Christmas is one of the most significant days in the NBA season.
The league provides five back-to-back matchups including playoff rivalries, storied franchises and the sport’s biggest stars from LeBron James and Luka Doncic to Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid.
This Sunday’s action tips off at 5pm UK time with the Sixers up against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
The evening’s entertainment concludes with the Phoenix Suns facing two-time MVP Nikola Jokic in Denver.
New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers: 76ers To Win By Six Or More Points
Prior to their Friday night meeting with the Clippers, the Philadelphia 76ers have won six games in a row. Five of those games have been won by 11 or more points. Joel Embiid started the season slowly, but has been playing at an MVP level for a prolonged period.
New York have also enjoyed an uptick of late. They are 8-2 over their last 10 (at the time of writing), and have the best net rating in the NBA over that period. A record of 8-8 at home is not exactly impressive, however, and they are 8-11 on the season against teams above .500.
The Knicks have improved thanks to Tom Thibodeau giving more minutes to his youngsters, but they are still at a massive talent disadvantage here even with Tyrese Maxey still sidelined.
Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks: Bucks To Win
Boston looked poised for one of the best regular seasons in NBA history until a couple of weeks ago. The Celtics have lost five of six, including two defeats to the lowly Magic.
On offence, some of the issues from the first half of 2021-22 have resurfaced, which has contributed to Boston posting the worst offensive rating in the league over the last 10 games.
Milwaukee has quietly moved to the best record in the league despite Khris Middleton’s struggles on his return from injury. They pushed the Celtics all the way without Middleton in the postseason, and with Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting as MVP frontrunner, the Bucks have the upper hand heading into this game.
The Bucks have already notched marquee road wins in Dallas, New Orleans and Philadelphia. This is great value.
Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns: Under 230.5 Total Points
The under has landed in 16 of 30 for Denver and 16 of 32 for Phoenix.
Both of these teams place in the bottom half of the league in pace, and Phoenix has fallen into a slump with Devin Booker joining Cam Johnson on the sidelines.
Of their four meetings to end without overtime in the last two seasons, three have gone under this total. The prospect of overtime is a big threat to betting the under here, but recent performances suggest the Nuggets will win this by a comfortable margin, limiting some of the risk.
These defences are flawed, leaving potential for some hefty offensive production. The slow pace should still keep the final scores to a relatively low level, however.
All odds are subject to change