NBA Basketball On Christmas Day
Christmas Day is the traditional launching pad for the NBA’s national television coverage in the United States. The advent of cable means that we’ve already seen plenty of basketball this season, but there’s still something special about watching hoops on the holidays. This year is extra-special; we’ve got five games this Xmas Day, including a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals.
New Orleans at Orlando (12:00 p.m. Eastern, ESPN)
The Hornets (16-7 SU, 10-11-2 ATS heading into the week) are on top of what is yet again proving to be a very tough Southwest division. They’re on a four-game winning streak and 11-2 (8-4-1 ATS) over the past month after a slow start, and the under is on a five-game streak – in part because Peja Stojakovic (43.1 percent from downtown) has missed the last two games with back spasms.
Orlando (21-6 SU, 17-9-1 ATS) is proving that last year’s success was no fluke. Hedo Turkoglu has come back down to earth a bit, from 21.2 points/40 minutes to his more typical 17.6 points/40. However, point guard Jameer Nelson has gotten his career back on track at 20.9 points and 6.6 assists/40, similar to his breakout sophomore season in 2005-06.
San Antonio at Phoenix (2:30 p.m., ABC)
The Spurs won’t go away. They’re 16-10 SU and 12-13-1 ATS, although the money’s run dry lately at 1-4-1 ATS over their last six games. The team is healthy again, and new starting center Matt Bonner is hitting 49.3 percent of his trey attempts to help loosen things up inside for Tim Duncan (23.4 points, 12.0 rebounds/40).
Phoenix (16-11 SU, 11-15 ATS) has won three of four since adding Jason Richardson (20.9 points/40) at the two guard in a brilliant trade with Charlotte. They’re the top team in the league in shooting at 50.0 percent, but the Suns are also No. 24 in defensive efficiency at 107 points allowed per 100 possessions. The over is on a 9-2 streak.
Boston at L.A. Lakers (5:00 p.m., ABC)
This is the big enchilada. The defending champions are off the charts at 26-2 SU (16-12 ATS), ranked first in efficiency on defense and fifth on offense. Boston has an 18-game winning streak, a healthy roster full of both veteran and young talent, and a blossoming point guard with something to prove in Rajon Rondo. He had the first triple-double of his career earlier this month against Indiana.
Meanwhile, they’re already panicking in Los Angeles (21-5 SU, 11-15 ATS). The Lakers lost a couple of games over the weekend and have been having trouble covering the spread; Magic Johnson has joined the chorus claiming that they need to toughen up on defense. The Lakers are, in fact, fourth in the league in defensive efficiency and third on offense. Tough crowd.
NBA odds in the Bodog Sportsbook.
Washington at Cleveland (8:00 p.m., TNT)
Washington is the ugly duckling this Christmas Day at 4-21 SU and 9-16 ATS. Unlike last year, the Wiz don’t have the stuff to overcome Gilbert Arenas’ injury; the loss of Brendan Haywood (15.2 points, 10.3 boards/40) in the paint has proved to be worse for Washington. Despite having the worst defense in the league, the Wiz have the under at 13-11.
The Cavs are the most profitable team in the NBA at 21-6 ATS, and they lead the Central division at 23-4 SU. The Mo Williams deal turned out to be a winner; his 19.2 points per game and solid midrange shooting combine with last year’s midseason additions Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak to open the floor for LeBron James. King James is this year’s early MVP leader at 30.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists per 40 minutes.
Dallas at Portland (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
The Mavericks (15-11 SU, 11-15 ATS) might want a do-over of the Jason Kidd-Devin Harris trade, but they’re still a playoff contender in the West, even with the hole at shooting guard where the injured Jerry Stackhouse (17.5 points/40 last year) used to be. Dallas is 2-2 SU and ATS since Josh Howard returned to the lineup from a sprained left ankle.
The rebuilding project in Portland (17-10 SU, 12-14 ATS) is essentially complete. But there’s still a lot of room for growth on a young team trying to find its rhythm; the Trail Blazers are 5-4 SU and 1-7 ATS in their last nine – the betting line was taken off the board in their last game against the Suns. Greg Oden’s unusual skill set (think Ben Wallace for a quick-and-dirty comparison) is still maturing and will take time for the Blazers to integrate.
