NBA Christmas Day action kicks off in New York on Monday, with the New York Knicks (16-12) and Milwaukee Bucks (22-7) going head-to-head for the second time in three days.
Bookmaker Pinnacle expects Giannis Antetokounmpo to dominate in his sixth Christmas Day appearance, having set the line for his points, rebounds, and assists total at 49.5. The odds for the over are at -109 and for the under at -121.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: December 24th, 9:30 A.M. (EST)
Milwaukee beat the Knicks at Madison Square Garden 130-111 on Saturday to collect a seventh consecutive win, with Giannis posting a 28-7-7 line. He’s been in dominant form throughout the month and is only a week and a half removed from recording a new career high with 64 points against Indiana.
On Christmas Day, the former MVP has previously averaged 25.2 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. Giannis owns a 3-2 record on Christmas with the Bucks, having made his Christmas Day debut at MSG in 2018 with a 30-point effort. These are always special games, and every player wants to shine with a big performance.
Damian Lillard will line up for only his second Christmas Day game. He also had his Christmas debut in 2018, and it turned out to be a miserable 117-95 loss with Portland against Utah. Lillard settled for 20 points, and he will definitely want to do a lot better this time around.
The Knicks have a 23-32 record on Christmas and will attempt to find their way back to the winning column after losing to Philadelphia a year ago. The team could really use a morale-boosting win right now after struggling for consistency lately and going 5-5 across the past 10 outings.
New York’s defensive standards have slipped recently, and they haven’t had enough firepower to match top teams like Milwaukee, Boston, and the Clippers. Starting center Mitchell Robinson, who’s suffered a season-ending ankle injury, has been a huge miss, and the team is still trying to figure out how to cope without him.
Offensively, the usual suspects should run the show for the hosts on Monday. Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle combined for 62 of the team’s 111 points in Saturday’s loss. The former has averaged only 18 points through three Christmas Day performances, but Brunson recently had a 50-point outing against Phoenix and looks to be in great form, whilst Randle appears to be relishing the holiday atmosphere at the Garden and has amassed 60 points in two Christmas outings as a Knick.
