Christmas Day is one of the highlights of the regular season in the NBA and this year there are five massive games taking place.
The standout game is arguably the third contest as defending champions Boston Celtics welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to TD Garden in a huge Eastern Conference showdown.
The Celtics sit in second spot with a 22-7 record, while the Sixers are 10-17 and currently outside of the postseason spots after a disastrous start to the season.
With 76ers vs. Celtics starting at 5 PM ET on Christmas Day, let's take a look at the odds and best bets to make.
The 76ers endured a horrendous start to the season with just three wins in their opening 17 games but they have recovered and have now won seven of their last 10. They have have been better on the road recently as well with four wins in five, losing only to a Cleveland Cavaliers side who have the best overall record in the league, and they are facing a Boston Celtics team who have dropped a few games lately.
The Celtics have two defeats in their last three games overall and have also lost two of their last three at The Garden. There is a question mark over star man Jayson Tatum for the Christmas Day showpiece for Boston after he sat out the defeat to Orlando Magic last time out with an illness, but even if he is involved, Philly may be able to keep things fairly respectable.
A Sixers win does look unlikely but they arrive in reasonable form and they can at least ensure they don't lose by double digits on Christmas Day.
If Tatum doesn't play, then Jaylen Brown should be expected to score heavily. The likelihood is that Tatum does suit up against the Sixers, his withdrawal against Orlando came at the last minute, but even if he involved, over 19.5 points still looks a very achievable total for Brown.
Brown is averaging 23.9 points-per-game this season and he is slightly more effective in home games with an average of 24.4 at The Garden. The 28-year-old had 35 points against the Magic and has scored at least 20 in six of his last 10 games, as well as finishing with 19 in two of those, so over 19.5 looks like a total he can reach against Philadelphia.
Joel Embiid only played 14 minutes in the win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday after being ejected from the game, but the Sixers' star should be more involved against the Celtics.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse has tried to manage Embiid's fitness this season by limiting his minutes in some games, then giving Embiid more game time in others and there is no bigger occasion on the horizon than this Christmas Day game.
In the last three games where Embiid has played over 30 minutes he has finished with way over 35 points and rebounds combined, with 39 against Charlotte, 43 against Chicago and 46 against Memphis, so back him to beat 34.5 in total when points and boards are combined.
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Philadelphia 76ers | +325 ML |
Boston Celtics | -425 ML |
Spread | BOS -9.5 |
Total Points | O/U 222 |
Joel Embiid (PHI) | O/U 26.5 |
Jayson Tatum (BOS) | O/U 25.5 |
Jaylen Brown (BOS) | O/U 19.5 |
Kristaps Porzingis (BOS) | O/U 16.5 |
Paul George (PHI) | O/U 15.5 |
Derrick White (BOS) | O/U 14.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.