Tag: NBA Christmas Day

The NBA 2022-23 schedule is coming soon, but here’s everything we already know about it so far

Here’s everything we know so far about the NBA’s 2022-23 season

The NBA’s entire slate for the 2022-23 season is set to be revealed later on Wednesday.

Everyone will finally know when opening night for their favorite team is. And we’ll all get to go through the exercise of chalking up the wins and losses on the calendar month by month.

But there are some things we already actually know about the league’s overall schedule so far.

For example, we know who is playing on Christmas. We also know who is opening the season so far, too. Quite a bit has already been revealed.

So, ahead of the bigger drop, we figured we’d drop all of that information in one place for you.

Enjoy.

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Warriors almost got a technical foul celebrating Christmas Day upset

The Warriors bench was so excited celebrating their upset win over the Houston Rockets on Christmas Day that the team almost got a technical foul after the game.

As we approach the end of 2019, the common theme for the year when it pertains to Golden State Warriors basketball has been injuries. Nearly every player on the Warriors’ roster has dealt with their fair share of injuries, with the biggest hits coming to All-Stars, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

Injuries have turned Golden State from a perineal contender to a team looking at a high lottery pick when the draft rolls around—it’s safe to say this is new territory for the Warriors.

For a team that ripped through the NBA for five-straight seasons, now in 2019, the Warriors haven’t had much to celebrate. The arrival of D’Angelo Russell and the development of rookie Eric Paschall has been fun. Still, when it comes to evidence Golden State can hang their hat on, the cabinet was looking bare—until Christmas day.

The Warriors completed the biggest upset in 30 years on the NBA’s Christmas day slate when they knocked off their rival, the Houston Rockets, 116-104 at home. A surprising Christmas gift that the fans could be proud of, as well as the players.

From Curry and Thompson on the bench, to Draymond Green flexing away after hitting a pair of timely three-pointers, you could tell the Christmas day moment meant something special to this edition of the Golden State squad.

Following the dramatic upset, Steve Kerr told reporters that the Warriors were almost in jeopardy of getting a technical foul for how they celebrated after the final whistle, and the championship coach’s response was priceless.

“At one point the ref told me— he wanted me to tell our guys not to run on the floor. And I said, ‘That’s not happening—we’ve had a lousy season—We’re going to run on the floor.’ I said, ‘If you’ve got to call a T— you’ve got to call a T.’ And he said, ‘All right, fair enough—so, it was a good night.”

The Warriors victory on Christmas day extended their longest win streak of the season at three, and now have the struggling Phoenix Suns coming to Chase Center. Golden State could parlay their emotional win against Houston into another notch on their season-long winning streak.

Warriors limit Rockets’ All-Star backcourt via ‘phenomenal’ game plan

The Golden State Warriors stifled the Houston Rockets All-Star backcourt with an innovative gameplan from assistant coach Jaron Collins.

It’s no secret the Golden State Warriors have struggled to start the 2019-20 season. Injuries have derailed the roster, with new faces popping into the rotation across the season, but in the Dubs 116-104 win against their rival, the Houston Rockets—the Warriors looked like an image of what set them on their five-year championship run.

The ball moved up-and-down the floor against the Rockets, with all five starters scoring in double-digits, the team added 27 assists. Still, more importantly, they played high caliber defense.

The Warriors had to get creative against Houston’s MVP duo of James Harden and Russell Westbrook to seal the biggest upset on Christmas Day in over 30-years.

The Warriors limited Harden to 24 points, the lowest scoring night in his last 10-games. Steve Kerr’s defense took away one of Harden’s favorite spots— the free-throw line.

Harden only had one attempt from the line, that didn’t come till late in the fourth quarter, and he missed it — ending the night 0-1 from the charity stripe. Harden’s Christmas day performance was only the fifth time in his career, where he finished with zero made free throws.

Harden’s backcourt mate, Westbrook, led his team with 30-points, but it took many shots to get there. The All-Star went 11-for-32 from the field and 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Westbrook’s 21-missed field goals were third-most on Christmas Day.

Draymond Green, who knows a little about defense, said the Warriors success came from the blueprint assistant coach Jaron Collins laid out for the team.

“You have to give him credit,” said Green to reporters after the Warriors Christmas day win. “His gameplan was [expletive] phenomenal.”

