS, 9-12 O/U): While Oklahoma City has suffered at the offensive end with Durant (22.4 points, five rebounds) and Westbrook missing so much time, the Thunder have been one of the best defensive teams in the league. They allow an NBA-low 95.9 points per game and holding opponents to 42.6 percent shooting, second-best in the league. Westbrook (28.2 points, 7.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds) went off for 40 points in a 115-111 home loss to Portland on Tuesday, and the Thunder did a solid job defensively until Damian Lillard torched them in the fourth quarter and overtime.
ABOUT THE SPURS (18-11 SU, 14-15 ATS, 15-14 O/U): San Antonio turned in one of its most impressive offensive showings of the season against the Clippers, shooting a blistering 63.6 percent and dishing out a season-high 37 assists. Their defense left much to be desired, though, which is likely to be a common theme with their best on-the-ball defender, Leonard, sidelined by a hand injury. Two days off should help Parker (16.5 points, 5.3 assists) and fellow veteran Tim Duncan (16 points, 11 rebounds) recharge, but Manu Ginobili (12.9 points, 4.9 assists) is questionable with a bruised left shoulder.
TRENDS:
*Thunder are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
*Over is 8-0 in Spurs last 8 home games.
*Favorite is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
*Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Cleveland Cavaliers at Miami Heat (+5.5)
The Miami Heat expected to take a step back when LeBron James left, they just didn’t expect it to be this big a step. The Heat will be trying to recover from a home loss to the lowly Philadelphia 76ers when they welcome back James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday for the first time since the superstar left in free agency over the summer. The Cavaliers have won three straight and got one reunion out of the way with a win over Minnesota on Tuesday.
James guided Miami to four NBA Finals appearances and two championships in four years with the franchise before electing to go home to Northeast Ohio in the summer. The reaction from Heat fans to the move was mixed, and Miami quickly set about making up for the loss by handing Chris Bosh a max contract and bringing in Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts in free agency. Bosh is out indefinitely with a calf injury and McRoberts (knee) could miss the rest of the season, leaving another heavy load on Dwyane Wade.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (17-10 SU, 11-16 ATS, 11-15-1 O/U): Cleveland, like Miami when James first arrived, is still working out the kinks in the new lineup but has been strong on the defensive end in the last three games and moved the ball well in the 125-104 win over the Timberwolves. Kevin Love had 20 points and 10 rebounds in his first meeting with his former franchise and James is looking forward toward his own reunion. “It’s going to be great to be back in that building around those unbelievable fans and the memories will definitely come back,” James told reporters. “When it gets here I’m going to be excited about it. I’m going to relive a lot of moments in my head and go from there.”
ABOUT THE HEAT (13-16 SU, 13-15-1 ATS, 12-17 O/U): Miami held a 23-point lead in the second half against the team with the worst record in the league on Tuesday but watched it all evaporate in a 91-87 setback. “We had a lot of losses this year, so just throw this one on top of the rest,” Wade told reporters. “I think everyone will get rejuvenated and understand that we have a nice Christmas game coming in here. Fans will be excited and we need to find a way to win.” The Heat have already lost 10 games at home – one more than all of last season with James around.
TRENDS:
*Cavaliers are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 road games.
*Heat are 2-8-1 ATS in their last 11 home games.
*Under is 9-2-1 in Cavaliers last 12 games playing on 1 days rest.
*Under is 5-1 in Heat last 6 vs. Eastern Conference.
Los Angeles Lakers at Chicago Bulls (-10.5, 207)
Kobe Bryant took a night off to rest his weary body and his Los Angeles Lakers teammates responded. If Derrick Rose's last two games are any indication, the Chicago Bulls star is finally returning to MVP form after taking several periods of extended time off season. The superstars will lead their respective teams on the court Christmas Day when the Los Angeles Lakers visit the surging Chicago Bulls.
With Bryant not even at STAPLES Center on Tuesday against Golden State, the Lakers had seven double-figure scorers, built their largest lead of the season (24 points) and made nine consecutive shots during two separate stretches in the 115-105 win that snapped a three-game win streak. “It takes a lot more pressure off of him, and it takes a lot more wear and tear off him, as well,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said about Bryant. “It gives our guys confidence. We’ll try to play the same way. Hopefully, we can.” Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau has been saying for weeks that Rose needs to just play through his assortment of ailments, and the 26-year-old has done just that, scoring 15 fourth-quarter points in a win against Toronto on Monday and scoring six of his 25 on Tuesday during a critical rally in a 99-91 win over Washington, another Eastern Conference heavyweight.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (9-19 SU, 13-13-2 ATS, 16-12 O/U): Bryant, who is set to play in his NBA-record 16th Christmas Day game, is averaging 24.6 points on 37.7 shooting (third lowest in the league) in 35.2 minutes per game. Perhaps the five-time champion should take heed with Tuesday's outcome, because the club is scoring four points less and surrendering 17 points more when the star is on the court this season. “Some guys just played like ‘Django Unchained' -- they were free tonight,” Lakers swingman Nick Young told reporters before telling what he would say to Bryant. “Tell him to take the backseat for a little bit. He can be ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ and I can be Miss Daisy and drive.”
ABOUT THE BULLS (19-9 SU 14-14 ATS, 15-12-1 O/U): Chicago has won four straight and seven of eight and beginning a stretch in which seven of the next eight games are at home. Rose, who has missed 10 games this season over four different stretches, is averaging 22.7 points on 50.9 percent shooting in his last six games compared to 13.2 points on 36.4 percent shooting in his previous six contests. "He has his swag back," Bulls swingman Mike Dunleavy said. "He's doing it in the fourth quarter against really good teams. It's good to see that look on his face and the look in his eyes."
TRENDS:
*Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
*Bulls are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a losing S.U. record.
*Over is 4-0 in Lakers last 4 overall.
*Over is 14-3 in Bulls last 17 home games.
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers (-2.5, 217.5)
The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers will be trying to put tough losses behind them when they meet Thursday night in Los Angeles. The Warriors suffered just their fourth loss in 27 games when they went down Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that came in with eight wins in 27 games. The Clippers, meanwhile, lost on the same night at the Atlanta Hawks after leading by as much as 13 points early in the third quarter.
Blake Griffin matched his career high with 11 assists in the loss to the Atlanta and he has some history with the Warriors, namely getting ejected in last season’s Christmas Day game after a minor tussle with Golden State center Andrew Bogut. Griffin didn’t play well when the teams met last month, finishing with 14 points, one rebound and one assist in the 121-104 loss, so he should be motivated to play well. Draymond Green had 24 points and eight rebounds in that game, but has been quiet lately, combining for eight points and 11 rebounds in the last two games.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (23-4 SU, 18-9 ATS, 12-15 O/U): Stephen Curry hurts a lot of teams from 3-point range but he has been especially on-target against the Clippers in his career. Curry has made half of his 124 attempts from beyond the arc in 20 career games against Los Angeles, one of three teams he has shot at least 50 percent from long range against in his career. The 62 made 3-pointers are the most he has made against any NBA team.
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (19-10 SU, 11-18 ATS, 15-11-3 O/U): Chris Paul doesn’t need any extra motivation to get fired up against the Warriors. He wasn’t happy with how Golden State celebrated a victory against Los Angeles in the opening weeks last season and then went out a played a key role in the Clippers’ seven-game victory against the Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs last spring. J.J. Redick comes in averaging 17.8 points in 13 games this month, which would represent his highest scoring month since joining the Clippers last season.
TRENDS:
*Warriors are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
*Clippers are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
*Over is 4-1 in Warriors last 5 overall.
*Over is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings in Los Angeles.
