Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
Good morning, basketball fans, and Merry Christmas! For NBA diehards, this is always one of the best regular-season days of the year…and not because of family Christmas celebrations. There are 5 games, all marquee matchups and all back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back on ESPN. Why not make it extra special by turning it into profit?
Here is a look at Sunday’s mega parlay.
Bucks vs Celtics Over 225.5 (-110)
Grizzlies –9.5 alternate spread (+140)
Nikola Jokic to score 30+ points (+190)
Parlay odds: +1229
For this 3-team parlay we are going with an over play, a favorite against an alternate spread and a player prop. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Bucks vs Celtics Over 225.5 (-110)
Boston’s home games have been a gold mine for backing the over. The Celtics have a 13-4 home record on the O/U and on Friday there 230 total points scored in their defeat of the Timberwolves. Milwaukee has also trended in that direction with 4 of its last 6 games cashing on that bet. If we look at the recent head-to-head meetings, 8 of the last 9 games have seen more than 225.5 points. There is a ton of star power on the court in the form of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – just to name a few. They will want to put on a Christmas Day show inside TD Garden and therefore I expect yet another over.
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Grizzlies -9.5 alternate spread over Warriors (+140)
The Warriors have been in a funk, losing 5 of their last 6 games – 4 of those by double-digits. That isn’t surprising, either, given that Stephen Curry has been sidelined. Now Golden State has to face a Memphis squad that is fully healthy – but wasn’t when it lost to Golden State in the 2021-22 playoffs. Although this is a blockbuster battle on paper, the Dubs are not only missing Curry but also Andrew Wiggins. In the past 6 games their scoring production has dropped to around 111 points per game and defensively during this same stretch they have allowed 126 points per game on better than 51% shooting. The Grizzlies have won 3 of their last 5 with all 3 victories coming by double-digits. I think they can do it again.
Nikola Jokic to score 30+ points (+190)
Jokic is averaging 26.0 ppg at home (more than 2.0 ppg more than on the road), so asking him to bump that up just to a 30-spot on Sunday really shouldn’t be too much. He averaged 27.5 ppg in 2 games against Phoenix last season and with Devin Booker back for this showdown it could develop into a bit of a shootout. The Nuggets will probably have to score a fair amount if they are going to get past Booker and company. Jokic has exceeded the 30-point mark in 5 of the last 9 contests, including 40 against Charlotte exactly 1 week ago.
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