Kerr said the Warriors needed to be “innovative” when locking-up Harden. After the game, Kerr tabbed Harden’s matchups against the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors, as teams who attacked him interestingly defensively.

“Toronto did something interesting with him a few weeks ago. Luke Walton ran a box and one the other night against him in Sacramento,” said Kerr. “That’s who James is. He’s so good that you have to try to do your best to keep him off balance.”

As much of a development year as it is for the Warriors roster, how Kerr and his coaching staff handle a youth filled team full of inexperience, something to follow throughout this season.

Stifling the backcourt duo of Westbrook and Harden goes to the top of the resume for Kerr’s 2019-20 club.

Warriors gift Rockets Christmas coal in biggest win of 2019, 116-104

With the Warriors struggling, they delivered their biggest win of the season on Christmas day against their rival, the Houston Rockets.

The Warriors playing a primetime game on Christmas Day has turned into a holiday institution. However, the cast may have looked a bit different in 2019, but the group played like a Golden State team of the past. 

The Warriors extended their season-long win streak to three games in a 116-104 victory against the favored Houston Rockets. A statement that seemed impossible to believe a month ago. 

Similarily to the Warriors dynasty run, the win against Houston came on the back of their defense. The Warriors limited the Rockets’ potent offense to 37 percent from the field on 100-total field goal attempts. 

Former MVP, Russell Westbrook went 11-for-32 from the field, missing over 21-total shots. On top of that, he went 0-8 from beyond the arc. James Harden scored 24-points, his lowest total in his last 10-games. 

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Warriors takedown of the Rockets was the biggest upset on Christmas day in 30-years. 

Damion Lee Career Night

Lee, only on a two-way contract, put a punctuation mark on his case to get a full-time deal in the NBA with a career performance on Christmas day. Lee tallied 22 points, three steals, four assists and a shocking 15 rebounds. Lee’s improbable 14 boards were a career-high with his previous high being 11.

Lee made his best James Harden’s impression, knocking down all 10 of his free-throw shots, and going perfect from beyond the arc on two attempts. Lee’s 22 points led the Warriors and provided a spark to the underdog Warriors in their best all season.

In a game featuring three All-Star guards, the two-way contract player, Lee was the best on the floor.

Draymond Green 

Green sealed his fourth carer Christmas Day double-double with 16-points and 11 rebounds, but how he did it was more important than any stat. When Green is a scoring threat, the Warriors play like a different team, and that showed against Houston.

Green was a +20 in the game, with solid defense up-and-down the floor and several big-time shots. With less than two minutes remaining, Green drilled a three to give the Warriors a 115-99 lead, essentially sealing his team’s Christmas Day victory.

James Harden

MVP candidate James Harden registered a double-double, but it didn’t look like a typical day for Houston’s franchise player. The Warriors were sending double-teams at Harden early and often, and it worked.

The Warriors were able to cut down one of Harden’s best assets— the free-throw line. The All-Star leads the NBA in free-throw attempts, averaging 11 attempts per game, but against the Warriors, he only went to the stripe once and missed.

It’s time to stop being so pessimistic about the 76ers

The 76ers are good, so we should start acting like it.

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most enigmatic teams in the NBA.

They have a 6’10 point guard in Ben Simmons that can’t shoot a lick. At the same time, they have Joel Embiid at center with one of the most well-rounded games on both ends we’ve seen in generations.

They occupy the same spaces in the paint but haven’t been able to consistently do that together. Around those two, there’s a bunch of length and defense but not much consistent shooting.

All of that is a roundabout way of saying that they’re an incredibly flawed team. Out of all of the contenders we think about from around the league, their faults are the easiest to point out.

Yet, when push has come to shove in the biggest moments of their season so far, their strengths have consistently outweighed their weaknesses.

The Sixers are cleaning up their competition

It’s still fairly early in the season, but about now is usually when we know what teams are poised to make the playoffs barring a catastrophic collapse.

As of right now, the 76ers (23-10) are 4th in the conference and 4.5 games behind the Bucks in the first seed. Outside of Milwaukee, the Celtics (21-7) and Heat (22-8) are the second and third seed ahead of them. Behind them are the Pacers (21-10) as the fifth seed and the Raptors (21-10) as the sixth seed.

