With the NBA taking Christmas Eve off, Saturday is our last full slate of games before the magic of the NBA on Christmas Day — and we come bearing the gifts of our NBA best bets today and expert picks for Saturday, December 23!
While Bucks vs Knicks tipped things off with a Broadway matinee, our experts have NBA best bets across the board for Saturday afternoon, evening and night. Let's get to the expert picks.
NBA Best Bets Today | Expert Picks for Saturday
| Game | Time (ET) | Pick |
|---|---|---|
  | 3:30 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 7 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
  | 8 p.m. | |
Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Celtics vs. Clippers
Although Boston's perfect at home (14-0), the Celtics are only one game above .500 on the road (7-6). Thus, bettors should be somewhat cautious if backing this team away from home.
The Clippers have certainly had success in this series when playing at home, as they're 4-1 straight up in this spot, with three of those wins coming as underdogs.
Moreover, if we look at the last 10 meetings (both home and away) dating back to 2019, the Clippers are 6-4 straight up and against the spread (ATS).
The numbers suggest the Celtics have been the better overall team throughout those seasons. However, they seem to stub their toe when they come up against these Clippers.
With Leonard and George seemingly in and out of the lineup over the years, the Clippers have had to be sound defensively. I also think there's a bit of coaching edge here with the Clippers' Tyronn Lue against Boston's Joe Mazzula.
Ultimately, this game will likely boil down to which side embraces the defensive challenge.
Boston's struggles on the road tend to come against solid defensive teams. Our Action Labs database shows that Boston is 1-4 ATS this season when facing an opponent on the road with a defensive efficiency of 111 or better.
The Clippers fit that criteria, and I think they're a live dog catching 1.5 points in this spot.
Pick: Clippers +2.5 | Play to +1.5
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Magic vs. Pacers
By Chris Baker
This is a dream matchup for the Magic offense, as the Pacers rank dead last in opponent rim rate allowed (39.3%) while the Magic rank first in offensive rim rate (40.8%). The Pacers do not have great defenders to contain Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony, and they also do not have great wing defenders to match up with Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. I fully expect the Magic offense to excel in this spot.
Tyrese Haliburton is questionable after rolling his ankle against the Grizzlies, so monitor the injury report. I will be backing the Magic as underdogs and would be willing to back them up to -3 as a favorite if Haliburton is ultimately ruled out.
Pick: Magic +2.5 | Play to +1
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Rockets vs. Pelicans
I was on the Rockets -8.5 and their alt-spread of -11 last night, and they cashed both spreads easily, but I’m on the Pelicans at home tonight. This Rockets team is a really fun, young surprise, but they’re still a flawed team. One of their major flaws is their inconsistency on the road, where they’re just 5-6-1 ATS. The Rockets are the best home team against the spread — but they’re not at home, the Pelicans are, where they have the sixth best record (10-4).
We’ve seen a bit of a pattern with this Pelicans team. They got embarrassed by the Lakers in the In-Season Tournament and then ripped off four wins—one of them coming against the Wolves who boast the best record in the league. New Orleans blew a 24-point lead to the Grizzlies in Ja Morant’s return and followed up that performance with a blowout win against the Cavs.
The Pelicans also fit a system with an 8% ROI. Conference teams that have at least one day off, facing opponents on a back-to-back, playing their fifth game in seven days are 310-247-8 (56%).
Pick: Pelicans -7
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Lakers vs. Thunder
The Thunder will be without Josh Giddey, who listed as out with an ankle injury, but their offense should keep rolling. Oklahoma City is 9-2 against the spread when favored by 3.5 points or more this season.
Over the past six games, the Lakers have hit the over five times, while the Thunder have done so four times. In the most recent matchup between these teams, the over/under closed at 234.5 and went over as 243 points were scored. That up-tempo, high scoring style will be on display again Saturday night.
Pick: Thunder -3 | Play to -4; Over 236.5 | Play to 239
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Cavaliers vs. Bulls
The Bulls face off against a thin Cavs team dealing with multiple injuries to Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell–all of whom will miss Saturday's game. That leaves Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Max Strus and Craig Porter Jr. as the Cavs starters. The Bulls' starters have finally figured out how to play together. Without Zach Lavine, there's a lot more opportunity for Coby White – -a more efficient scorer.
White isn't much better on defense than Lavine, but in his absence the Bulls have improved to the eighth-best defense in the league (114.2). They're the best team in the league ATS (9-1), and they're unlikely to slow down from the Cavs defense (not as good without Mobley). With Alex Caruso back from injury, I like the Bulls down to -7.5.
Pick: Bulls -4 | Play to -5
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