The Hawks’ first appearance in 32 years!
Since the second season in 1947, the NBA Christmas Games have been a highlight of the annual season. In 2021, five particularly appealing pairings will once again take place on the Christmas stage. The Knicks will kick off at 18:00 on 25.12.2021 against Atlanta.
This will be a rematch of the first round of the last playoffs in the East, when the Hawks defeated the basketballers from the “Big Apple”. For “Hotlanta” it is also the first appearance at the NBA Christmas Games in 32 years! In the second game starting at 8:30 p.m. on December 25, the champions from Milwaukee will take the court.
The Bucks welcome the record champion from Boston! For the first time in twelve years, the Phoenix Suns will then take on the Golden State Warriors. The third duel starts at 23:00 and the fans can look forward to other stars such as Chris Paul or Devin Booker in addition to the “Chef”!
The penultimate clash will see the Lakers and Nets duke it out in LA on 26.12.2021 from 02:00 and the line-up of the extra class will be completed two hours later with the pairing between the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks.
For all NBA Christmas Games 2021, current tips and odds are presented below! Each of the matches can also be watched live on DAZN
New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks – 25 December, 18:00 hrs
The Knicks boast the most Christmas games of any franchise in the NBA. They have already played 53 of them and with the duels against the Philadelphia 76ers (12) and Boston (8) they are also part of the most played pairings. However, the win rate in Christmas games is rather modest at 41.5 per cent.
The last game of this kind for the time being against Milwaukee three years ago was also lost 98-111. Furthermore, the New Yorkers have not yet matched the good performances from last year this season. Only the fourth-last place in the Eastern Conference is occupied and in the dress rehearsal for the Christmas Game they suffered a home defeat against Washington on Friday.
The visitors, however, are not much better: In tenth place, they have a lot of room for improvement, just like the home side. The loss of Trae Young, the second best scorer in the NBA with an average of 27.3 points, is particularly painful. Cam Reddish was also injured in the last game, which was won against the Sixers.
The small forward scored most of his team’s points in the game in Philadelphia, but will now have to miss the game as well. Given the difficult personnel situation of the visitors and the home advantage of Thibodeau’s eleven, the tip for the clash between the New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks on 25 December at 6 p.m. is a home win.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics – Dec. 25, 8:30 p.m.
The Bucks are currently without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak”, like so many players, is currently in pandemic protocol. The loss of the fourth-best scorer (27.0) and sixth-best rebounder (11.6) in the league has naturally weakened the home side.
On top of that, other pillars of the team are missing, such as the injured Brook Lopez on the five and Donte DiVincenzo. The latter shooting guard, like Antetokounmpo, has to miss out due to a quarantine measure.
The hosts, on the other hand, will rely on the home bonus: In front of their own crowd, they have the third-best home record in the Eastern Conference with almost 69 percent of wins (11-5).
Boston, for its part, has been rather weak away from home so far, but the basic form curve has been pointing upwards recently. They recently beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are also in very good form, and coach Ime Udoka’s team has already beaten the champions twice on home soil this season.
The Bean Town basketball team also won their last game at the Fiserv Forum last March. The forecast for the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics on 25 December is for an away win.
Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors – 25 December, 11:00 p.m.
The Warriors had hoped that Klay Thompson could possibly make his long-awaited comeback at the 2021 NBA Christmas Games, but fans of the six-time champions will have to wait a little longer.
The time will come next month, however, and the league will be watching very closely because head coach Steve Kerr’s squad has done extremely well so far, even without the top player. The second place in the West is a good indication of this and Stephen Curry, Thompson’s “splash brother”, deserves a lot of the credit.
The 33-year-old recently claimed the title of best three-point shooter in NBA history when he outscored Ray Allen in the visiting game in New York.
Phoenix has been equally convincing so far: the loss in last year’s NBA Finals only left its mark at the beginning of the season, but by now the team from the Valley is already functioning at its best again. They are no less than in first place in the West and the top players like Booker, Paul and Ayton are all on board.
Booker’s recent comeback in particular is a plus for the hosts. With the scoring shooting guard on board, the offense is now much more dangerous again and with “Book” in the starting five, the hosts haven’t lost in 20 games!
For the duel of the Phoenix Suns vs. Golden State Warriors, betting tips on a home win are therefore a good idea. The teams are on equal terms, but the home bonus is on the side of coach Monty Williams’ men and should tip the scales in favour of the home side, as it did in the recent home game against the Warriors.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Brooklyn Nets – Dec 26, 02:00
Brooklyn recently got notorious vaccine sceptic Kyrie Irving back on the squad and in LA’s upcoming Christmas Game, “Uncle Drew” may also suit up. As is well known, this is not the case in the Nets’ home games, as the current regulations in the “Big Apple” prohibit non-vaccinated players from entering the court.
Furthermore, the Nets will once again be hoping for Kevin Durant. However, the “Slim Reaper” is in pandemic protocol, which is why his appearance is not certain. Due to the difficult personnel situation in Brooklyn, the Nets’ last game against the Portland Trail Blazers was cancelled.
At least James Harden will return to the court. However, “The Beard” missed the last four games and may need a little more time to get back to 100 percent.
The Lakers are also starting with personnel worries: Anthony Davis has to miss out and a number of other regulars are also in quarantine measures. The extent to which this is affecting head coach Frank Vogel’s team has been evident in a number of recent games.
The home side is on a four-game losing streak and suffered a blowout in front of their own crowd against the San Antonio Spurs on Friday night. In the clash between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers, the betting odds on less than 223.5 points are therefore interesting.
Normally, the game would be a treat for fans of cultivated Spalding sports. But due to the adverse accompanying circumstances on both sides, the Game at the Staples Center, soon to be renamed Crypto.com Arena after 22 years, will probably not live up to the high expectations.
Utah Jazz vs. Dallas Mavericks – Dec 26, 04:00
Utah has already played a Christmas Game seven times and the yield is impressive: Only two of the encounters were lost. This results in a win rate of around 71 percent and this is topped only by Portland and Miami! The basketball players from the Mormon state are also doing well at the moment.
They are in third place in the Western Conference and Utah has the best offence in the league. The home side scored around 117 points on 100 possessions. Dallas, for its part, is travelling with enormous personnel worries – among others, Luka Doncic (pandemic protocol) will most likely not be able to play.
On top of that, their devastating away record in this pairing speaks against the guests: only one of the past ten appearances in Salt Lake City ended with a win.
For the Christmas Game between the Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks on 26.12.2021, the Snyder squad’s potent offence means that the odds on a home win with a difference of at least eleven points can be placed at Value.
