NBA Expert Tips and Best Bets | Dec 24

Christmas Eve in Australia will see a huge slate of games in the NBA, with 28 of the league’s 30 teams taking to the floor prior to the day off on what is our Christmas. Somehow the good teams have by and large avoided one another over those 14 games and there are plenty of expected blowouts as a result, but there is still some value to be found throughout the course of the day. Below, you can take a look at our three best bets of the day, all of which are banking on big ones for some of the league’s best teams.

Cavaliers -14.5 | $1.90 with Unibet

The Cavaliers might just be the best team in the league right now. That probably isn’t all that much of a stretch to say given they have the best record in the NBA by 2.5 games, but with the Celtics and the Thunder just behind them they have some hot competition for that title. But there is no denying just how well they are playing, and their last three games have been as impressive a stretch as any team has had all season. Incredibly, they have won those last three games by an average of 26.3 points, with each victory coming by at least 23 points. They beat first the Nets by 29, then the Bucks by 23 and finally the Sixers by 27, and with the lowly Jazz awaiting them that run may very well continue on Tuesday. Making matters worse for the Jazz is that they have to head to Cleveland for this game, where the home team is 16-1 on the year and has a ridiculous net rating of +14.1. Compare that to the road net rating of the Jazz of -8.4, and you have a recipe for disasters for the visiting team. In fairness the Jazz have actually had a good few days, winning their last two games, albeit against the Nets and the Pistons, but given they were 5-20 prior to those matchups they will be more than happy with the wins regardless of who they came against. Unfortunately, the chances of them even going close to continuing their winning streak against the might of the Cavaliers is next to nil. The 14.5-point line set by betting agencies is admittedly very high, but so it should be. This is the most in-form team in the league coming up against one of the worst, and at a home court where their advantage is probably the most significant in the NBA. There is every chance that the Cavs notch up their fourth consecutive 20+ point win in this one.

Rockets -6.5 | $1.88 with QuestBet

The Hornets are struggling big time. Though they have some high-level young talent, they were not a particularly good team just yet even at full strength, and understandably they struggled in the absence of Lamelo Ball – their best player and also one of the highest usage stars in the league. He returned a couple of games ago, and while theoretically that should make them a better team, they still lost those two games by 13 points to the Sixers and nine points to the Wizards – the worst team in the league. They’ve now lost four games in a row by at least nine points, and alongside the two aforementioned games, the other two losses have been against the Sixers (again) and the Bulls. The Rockets easily better than all of those teams, so the 6.5-point line set by NBA betting sites looks very short. The young Rockets have come on in leaps and bounds this season, and while they may not stay there, currently find themselves in third in the Western Conference behind only the Thunder and the Grizzlies. They have the second best defensive rating in the league, and up against a Hornets team which is bottom five in offence they should be keeping their opposition to a pretty low score in this one. Sure, the game is being played in Charlotte, but the Hornets are still not exactly a good team on their home floor. The Rockets will be looking to win this one by double digits, and should be breezing past this line.

Celtics -7.5 | $1.84 with PlayUp

The Magic cannot catch a break. Both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have suffered long-term injuries early in the season, and with those two being the nucleus of their team that leaves them pretty thin. Now, Mo Wagner, not nearly as important but still a valuable player off the bench, is out for the season with an ACL. Since Wagner joined Banchero on the sidelines the Magic have done well to win two of their five games, but they are going to really struggle to keep pace while those two are recuperating. They are coming off an astounding win against the Heat in which they won the final quarter 37-8 to steal the game by seven points on the back of 27 Cole Anthony points in the second half, but more than likely that is an anomaly and the first three quarters of that game will be more indicative of what is to come in this game. Because the Celtics are as good as any team in it, and have no issues taking the sword to their opposition. They are fresh off a 25-point win against the Bulls, and while they somehow managed to lose their previous game against the same team, their two matchups before that saw them earn a 14-point win over the Wizards and a 24-point win over the Pistons. The Magic are better than those teams even with their unfortunate injury list, but the Celtics are very capable of scoring big and have all year shown the ability to put big margins on vulnerable opponents. Orlando will scrap and grind for four quarters, but with their best two players out, the talent differential in this game will be really difficult for them to overcome. The Celts should be able to notch up yet another solid victory and go past the 7.5-point line set by betting sites.