As things stand right now, the Sixers are 6-2 with a 7.3 margin of victory in eight games against the other five teams in the East’s top six. It gets better. Against the Celtics and Bucks, they’re 3-0 with two of those wins coming against the Celtics. Their margin of victory in those three games is 15 points.

There’s still plenty of basketball left to be played, but no matter how you spin it that’s a great showing to start against the teams they’ll be jockeying for playoff position with.

The Sixers are a great basketball team, flaws aside

They can’t shoot. They’re too big. They have too many players who might be playing out of position. Those things all ring true about the 76ers. But, so far, people have been far too pessimistic about how those things impact them on the basketball court.

They’re in a great space. They’re 10th in offensive efficiency and eighth in defensive efficiency. Embiid, on his best nights, is a top three or four player in the NBA as he showed against the Bucks on Christmas. They’ve dominated the top of the East with this simple formula — it works!

Sure, their flaws are easy to point to. But facts are facts — even though their results are unconventional and, at times, downright ugly, they’re still winning. That’s all that really matters.

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Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Christmas Day’s Los Angeles Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Los Angeles Lakers (24-6) visit the Los Angeles Clippers (22-10) Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. ET at Staples Center (on ABC) as part of the NBA’s Christmas Day extravaganza. We analyze Lakers-Clippers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

The Lakers enter on a three-game skid, recently falling at home to the Denver Nuggets 128-104 Sunday, but LeBron James didn’t play due to a thoracic muscle strain. The Clippers lost at the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-112 Sunday

The Clippers beat the Lakers 112-102 on opening night in their only head-to-head meeting of the season so far. Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points in the win, while James finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Anthony Davis tallied 25 points and nine boards for the Lakers – Danny Green actually led the Lakers with 28 points in the loss.

Special New Jersey Christmas NBA prop bet

A can’t miss NBA prop bet is available for Christmas day games. BET $1, WIN $200 (in free bets) IF ANY NBA team playing December 25th, 2019 hits a 3-pointer. Bet now!

Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.

Clippers at Lakers: Key injuries

Lakers

  • PG LeBron James (ribs) probable, expected to play
  • PF Anthony Davis (knee) probable, expected to play
  • PF Kyle Kuzma (ankle) probable

Clippers at Lakers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 1 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Lakers 113, Clippers 107

Moneyline (ML)

The LAKERS (-129) are worth a wager if you don’t want to play the spread and take the chance of the LeBron and Co. not covering the small number. Every $1.29 wagered on the Lakers would profit $1 if they win. I don’t put too much emphasis on home and away records in this one since both teams call Staples Center home. However, the Clippers (+105) are 8-8 on the road and the Lakers are 10-3 at home

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The LAKERS (-1.5, -115) are the STRONGEST PLAY as long as reports about LeBron and Davis playing are true. The Lakers are 16-14 ATS, including 0-5 in their last five games. The Clippers are 18-14 ATS and 2-3 ATS in their last five. When it comes down to it, I’ll put my money on LeBron any day.

Over/Under (O/U)

The UNDER 223.5 (-115) is the play. Both teams usually play to the Under – the Clippers are 15-17 O/U on the season, while the Lakers are 13-17 O/U. The Clippers average 115.7 points per game to the Lakers’ 112.3 PPG. But on the defensive side, the Clippers allow 108.6 PPG and the Lakers allow a 104.9 PPG

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Johnny’s December record: 15-6-1. Strongest plays: 8-1.

Johnny’s NBA plays: 14-6-1. Strongest plays: 7-2.

Follow @JohnnyParlay11 and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Christmas Day’s Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors sports betting odds and lines with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets

The Houston Rockets (21-9) are hot right now — winning four games in a row — heading into their Christmas matchup against the Golden State Warriors (7-24) at the Chase Center for a 5 p.m. ET tip-off. We analyze the Rockets-Warriors odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Special Christmas Day NBA Prop Bet

BET $1, WIN $200 (in free bets) IF ANY NBA team playing December 25th, 2019 hits a 3-pointer. Bet now!

Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.

