The 2024-25 NBA Christmas Day slate consists of five games, with the defending champion Boston Celtics hosting the Philadelphia 76ers in one of the contests. The Celtics have yet to face the 76ers this season but won three of the four meetings between the Atlantic Division rivals in 2023-24, including both at TD Garden. Philadelphia has won four of its last five road games to improve to 5-8 away from home, while Boston has lost two of its last three at home.
The Christmas Day schedule begins at noon ET, when the San Antonio Spurs visit the New York Knicks. The Dallas Mavericks host the Minnesota Timberwolves at 2:30 p.m. ET, while the Celtics-76ers contest tips off at 5 p.m. ET. The Los Angeles Lakers take to the road to face the Golden State Warriors at 8 p.m. ET, and the holiday lineup concludes when the Phoenix Suns host the Denver Nuggets at 10:30 p.m. ET to complete their home-and-home series. Boston is a 10-point favorite against Philadelphia, while New York is favored by 9.5 over San Antonio. Golden State (-4.5) and Dallas (-4) enter their games as favorites, while Phoenix is a 2.5-point home underdog against Denver.
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Spurs at Knicks
- Tip-off time Noon ET
- Point spread Knicks -9.5
- Money line Knicks -410, Spurs +320
- Total 225.5
Picks and more to know
The teams split their two meetings last season, with each winning at home. New York rolled past San Antonio 126-105 at Madison Square Garden as Jalen Brunson led all players with 25 points. The 28-year-old point guard entered Monday as the Knicks' top scorer this campaign with an average of 25.1 points, while center Karl-Anthony Towns ranked second (24.5) and was first in the NBA with 14 rebounds per game in his first season with the club.
New York is no stranger to Christmas Day as it has played the most games in the league (56) on the holiday. The team defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 129-122 at home last year but owns just a 24-32 record on Dec. 25. The Spurs haven't played on Christmas since 2016, when they improved to 5-6 with a 119-100 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
San Antonio is guided by center Victor Wembanyama, who began the week with an average of 24.7 points. The 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year was first in blocks with 3.8 per contest after becoming the second rookie in NBA history to lead the league in blocks per game (3.6) and total blocks (254) last season. Wembanyama recorded 14 points, nine rebounds and one block in his visit to New York last campaign.
Timberwolves at Mavericks
- Tip-off time 2:30 p.m. ET
- Point spread Mavericks -4
- Money line Mavericks -192, Timberwolves +160
- Total 223
Picks and more to know
The Mavericks and Timberwolves are meeting for the second time this season after Dallas posted a 120-114 victory at Minnesota on Oct. 29. Kyrie Irving scored a team-high 35 points in that contest and Luka Doncic added 24. The 25-year-old Doncic, who entered the week ranked fifth in the NBA with an average of 28.9 points, is dealing with a heel injury that sidelined him for two games prior to Dallas' matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday.
Irving entered that contest averaging 23.5 points for the Mavericks, who are 4-3 on Christmas Day after beating the Suns 128-114 in Phoenix last year. Minnesota's last appearance on the holiday came in 2017, when it evened its record at 1-1 with a 121-104 road triumph over the Lakers.
Anthony Edwards began the week averaging a team-best 25.6 points for the Timberwolves and led all players in the previous game against Dallas with 37. Julius Randle scored 20 points in that showdown and entered Monday with an average of 20.1 per outing.
76ers at Celtics
- Tip-off time 5 p.m. ET
- Point spread Celtics -10
- Money line Celtics -410, 76ers +320
- Total 222
Picks and more to know
Boston, which played at Orlando on Monday, is hoping for a better performance than its previous one at home -- a 117-108 loss to Chicago last Thursday. Jayson Tatum, who is the Celtics' leading scorer with an average of 28.8 points, recorded a double-double in that contest with 31 points and 10 rebounds.
Philadelphia hopes to have two of its top players on the court against Boston as 2022-23 NBA MVP Joel Embiid (sinus fracture) was expected to play against San Antonio on Monday while Tyrese Maxey was questionable with an illness. The 24-year-old Maxey entered Monday as the 76ers' leading scorer with an average of 25 points, while Embiid was producing 22.3 but had appeared in only seven games this season.
Both teams have plenty of experience playing on Christmas Day. Boston is just 17-20 on the holiday but defeated the Lakers 126-115 in Los Angeles last year, while Philadelphia improved to 19-15 with a 119-113 road win over the Miami Heat in 2023.
Lakers at Warriors
- Tip-off time 8 p.m. ET
- Point spread Warriors -4.5
- Money line Warriors -192, Lakers +160
- Total 227
Picks and more to know
The Pacific Division rivals are meeting for the first time this season after the Warriors dominated the 2023-24 series, winning three of the four meetings. Their only loss came in the first matchup, a 145-144 home setback in double overtime. Star point guard Steph Curry entered Monday as Golden State's scoring leader with an average of 22.4 points.
Los Angeles will be seeking a third straight road victory as it followed four consecutive losses away from home with a pair of triumphs over the Sacramento Kings. LeBron James began the week ranked fourth in the NBA with 8.9 assists per game, while Anthony Davis was fifth in boards with an 11.8 average.
The Lakers fell to 24-26 on Christmas Day with their home setback against Boston last year, while the Warriors dropped to 15-18 with a 120-114 loss in Denver.
Nuggets at Suns
- Tip-off time 10:30 p.m. ET
- Point spread Nuggets -2.5
- Money line Nuggets -125, Suns +105
- Total 234
Picks and more to know
The Suns and Nuggets are squaring off for the first time this campaign after Phoenix won two of their three matchups in 2023-24 - both in Denver. Phoenix is led this season by Kevin Durant, who has averaged 27.4 points in 17 games entering the week. Devin Booker is second on the club at 25.1 points per contest but missed his second straight game on Monday with a left groin strain.
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic is having another superb season for Denver as he came into the week second in the league in both scoring (30.9 points) and assists (9.8) while ranking third in rebounds (13).
Both teams were in action on Christmas Day last year, with the Nuggets improving to 3-6 with their home victory against Golden State and the Suns falling to 12-9 with their loss to Dallas.
Explaining the DraftKings Sportsbook promo
The DraftKings welcome promo comes with a few terms and conditions. First, you must be a new DraftKings customer who has never signed up for the platform anywhere. For example, if you previously signed up in Michigan, you wouldn't be eligible to sign up for a new account and claim the welcome bonus in Pennsylvania or any other state. You also must be at least 21 years old to sign up and claim the DraftKings promo.
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