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We kick off the NBA slate tonight with a matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Boston is coming off a win last night against the pelicans as the Nets come into this game off 3 days of rest.
The night game is the Christmas rematch between the Mavs and the Lakers. Both teams recently had winning streaks snapped in the last week. Can the Lakers get revenge for the Mavs gifting them coal on Christmas? Let’s take a look at some of the betting lines for the games tonight.
Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets
Thursday, 01/12 at 6:30 pm CST on TNT
Spread: Celtics -2.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 228
A Kyrie Irving revenge game is a great way to kick off the double header tonight. As Kevin Durant is still recovering from his sprained MCL, Kyrie should be getting the bulk of the shot opportunities tonight. As the NBA nears the All-Star break, back-to-back games seem to take a larger effect on the fatigue of players. Although Boston won last night, the Pelicans played tough and made them earn the win. According to our partners VSIN.com, 75% of the money is on the Celtics as the line has moved from -3.5 to -2.5. Many seem to believe that the two-seeded Nets have no chance against the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics, but Ben Simmons is still a great wing defender and Kyrie should be a little extra motivated in this one. Give me the Nets +2.5 at home tonight.
Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers
Thursday, 01/12 at 9:00 pm CST on TNT
Spread: Mavericks -3 (-110)
Over/Under: 235
After Dallas had their 7-game win streak snapped in Boston, the Mavs have now lost 3 of their last 4 games. The Lakers come into this game snapping a 5-game win streak of their own with a loss to the Nuggets. Lebron James sat out in that game so he will come into tonight’s game well-rested. There is just something special in the air with Luka Doncic playing in LA. I checked with our partners at VSIN.com and unfortunately, they informed me that there is no stat for how the air changes in LA when Luka arrives so you just need to use the eye test. Luka does tend to elevate his game when he is playing against opposing stars and playing a TV game against the soon-to-be all-time point scorer of NBA history probably qualifies as a star so I expect him to put on a show. I’m taking the Mavs -3.
Player Props:
Kyrie Irving O 29.5 points (-105)
No Kevin Durant + a revenge game. He should put up somewhere between 25-30 shot attempts tonight so we like our chances
Luka Doncic O 34.5 (-110)
If you closed your eyes and took the over in points for Luka every single game this year, you would be a happy man. This time I suggest you open your eyes and watch it tonight instead. It’s more fun that way, I promise.
Record:
DegenSam picks (21-13 on the year. 4-1 Play of the day)
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