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Christmas Day is the biggest day of NBA betting of the season. This year we have a great slate of hoops to keep us busy and betting. The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks are the second game on the Christmas Day slate. Odds via PointsBet.
Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks (-4.5) Total: 220
If Christmas Day is your first peak at the NBA this season, let me fill you in on what you have been missing. Just about the entire league is currently or has been out due to being placed under health and safety protocols. To be fair a little bit more than that is going on, but this game will not have a number of Milwaukee Bucks including finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Boston has its own COVID issues but they are expected to have both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown available. It’s unfortunate that we don’t get to see both teams at full strength.
PointsBet opened this game up with the Bucks as 7-point home favorites. That number ticked up to 7.5. However, with the Bucks missing so many key players, they are now just 4.5 point favorites.
Milwaukee has not been as dominant as you would expect the defending champs to be. The Bucks are 21-13 straight up, but a very pedestrian 15-19 ATS on the season. Worse yet, Milwaukee is an awful 6-10 ATS at home this season.
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The Celtics are 16-16 straight up and 16-15-1 ATS on the season. The Celtics got off to a slow start on the season as they lost five of their first seven games. The Celtics have since turned it around until recently. Currently, Boston is losers of five of their last eight games.
Even though Boston has struggled this season they do have a pair of home wins over Milwaukee. This game will be played in Milwaukee, but will it really matter? Boston has owned Milwaukee in recent years. The Celtics have won 3 straight games vs. the Bucks and four of their last five. In their last eight games the Celtics are 7-1 ATS vs the Bucks. I expect the Celtics to not only cover, but to get the upset victory on Christmas Day.
Edge: Celtics +4.5
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