Rockets at Warriors:  Key injuries

Rockets

  • SF Thabo Sefolosha (illness) doubtful
  • SG Eric Gordon (knee) out
  • SG Gerald Green (foot) out
  • C Nene (groin) out

Warriors

  • SF Glenn Robinson III (ankle) probable
  • PG Steph Curry (hand) out
  • SG Klay Thompson (knee) out
  • PF Kevon Looney (abdomen) out

Rockets at Warriors:  Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated at 12:40 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Rockets 119, Warriors 104

Moneyline (ML)

On Christmas Day since 2010, favorites are 31-14 straight up. So, my advice is to PASS on a moneyline bet for either side of this matchup. The Warriors (+500) are tied with the New York Knicks for the second-worst record in the NBA and, despite winning its last two games, are going in the opposite direction of the Rockets (-715), who are currently the 3-seed in the Western Conference. The Rockets beat the Warriors 129-112 – and covered as 16-point favorites – in their only meeting thus far this season Nov. 6. But the value on -715 is simply not there given you’d have to wager $715 just to earn a profit of a $100.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

I love the ROCKETS (-10.5, -115) based on the teams’ head-to-head history and how much the Rockets would love to embarrass the Warriors on national TV. It’s not the same powerhouse Warriors team of recent years, but you gotta think the Rockets will still be motivated to get whatever revenge it can vs. a squad that has eliminated them, in heartbreaking fashion, the last two Western Conference Finals. The Rockets will relish in the opportunity to add a little insult to an already injured Warriors team.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 224.5 (+105) is the right play here. 27-34 is the combined O/U record for both teams this season. Also, the Warriors’ O/U record is 7-1 in their last eight home games. The Rockets’ 62.5% Under percentage in road games (6-10 O/U) ranks third in the NBA. Plus, the Under has cashed in six of the last eight meetings between these two.

It’s my hunch that primetime games tend to go Under because of the nerves due to the bright lights and a heightened intensity of both teams. As far as Christmas goes, my hunch is supported with numbers — the O/U is 18-24-3 in Christmas games since 2010.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Christmas Day’s Milwaukee Bucks at Philadelphia 76ers sports betting odds and lines, with NBA betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Milwaukee Bucks (27-4) and Philadelphia 76ers (22-10) tangle at Wells Fargo Center at 2:30 p.m. ET Wednesday. We analyze the Bucks-76ers odds and lines, with NBA betting advice and tips around the matchup.

Special Christmas Day NBA Prop Bet

BET $1, WIN $200 (in free bets) IF ANY NBA team playing December 25th, 2019 hits a 3-pointer. Bet now!

Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.

Bucks at 76ers: Key injuries

Bucks

  • PG Eric Bledsoe (right fibula) out
  • PF Dragan Bender (ankle) out

76ers

  • SG Matisse Thybulle (knee) out

Bucks at 76ers: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips

NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full set of today’s betting odds. Odds last updated 12:20 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Bucks 119, 76ers 112

Moneyline (ML)

The BUCKS (-154) have experienced defeat just four times this season, home to the Miami Heat (Oct. 26), at the Boston Celtics (Oct. 30), at the Utah Jazz (Nov. 8) and home to the Dallas Mavericks (Dec. 16). In other words, not very frequently. This will be the first of four meetings between these Eastern Conference combatants, and I am just not feeling the 76ers (+125) even at plus-money on their own floor.

New to sports betting? A $10 bet on the Bucks to win outright returns a profit of $6.49.

Line/Against the Spread (ATS)

The BUCKS (-3.5, +100) are a bit better of a bargain against the spread rather than on the moneyline, costing you much less juice. Budding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo lit up the 76ers (+3.5, -121) like a Christmas tree last season, averaging 43.0 points, 15.7 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 3.0 blocked shots and 1.3 steals per game in three meetings. That’s just ridiculous production.

Over/Under (O/U)

The OVER 221.5 (+105) shouldn’t be an issue for this mid-afternoon affair. The Over is 5-0 in Milwaukee’s past five against winning sides, and 24-11 in the past 35 when working on two or more days of rest. The Over is also 5-0 in the past five meetings, and 5-2 in the past seven in Philly. The Over has connected in each of the past four for the Sixers, too, while going 4-0 in their past four at home and 5-0 in the past five against winning sides.

Want some action on this game? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips and advice, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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