Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – December 24th Edition

The Indiana Pacers are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference right now, winners of eight of ten to move into third place in the standings, just 2 ½ games behind Toronto. Philadelphia picked up a 25-point win over Toronto over the weekend has them in fourth place in the conference. Miami is also climbing the standings, winning five in a row. In the Western Conference, Dallas is sliding right now, losers of six in a row despite the heroics of rookie Luka Doncic. The Warriors are the hottest team right now, winners of eight of their last ten and leading the Nuggets by a half-game. As we move into the week of Christmas, let’s take a look at your three best NBA betting picks from the hardwood.

Top NBA Betting Picks of the Week – December 24th Edition

The @okcthunder, @sixers and @HoustonRockets made the biggest jumps in this week’s NBA Power Rankings. pic.twitter.com/q9n9U9ceDc

— ESPN (@espn) December 24, 2018

Tuesday, December 25

Oklahoma City (+1.5) at Houston (3:00pm ET, ABC)

Oklahoma City has won six of ten and are looking to cement their status as contenders in the Western Conference, where they currently sit third. Their offense has been solid this year as they score 112 points per game, almost seven points more than they allow on average. Paul George has been the real story for this team, emerging alongside Russell Westbrook as a second threat, taking some of the pressure off the league’s hardest working point guard. Steven Adams has been a force inside, averaging 10.2 rebounds per game. Houston is clinging to the eighth spot in the West, just two games over .500. Chris Paul’s hamstring woes this season have played a major role in the Rockets’ inconsistency , despite the 32 points per game that Houston is getting from James Harden. Center Clint Capela is having another solid campaign, averaging 17 points and 12 rebounds per game. The Rockets need to get more consistent offensive balance and steadier defense, as they permit over 108 points per game. NBA Betting Prediction: Oklahoma City 114, Houston 111

Philadelphia (+3.5) at Boston (5:30pm ET, ABC)

The Sixers come in having split their last six contests as they continue to find ways to balance the addition of Jimmy Butler to the roster with the talents of the rest of the team. They score almost 115 points per game, but they permit almost 112 points, so some additional starch on defense would help out a lot. Joel Embiid leads the team with 26 points and 13 boards per game, and Butler adds 18 points per night. Boston has also gone 3-3 in their last six, but their defense has been more consistent than Philadelphia’s, as their opponents only score 105 points per game. Kyrie Irving leads the team with 23 points and six assists per night, with Jayson Tatum adding 17 points and six boards per game. If you like Boston here, you see their defense shutting down Philadelphia while theirr offense takes advantage of an inconsistent Sixer attack. NBA Betting Prediction: Boston 110, Philadelphia 107

Portland (+6) at Utah (10:30pm ET, ESPN)

Portland heads to Salt Lake City on Tuesday having won six of nine. Their guard tandem of Damian Lillard (26.9 points per game) and C.J. McCollum (21.2) keeps their offensive clicking, and the inside play of Jusuf Nurkic has given them a dimension they largely lacked last year. Their defense has been suspect at times as they permit 110 points per game, but their scoring has compensated for that lately. Utah has won just five of their last ten as they remain right near the .500 line for the season. They score almost 107 points per game while permitting almost 106, led by 20 points per game from Donovan Mitchell and 14 points and 12 boards pre game from Rudy Gobert. The Jazz have played well at home, winning four of five, and the altitude in Utah gives them an added home-court advantage. NBA Betting Prediction: Utah 112, Portland 103