Filip Tomic
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There will be no games played on Christmas Eve in the NBA, which means Saturday brings us a total of 13 matchups. The action starts as early as 6.30 pm ET, I’ve once again gone in depth and picked out my three favorite bets to back in a NBA Mega Parlay.
Be sure to visit our NBA predictions page for picks on the side and total for every single game tonight, but also all five meetings taking place on Christmas Day.
Now let’s dive into my bet!
MEM Grizzlies -1 (-108)
OKC Thunder -4 (-110)
POR Trail Blazers ML (+300)
Parlay odds: +1370
Memphis Grizzlies -1 over ATL Hawks (-108)
For Ja Morant and co. it’s important to strike the iron while it’s hot. Memphis has won both games since Morant’s return from suspension, they are now 5.5 games back from a play-in tournament spot so there is hope that all is not lost for this season just yet. Playing a team like Atlanta is a welcome sign, as the Grizzlies have covered the spread 4 times in their last 6 games vs Eastern Conference opponents. They are also 6-4 SU in the last 10 meetings and are outscoring the Hawks by almost 4 points per game during that stretch.
The home team will be playing on a 2nd night of a back-to-back here, following last night’s loss in South Beach against the Miami Heat. Although they went into that game winning 3 of 4 games, after the loss they are now just 3-7 SU in their last 10. Their home form is what’s concerning at just 4-7 SU. Betting on the Hawks has been a nightmare this season, they’ve covered the spread just once in 11 home games and are 7-21 ATS for the season. Pair that with a couple of knocks to important rotation players like De’Andre Hunter, I think Memphis has a really solid chance to win their 3rd straight game here.
Oklahoma City Thunder -4 over Los Angeles Lakers (-110)
Next up I have the OKC Thunder taking down the Lakers as the two teams meet up for the 2nd time this season. LeBron James didn’t play in Thursday’s 118-111 loss at Minnesota as it was a 2nd night of a back-to-back. It was the Lakers’ 5th loss in 6 games, while on the road they’ve got just 5 wins in 16 games. The list of injuries is long and it currently includes LeBron James, Gabe Vincent, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis with all of them being game-time decisions.
The timing of facing the Thunder couldn’t be worse for LA as this team is on a roll right now having won 3 games in a row overall and 5 straight at home. They’ve taken down the defending champions on the road and followed it up with wins over Memphis and the Clippers, ending their 9-game win streak. Josh Giddey is the only absentee with an injury, but other than him they have a full line-up to pick from. Only 2.5 games separate them in the standings from the West best Timberwolves, so you could say that the Thunder are punching above their weight this season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 30+ points in 2 of the last 3 meetings, with so many knocks to their defensive oriented players, I doubt the Lakers will have someone to throw at him here. The Thunder are 10-4 SU at home this season, after seeing them win the first meeting of the season by 23 points, I’m confident they’ll get the job done here as well.
Portland Trail Blazers ML vs Golden State Warriors (+300)
I know backing a team at +300 odds to win might sound discouraging at first, but I really feel like the Trail Blazers could pull it off here. First off, the 2 meetings against the Warriors were both decided by just 4 points in favor of Golden State, plus Portland did the unthinkable and held Stephen Curry to 0 made threes in the game played 5 days ago. Since then the Warriors have played a physically and mentally draining OT game vs Boston and are coming off a 129-118 win over Washington, played last night. For an aging roster like theirs, playing that many minutes in such a short timespan could have a negative effect.
Portland is only 7-20 SU on the season, however they’ve won more games on the road at home. They’ve been able to hold their own in games away from home, covering the spread in 5 of their last 6. Even in head-to-head meetings vs the Warriors they’ve been able to cover 5 times in the last 10 played. They just took down the Phoenix Suns 109-104 a couple of nights ago, plus they’ll be the more rested team here having had an extra day in between games. With the Warriors missing Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II, I think a road win at +300 odds is definitely worth exploring here.
