Christmas Day NBA Betting Picks: Best Bets, Props, and More

Christmas Day still belongs to the NBA even though the NFL keeps trying to budge in. But since the NFL has two games on Netflix and one on Prime Video, looks like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be serving up the desserts on the national stage.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have dropped just four games this season and two of them have come against the San Antonio Spurs so it could be payback time. LeBron and Luka Doncic will have their hands full with the Houston Rockets, who are taking a beating on a six-game road trip that mercifully ends Thursday.

We might need a over/under prop bet for “How many people can Draymond Green upset on one Christmas Day?” as the Golden State Warriors take on the Dallas Mavericks. If there is one, Chauncey Billups can alert us to it.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS AT OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER

The Spurs just routed the host Thunder 130-110 on Tuesday so this is a high-stakes rematch, especially because San Antonio eliminated Oklahoma City from the NBA Cup earlier this month. Gilgeous Alexander (33-plus points, -104) may be on the lookout for 40 points after a 33-point effort two nights ago didn’t help much.

Keldon Johnson had 25 points off the bench for the Spurs while Victor Wembanyama (12 points) is still coming off the bench and still not going full minutes. San Antonio outscored the Thunder 43-28 in the fourth quarter and isn’t the least bit intimidated by the defending champs.

Oklahoma City big guy Chet Holmgren had three rebounds in 27 minutes on Thursday -- as if he stands 6-foot-1 instead of 7-1. Holmgren figures to be more aggressive on the day Santa parks his sleigh.

Chet Holmgren to grab 8-plus rebounds, -101 (DraftKings)

DALLAS MAVERICKS AT GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Crazy timing to hear Golden State coach Steve Kerr say Wednesday that he hopes Green spends his entire career with the Warriors when Klay Thompson is in town to play for the other team. Then to have Kerr decide he too was in the wrong when Green angrily retreated to the bench in the third quarter of Monday’s victory over the Orlando Magic.

Of course, Thompson (15-plus points, +207) is no longer an elite scoring threat while fitting in nicely with the Mavericks. The other ‘Splash Brother,’ Stephen Curry (30-plus points, +104) is still going strong and he likes to excel and knock down 3-pointers (5-plus 3s, -114) on big stages like Christmas Day.

Cooper Flagg (25-plus points, +220) just turned 19 on Sunday and he’s having an outstanding rookie season. Eventually departing Anthony Davis (26-plus points, -103) will one day be wishing he was on the Mavericks for Flagg’s prime seasons.

Stephen Curry to make 5-plus 3-pointers, -115 (DraftKings)

HOUSTON ROCKETS AT LOS ANGELES LAKERS

It’s hard to believe it was just two Christmas Days ago that Doncic had 50 points and 15 assists for the Mavericks and everyone would have died laughing if someone suggested he’d be wearing a different uniform 13-plus months later. Of course, that trade seems dumber nearly every hour of every day and Doncic (33-plus points, -115) is now the top dog on the Lakers, no matter what that LeBron guy thinks.

Kevin Durant (26-plus points, -120) loves the marquee games and is fitting in well with the Rockets. But this 1-4 road trip that includes three overtime losses – both the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings rallied from huge deficits – does make you wonder how deep Houston can realistically go in the postseason.

Doncic is a 6.5-point favorite (-113) to outscore Durant in a prop bet that could go either way. Perhaps we’ll get to see which one takes over the game in overtime.

Any game to go OT on Christmas Day, +300 (DraftKings)