The NBA is one of very few sports with a tradition of playing matches on Christmas Day, and there is a terrific five-match fixture list for the 2023 edition of festive basketball.�

Later on the schedule the Miami Heat take on the Philadelphia 76ers before the Phoenix Suns welcome the Dallas Mavericks but, with those games starting in the early hours of Boxing Day morning, our focus will be on the three earlier matches and we have a best bet in each for your yuletide punting.�

New York Knicks vs Milwaukee Bucks - Knicks @ 27/20

The Big Apple is an iconic Christmas location but there may not be much festive cheer for fans of New York�s biggest basketball team, the Knicks, when they take on the MIlwaukee Bucks on Monday.

The Bucks have begun to figure things out following the arrival of all-star guard Damian Lillard in the summer and, after a mixed start to the season, they are now second in the Western Conference and on a seven game winning streak.

They beat the Knicks convincingly on Saturday, landing a 130-111 victory over Tom Thibodeau�s side, to make it nine wins in a row against their Christmas Day hosts.

The sides� three meetings this season have seen three victories for the Bucks, with the last two by well over 20 points, and another dominant win for Adrian Griffin�s team on the cards on Monday.

Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors - Warriors +5.5 @ EVS

The champions welcome 2022�s title winners in the second game of the day for what promises to be an enthralling affair headlined by star players on either side, specifically Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry.

Denver have won six of their last seven games and should be too strong for the Warriors, who will be without the suspended Draymond Green, who would have helped contain Jokic at least somewhat.

The Nuggets have won the last four meetings between the sides, however Golden State have remained competitive in the majority of their recent clashes, with three of those defeats coming by less than a six point margin.

That makes the Warriors� +5.5 spread at 10/11 an appealing bet as they could run Denver, who only beat the far less talented Brooklyn Nets by five points in their latest outing, very close on Monday.

Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics - Over 234.5 total points @ 10/11

The final game we are focusing on sees the NBA�s two most successful sides clash at the Crypto.com Arena, with the Los Angeles Lakers welcoming the Boston Celtics.

Both teams have lifted the Larry O�Brien Trophy a record 17 times and it is the visitors who seem to have a greater chance of adding to that total this season, with the Celtics top of the east with an exceptional 22-6 record.

Boston have been brilliant this season while the Lakers won the in-season tournament earlier this month and this clash could be one for the ages with both teams looking to put on a Christmas show for their fans.

The last two meetings between the sides have gone to overtime, highlighting how monumental their clashes can be, and those two matches saw at least 240 points scored.

The total points line for this tie is set at 235.5 and that number could be smashed by the likes of Jayson Tatum and LeBron James set to raise the total number to a high level, with 10/11 rating as very appealing odds based on the history of this fixture.