NHL Best Bets for Tuesday (11/19)
Kenneth Le
The NBA signature Christmas Day slate is always a good time. We have five games staggered every 2-3 hours from noon to the last tipoff at 10:30 p.m.. Once the presents are open, that is a full day of NBA action for us to bet on while we enjoy a few adult beverages for the holidays.
Make sure to check out the edges on NBA sides and total in our FTN NBA betting model. We will also have updates for the FTN NBA Player Prop model for you to unwrap on Christmas morning. Here are my early look best bets for Christmas Day basketball action.
Best NBA Spread Bet
Memphis Grizzlies -4.5
The Grizzlies are traveling to Golden State for the 8 p.m. game. Stephen Curry is out, Andrew Wiggins is likely out, and Klay Thompson is still questionable too. The Warriors are coming home after a brutal road trip where they lost five of their last six games. Not only did they lose, but they lost by 17, 6, 12, 38 and 30 points in those five losses. Memphis on the other hand is getting healthy, with Desmond Bane returning before the last game and Ja Morant ramping back up to 30-plus minutes per night. As currently constructed, I have Memphis more than 6 points better, which means I would still bet this even if it jumps to -5.
Best NBA Points Prop Bet
Lonnie Walker Over 14.5
With Anthony Davis out, the Los Angeles Lakers have needed to find other guys to pick up their scoring and take those vacated shots. Lonnie Walker has been happy to fill that void. He’s taken at least 12 shots in each of the last four games and topped the 14.5 points for his prop number in each of those recent contests. He is averaging 15.5 points per game on the season, so this number just feels a little too low, even against a slower-paced Dallas squad. It’s also slightly juiced down at -104 on FanDuel and -105 on DraftKings, so the payout is nice.
Best NBA Blocks Prop Bet
Christian Wood Over 1.5
With Maxi Kleber out, Christian Wood has seen his role increase on both ends of the floor. His minutes are up, his scoring is up, and he’s been a rim protector for the Mavericks when he avoids foul trouble. Wood has at least two blocked shots in five straight games and is coming off a four-block game last time out where he played less minutes than normal. Thomas Bryant is a bit of an undersized center in terms of height. He may be able to bully Wood down low, but he also may see a shot or two get blocked because of it. Preferable two, so we can cash this at plus money.
