We get it: Christmas costs money. From the grocery shopping to the stocking stuffers, every little bit costs cash. In the midst of a pandemic, pulling all of that off is no easy task. Odds are, regardless of the size of your holiday or family, you could use a little extra cash. If you’re on the Belly Up Fantasy site, you have an inkling as to how to make said cash. Here are NBA Christmas Day bets to help out with the Holidays. (Lines provided by Action Network)

Miami Heat (-5) Hosting New Orleans Pelicans

Take Miami

Miami had trouble with the length of Orlando on opening night, but those bigs were much better than those on New Orleans’ roster. While Zion Williamson‘s shot is better than many thought it would be coming out of Duke, the Pelicans will likely have to decide between playing bigger than Miami with Steven Adams or playing quicker than Miami without him. Adams and Jaxson Hayes aren’t too big for Bam Adebayo or Mo Harkless to handle inside, but neither can play with Miami along the perimeter. That is all to say, I don’t anticipate Adams going three for five from three, I don’t see that happening out of Eric Bledsoe either, and I don’t see five Pelicans that will break 15 points against the Heat defense. Especially when you factor in Coach Erik Spoelstra coming off of a loss.

Offensively, Miami will be better against a young New Orleans team as well. Stan Van Gundy will preach defense this season, but this will just be their second game in his system. In a similar vein, the young team is coming off of a big win against the Toronto Raptors, which makes them prime for a letdown. This is an early prime time TV game to kick off Christmas Day, which also makes them prime for a letdown. Look for the veteran-laden Miami Heat to take advantage.

Milwaukee Bucks (-7.5) Hosting Golden State Warriors on NBA Christmas Day

Take Milwaukee

As I look at the healthy and available Warriors, I have a lot of questions. While few can, Golden State simply can not stop Giannis Antetokoumnpo one on one. Boston found success Wednesday in bouncing between the collective group efforts of Marcus Smart, and Tristan Thompson. Further, on offense, they attacked him at the rim using Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum off the drive. Golden State has none of those options. The only size they have will be the young James Wiseman, and he likely has to cover Brook Lopez. Draymond Green is day-to-day, and even when healthy he is not the defender he once was. Antetokoumnpo is going to collapse the defense over and over again.

Further, Antetokoumnpo enjoys sharing the ball. This will yield open shots for Dante DiVincenzo, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and plenty of Milwaukee Bucks. While it seems sacrilegious for the Warriors to get blown out twice in a week anytime Steph Curry plays, it appears they will be very outmanned on Christmas Day.

Brooklyn Nets (+1) at Boston Celtics

Take Brooklyn

Boston is less than 48 hours off of a tough game against the defending two-time MVP. Brooklyn is 72 hours off of a blowout win where no key player needed more than 30 game minutes. Boston needed a miracle heave to beat Milwaukee by just a point. Brooklyn? When Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving get going… look out below.

Boston has some tremendous defenders, but do they have the length to contest Durant? Further, with bigs like DeAndre Jordan and Jarrett Allen occupying Thompson will they play a second big? Or will Boston use Marcus Smart? Or does Smart draw Irving, leaving Jaylen Brown for Kevin Durant? Does that impact their defense? I just have a lot more questions about Boston, on short rest, than I do about Brooklyn here. In a one-point decision, I lean toward the side with fewer questions.

Dallas Mavericks (+6) at LA Lakers

Take Dallas

There are a few factors leaning toward the Dallas bettors this week. For starters, as was evident on opening night, the LA Lakers are operating with very little rest. With the age of some of their veterans, that is an important factor when looking at the spread. The Lakers ran out of gas on opening night, and (for anyone who remembers last season’s matchups) the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic always push them to their limits. As evidenced in his first playoff run, Luka Doncic seems to understand rising to the occasion.

This isn’t to say the Mavs win the game. LeBron James isn’t likely to go 0-2 the first week back in The Staples Center. However, it is to say that Luka and the Mavs ought to continue to play the Lakers close as they did all last year. They definitely keep this game under two possessions and are a great bet for Christmas Day.

LA Clippers (-2) at Denver Nuggets

Take LA

The LA Clippers are here to end the jokes after last year’s playoff run. Opening night, though they had a slow start, the Clippers had a really strong second-half run to take out the defending champion LA Lakers. The Nuggets have lost depth from last September with the exodus of Jerami Grant, and are coming off of a tight overtime game Wednesday night against the Sacramento Kings. That game ended after air-balled threes and slow defensive rotations, key signs of exhaustion, and one last-second loss. That bodes well for the Clippers on Christmas Day.

Sacramento is young and improving, and it may have been a trap game before the Christmas Day playoff rematch, but Denver looks like they needed a longer offseason. Face it: if Buddy Hield and De’Aaron Fox gave the Nuggets problems, Kawhi Leonard, Paul Goerge, and the arsenal that the Clippers have will attack the rim relentlessly. Nikola Jokic was an MVP pick of mine, and I see a big fantasy night out of Jamal Murray. But neither of them is a known defensive stopper. The Clippers should win this high scoring affair by several possessions, so you’ve got to take them when the line is just one.

Keep up with my writing at Belly Up Sports, more Fantasy Basketball writing on the Belly Up Fantasy page, follow me on Twitter @painsworth512 for more, and give our podcast “F” In Sports a listen wherever you listen to podcasts!