2021 Christmas sports schedule: Which sports to watch over the holidays

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Phil Agius

NFL

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I've been writing about the NFL and a host of other sports for the UK's top daily betting paper the Racing Post for more than 20 years. An incurable Browns fan (1-31 survivor), I also specialise in all kinds of motorsport betting including F1, MotoGP, IndyCar and NASCAR. For Phil Agius media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.
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The holiday season is here, and sports fans have a packed slate of sports to enjoy including two NFL games on Christmas Day. There will be plenty of entertainment, and of course plenty of things to bet on. To help you keep track of all the holiday sports action, below is a list of all the games you can choose from on the holiday weekend with some of our free expert picks mixed in. Let’s dive in, and most importantly, happy holidays from all of us here at Pickswise!

Christmas Eve 2021 – UPDATE: Hawaii Bowl Canceled

Sadly, the lone Christmas Eve matchup was canceled after Hawaii withdrew from their bowl game matchup with Memphis.

Christmas Day sports 2021

There is a feast of festive sports on Christmas Day in 2021, headed by two great NFL games as the Green Bay Packers host the Cleveland Browns and the Indianapolis Colts visit the Arizona Cardinals, with both NFL Week 16 games having important playoff implications. College football on Christmas Day brings us the Camellia Bowl between Ball State and Georgia State, while there are 5 NBA games scheduled for Christmas Day including Warriors vs Suns and Nets vs Lakers. The College hoopers are in action too, in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

Christmas Day football – NFL on Christmas Day

Cleveland Browns vs Green Bay Packers

Time: 4:30 pm ET
TV: NFL Network
Odds: Green Bay Packers -7
Preview: Browns vs Packers predictions

Indianapolis Colts vs Arizona Cardinals

Time: 8:15 pm ET
TV: NFL Network
Odds: Arizona Cardinals -1
Preview: Colts vs Cardinals predictions

Christmas Day football – College football on Christmas Day

Camellia Bowl: Georgia State vs Ball State

Time: 2:30 pm ET
TV: ESPN
Odds: Georgia State Panthers -6
Preview: Georgia State vs Ball State Camellia Bowl predictions

Christmas Day basketball – NBA on Christmas Day

Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks 

Time: Noon ET
TV: ESPN
Odds: New York Knicks -7.5
Preview: Hawks vs Knicks predictions

Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks

Time: 2:30 pm ET
TV: ABC
Odds: Milwaukee Bucks -4.5
Preview: Celtics vs Bucks predictions

Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns

Time: 5:00 pm ET
TV: ABC
Odds: Phoenix Suns -6.5
Preview: Warriors vs Suns predictions

Brooklyn Nets vs Los Angeles Lakers

Time: 8:00 pm ET
TV: ABC
Odds: Brooklyn Nets -1
Preview: Nets vs Lakers predictions

Dallas Mavericks vs Utah Jazz

Time: 10:30 pm ET
TV: ESPN
Odds: Utah Jazz -12.5
Preview: Mavericks vs Jazz predictions

December 26 sports 2021

Football takes center stage on the day after Christmas, known as Boxing Day in some parts of the world. There’s no boxing on the schedule but we have solid post-Christmas slates in both the NFL (12 games) and the NBA (8 games). NFL highlights include Bills vs Patriots, Rams vs Vikings and Ravens vs Bengals in the 1:00pm ET slot, Steelers vs Chiefs and Broncos vs Raiders in the later window and Washington Football Team vs Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

December 26 football – NFL on December 26

Sunday Night Football – Washington Football Team vs Dallas Cowboys

Time: 8:20 pm ET
TV: NBC
Odds: Cowboys -10.5
Preview: Read our predictions for all the Week 16 NFL football games

December 26 basketball – NBA on December 26

Previews: Read our NBA game predictions

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