Happy Sunday, hoops heads! While super wild-card weekend will easily be the main topic of discussion for most sports fans this evening, the NBA has a low-key solid five-game slate closing out a strong Sunday of action. Today we will feature the best spread, moneyline, and over/under bets from those five games, getting you primed for the most exciting — and potentially-lucrative — contests.
If football isn’t doing it for you, fear not. Multiple MVP candidates will be lacing ’em up this evening in the NBA, including Luka Doncic and his Mavericks in Portland and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic squaring off against four-time MVP LeBron James in the 76ers at Lakers nightcap.
Let’s get right into our favorite wagers for a Sunday funday of NBA hoops.
All spreads, moneylines, and over/unders are from BetMGM.
NBA Sunday Night Best Bets: Against the Spread
Dallas Mavericks (+7.5) at Portland Trailblazers
Luka Doncic and the Mavericks got bludgeoned by the Blazers on Saturday night, falling 136-119 in an uncharacteristically bad performance. Dallas shot okay from beyond the three-point line, but everything else was a disaster. Portland outscored the Mavs 50-28 in the paint and won the rebounding battle 47-25 (10-2 on the offensive glass). And Doncic was just off, shooting 7-of-19 from the floor and missing all five of his three-point attempts and five of his six tries from the line. In contrast, Damian Lillard was sizzling: 11-of-20 from the floor, 4-of-11 from deep, 10-of-10 from the stripe. All said, Chauncey Billups’ squad made 21-of-22 free-throw attempts, a pristine effort on an evening in which just about everything went right. Don’t expect Dallas to roll over two nights in a row — Doncic is the MVP frontrunner, after all. And if Jason Kidd can get Christian Wood back on the floor after he missed Saturday’s game with a sprained ankle, the Mavs should be in much better shape on the interior and the glass. Don’t forget Lillard and the Blazers had lost five games in a row before yesterday — they may pull off another victory tonight, but I doubt it will be another blowout.
Prediction: Blazers 117, Mavericks 112.
Other Sunday spreads we like: Nets (-5.5) vs. Thunder; Magic (+10.5) at Nuggets; 76ers (-2.5) at Lakers
NBA Christmas Best Bets: Moneyline
Philadelphia 76ers (-145) at Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have lost two games in a row, once to reigning back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic and once to MVP favorite Luka Doncic. Tonight, we think LeBron James and his embattled squad will lose to another MVP candidate: Joel Embiid. Few teams can slow down the four-time All-NBA stud and reigning scoring champ, but Los Angeles might be in the worst shape to give it a try. L.A. desperately misses Anthony Davis (foot), an MVP candidate in his own right before he went down. Without AD’s defensive presence against Embiid, and his dominating offensive skills on the other end to contend with JoJo, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey, we find it difficult to imagine the 19-23 Lakers can hang with the 26-16 Sixers. Sorry, Thomas Bryant, you’ve been great offensively, but you’re going to be a victim of Embiid’s warpath this evening.
Prediction: 76ers 121, Lakers 111.
Other NBA Sunday moneylines we like: Nets (-200) vs. Thunder; Spurs (+200) vs. Kings
NBA Christmas Best Bets: Over/Under
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Oklahoma City Thunder at Brooklyn Nets: OVER 229.5 (-110)
Talk about an under-the-radar OVER! OKC ranks eighth in scoring this season (116.9 points per game), and fourth over its past three games (122.7). Brooklyn averages 115.3 points per home game, and has been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since Thanksgiving. The Kevin Durant injury obviously stings, and will likely lead many to bet the UNDER – not to mention the Nets’ last two losing scores of 102 and 98 to Miami and Boston. But the Heat and Celtics are solid defensive squads and legitimate threats. The Thunder rank in the bottom ten in scoring defense (116.4 per game) and road points allowed (117.7), and they won’t be able to contain Kyrie Irving. It won’t be pretty, but we should see a ton of scoring in BK tonight.
Prediction: Nets 120, Thunder 113.
Other Sunday over/unders we like: Mavericks-Blazers: OVER 221.5 (-115); Kings-Spurs: UNDER 246.5 (-110)
