NBA Christmas Day basketball is one of the best traditions in sports and is always fun for NBA bettors and fans alike. Starting at noon on Christmas Day, there will be NBA games available to watch and bet on for the entire day. Warriors vs. Nuggets is a great matchup of the last two NBA champions with potential for a future playoff series.
This season, the Nuggets have not been a great spread bet, covering less than 50% of their games, and after their 9-1 start to the season, they've been about a .500 team. The Warriors are no better record-wise, and they did not get off to a great start and have floated around .500 after a decent stretch of basketball recently.
The Nuggets have missed star point guard Jamal Murray for much of the season. After getting him back just a few games ago, he hopes to be back to 100% for their Christmas Day matchup with Golden State. The Warriors are close to 100% healthy, which is good for a team full of veterans, but they will likely be missing their All-Star forward and vocal team leader, Draymond Green, who is serving a suspension for an undetermined amount of time.
We have the live odds, team betting news, BetMGM NBA futures and a betting prediction for Warriors vs. Nuggets Christmas Day Basketball.
Live odds for Warriors vs. Nuggets
Check out the spread, moneyline, and total points live odds for Christmas Day NBA basketball at the top online sportsbooks for Warriors vs. Nuggets.
More NBA betting: NBA Finals odds | NBA MVP odds
Golden State Warriors betting news
Golden State has been in the headlines for a decade now, but this season the vibes are as negative as any time during the Steve Kerr era. The Warriors have not been playing the basketball they are capable of, and the drama around Draymond Green has been distracting.
With Green suspended for an undetermined amount of time, the Warriors have actually been playing better without him and the distractions that come with his antics. If anyone can figure it out, it is Golden State, which has as good of a championship pedigree as any roster in the NBA. The additions of veterans like Chris Paul and Dario Saric have taken some time to build chemistry. There are also young players like Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga starting to develop and earn more minutes.
The Warriors are getting better, especially if they get back a fully focused Green at some point this season; no 2- or 3-seed will want to have to face an under-seeded Warriors team in the first round of the playoffs. As for their matchup with the Nuggets, Golden State is not favored, but don't put anything past Steph Curry, who dropped 33 points in a win over the Phoenix Suns during his last Christmas Day game.
Golden State Warriors betting futures
Golden State has been playing better recently, and their season-long futures could have the best value in the NBA right now.
- Warriors odds to win NBA Championship (+4000)
- Warriors odds to win Western Conference (+2000)
- Warriors odds to win Pacific Division (+2500)
- Steph Curry odds to win MVP (+5000)
Denver Nuggets betting news
The Nuggets are as good as any team in the league when they are at full strength. They struggled for a stretch of the season when Jamal Murray missed over 10 games. His return against Dallas last week showed how big he is for the Nuggets, as he led the team in scoring in a 26-point win over a hot Mavericks team.
Outside of the Nuggets stars (Jokic and Murray), they continue to have one of the best group of role players and a budding third star in Michael Porter Jr. He may not be putting up elite scoring numbers, but his steady improvements in areas like defense, rebounding and shot selection are notable. At times, he is still more than capable of going off for a big game and helping lead Denver to wins. The former lottery pick already has over five games with at least 25 points this season.
Porter is joined by players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Reggie Jackson and Aaron Gordon, who are great defenders and capable scorers, to help support the Nuggets All-Stars. They also help spacing a lot, as Jackson and Caldwell-Pope are over 40% three-point shooters. The matchup will be challenging for the Warriors, especially if the Nuggets continue to get great games out of their supporting cast.
Denver Nuggets betting futures
Denver is looking to repeat as NBA champions, and when they have been healthy, they look more than capable. As such, they have some great odds for team futures, and Nikola Jokic is putting up even better numbers than he did during his previous two MVP seasons, potentially making him a favorite to win his third MVP Award.
- Nuggets odds to win NBA Championship (+400)
- Nuggets odds to win Western Conference (+200)
- Nuggets odds to win Northwest Division (-105)
- Nikola Jokic odds to win MVP (+250)
Warriors vs. Nuggets Hall prediction: Exciting Christmas day NBA matchup with lots of scoring
With two teams that have not been great against the spread this season, it is hard to predict which team will cover on Christmas day. With multiple MVP candidates and players capable of big scoring games, combined with the bright lights of Christmas Day basketball, there should be a lot of points scored.
Pick: OVER
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