NBA Christmas same game parlay (+970): Atlanta Hawks vs New York Knicks

Andrew Ortenberg

NBA

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I'm an NFL handicapper here at Pickswise who was raised in a household full of sports fanatics. Since I unfortunately never had LeBron James' jumping ability I wasn't able to make it to the NBA, and chose writing about sports as the next best thing. An avid sports bettor myself, I'm excited to get to write about the industry as it gets set to take off across the country. Buckle up.

Updated: 7:31 AM ET December 25, 2021

COVID has caused some chaos with the slate, but the NBA on Christmas is still a very special occasion. And what better way to celebrate that special occasion than by betting a same game parlay? We’ve also got thoughts on the side and total for each of the day’s matchups, and we’ll have SGPs for every game as well which you can find in our analysis section.

Here we’ve got the first game of the day as the Atlanta Hawks take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Let’s dive in:

Julius Randle to score 30+ points (+500)

John Collins over 20.5 points (-106)

Parlay odds: +970

We have a two-leg parlay here, one which pays out just shy of 10/1 with FanDuel Sportsbook. Let’s break down each of the legs:

Julius Randle to score 30+ points (+500)

A bet at +500 odds only has to cash 16.7 percent of the time to be profitable. And even though Randle has been having a down season by all accounts, he’s still easily eclipsing that rate. Through 32 games Randle has put up 30+ points 7 times, a rate of 22 percent. So just in a vacuum I think this number has value. To end last season, Randle scored at least 30 in 10 of his last 18 games. He has been catching a lot of criticism, so he will be highly motivated to show out in this nationally televised game — especially against this depleted Hawks team against which he should have some favorable matchups.

John Collins over 20.5 points (-106)

Collins should also be in for a big game. The Hawks are dealing with an unfortunate COVID outbreak that has key guys like Trae Young, Kevin Huerter, Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari and others all out for this one. Onyeka Okongwu was just inserted into the lineup and played 34 minutes in Atlanta’s most recent game, and now he’s also out. They’re running out of healthy bodies, and Collins’ usage rate should be off the charts. Even when the team was fully healthy, Collins was frequently going for 20+. He has scored at least 20 in four of his past six games and will be playing heavier than usual minutes on Christmas.