NBA Christmas Day Preview

 

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We have another fantastic slate of games for Christmas this year. With this NBA season only 3 days old, these games will be an indicator of what some of these teams are this season. 8 of the 10 teams featured today are playoff teams from a year ago, and all 10 teams have big expectations for this season. Let's get into the games.

New Orleans Pelicans @ Miami Heat (-3)

Full disclosure, I'm a Heat fan. I think they're going to have another good season, and they'll hopefully pick up their first win today. This should be a fun matchup to start the day. Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans against Jimmy Butler and the Heat. Notice I said Brandon Ingram instead of Zion Williamson there. Zion is going to be a star, but I would argue that Ingram is more important for the Pels right now. Ingram is a lethal scorer and is a beast with the ball in his hands. There isn't anyone else on New Orleans that fits that description yet. Butler and Moe Harkless will probably draw the assignment to guard Ingram and that's the matchup where this game will be won. Butler needs to outplay Ingram, and Miami's shooters need to play better. Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson were abused by Orlando's Evan Fournier on Wednesday night, and unfortunately for Miami, JJ Reddick is capable of doing the same thing. Miami needs Herro to play a consistent 4 quarters and to at least keep Reddick in check. I'm gonna pick Miami as the home team today, and I'm honestly a little surprised that the spread is only 3 points. Don't be surprised if Reddick scores 30 points today though.

The Pick - Miami (-3)

Golden State Warriors @ Milwaukee Bucks (-10.5)

Draymond Green is out today, so Milwaukee needs to win this game. Golden State looked dreadful against Brooklyn on opening night without Green. Playing without him is going to be borderline impossible for the Warriors, they need him back as soon as possible. Both of these teams are 0-1 after the Bucks lost a heartbreaker to Boston after Jayson Tatum hit a 3 to go ahead with .4 seconds left. Giannis missed a free throw that would've tied the game and has now been mocked by the national media. The Bucks win easily today and Giannis scores 40.

The Pick - Milwaukee (-10.5)

Brooklyn Nets (-3)  @ Boston Celtics

The Nets looked like a juggernaut against Golden State on Tuesday night. They have so much depth on that roster, it's insane. When a team can bring players like Jarrett Allen and Spencer Dinwiddie off the bench, good luck. Kyrie Irving coming back to Boston would be a big story if there were fans, but there aren't. Boston is a good team, but they don't have the pieces to compete with Brooklyn in the playoffs. That being said, I'm gonna predict Brooklyn to come back down to Earth after that performance, but win in a close game. Jayson Tatum and co. will keep Boston closer than Golden State was able to at least. It's going to be a much more watchable game than the opening one of the campaign. Give me Brooklyn to win and cover the spread, but I think it'll be within a few points. I can see this one going either way.

The Pick - Brooklyn (-3)

Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers (-6.5)

 The Mavericks are still without Kristaps Porzingis for a bit, so they won't have the firepower to beat this Lakers team. Especially after an opening night loss to the Clippers that has everyone talking about them. Luka Doncic is a great player, but there isn't anyone else that's going to kill you offensively. Dallas is a conference finals contender when they get healthy, but that doesn't matter for today. Kristaps is out, hammer LA (-6.5). This will be a fun game to watch, just not one that will be super close at the end. 

Los Angeles Clippers (-3) @ Denver Nuggets

The disrespect to Denver here. The team is coming off a conference finals run in which they eliminated the Clippers in 7 games. Now, Denver is 0-1 after a tough loss to Sacramento in overtime, which is not great, but I like their chances today. The Clippers are going to want revenge for their elimination last season and they have the talent to win pretty much every single game this year. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is one of the best duos in the league. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are no slouch either though. This is probably the best game of the day, in my opinion. I like Denver to win today because Nikola Jokic will be very hard to stop for LA, but the Clippers are the favorite in this game. You really can't go wrong either way here.

The Pick - Denver (+3)