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Today’s Top Picks: Best Bets and Predictions for Christmas Day 2026

Evans Santiago

Updated as of December 24, 2026 at 2:50 PM EST • Read time: 6 minutes and 35 seconds. View on Twitter View on Google News.

We have scoured the odds and lines at our top sports betting sites to find our top picks for the highly-anticipated 2026 Christmas Day slate, which ranks among the best on the sports calendar.

On Christmas Day in 2026, sports fans and bettors are in for a treat with a plethora of gifts. The NBA’s annual five-game slate is the highlight of the day, while the NFL offers a full day of entertainment with a tripleheader of standalone games for the second year in a row.

The week will kick off at noon ET on Monday with an NBA game between the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks, followed by an NFL matchup at 1 p.m. ET as the Las Vegas Raiders take on the Kansas City Chiefs.

Make sure to keep an eye on the Super Bowl and NBA Finals odds, as betting activity will have a significant impact on both markets throughout the day.

Continue reading for our top picks for Christmas Day 2026, determined by the odds provided by our top sports betting applications.

Christmas Day’s best bets

  • In the NBA game between the Bucks and Knicks, Brook Lopez is favored to have over 4.5 rebounds at -128 odds on FanDuel. This bet is rated four stars.
  • NBA matchup between the Warriors and Nuggets: Stephen Curry projected to score under 27.5 points (-113 odds on FanDuel) with a four-star rating.
  • NBA Matchup: Celtics vs. Lakers – Bet on LeBron James to have under 8.5 assists at -102 odds on FanDuel, rated three stars.
  • NBA matchup between the 76ers and Heat: Bet on Tyrese Maxey making over 3.5 three-pointers at +100 odds on FanDuel ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • NBA (Mavericks vs. Suns): Devin Booker over 2.5 made 3-pointers (+170 odds on FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
  • BetRivers has the under 25.5 completions for Patrick Mahomes in the Raiders vs. Chiefs NFL game at -109 odds. This bet is rated three stars.
  • In the NFL game between the Giants and Eagles, Tommy DeVito is favored to throw for over 184.5 passing yards with -110 odds on bet365. This bet is rated with four stars.
  • The San Francisco 49ers are favored to score over 26.5 points in their game against the Baltimore Ravens, with odds of -115 through Caesars. This is a four-star bet.

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Top NBA Picks for Christmas Day

Brook Lopez to grab at least 5 rebounds (-128 odds on FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This prop is priced high at three out of the four top live betting sites. DraftKings and bet365 have it at -145, while BetMGM is at -154. These odds suggest confidence in Lopez’s Over, making the -128 price at FanDuel a great value.

On Saturday, Lopez had a minimal impact on the game, only contributing five points, three rebounds, and one assist in 35 minutes of play. This game marked the end of Lopez’s streak of three games in a row with at least five rebounds.

Despite only grabbing three rebounds on Saturday, Lopez has already accumulated a total of 16 rebounds against the Knicks in the 2026-24 season. He grabbed five and eight rebounds in his first two games against them. Following a disappointing performance, Lopez is expected to exceed his average of 4.8 rebounds per game on Monday.

Green Finnian has created NBA player props for the Bucks vs. Knicks game.

Stephen Curry is projected to score under 27.5 points according to FanDuel, with a four-star rating.

Curry has historically struggled on Christmas Day, only scoring more than 20 points once in 10 games. As a result, he is a player to avoid on one of the NBA’s most important days. This year, we are once again choosing to fade Curry.

In their previous matchup in November, Curry only managed to score 23 points on 6-of-17 shooting, with all of his made field goals coming from three-point range. The Nuggets are expected to employ a similar defensive strategy in this game, challenging the Warriors to rely on players other than Curry to secure a victory.

Denver ranks eighth in opponent 3-point percentage in the league and is only allowing 110 points per game. With a challenging opponent ahead, it’s likely that Curry will not meet his season average of 28.3 points.

Green Finnian has created player props for the Warriors vs. Nuggets NBA game.

LeBron James is predicted to have less than 8.5 assists, with odds of -102 on FanDuel. This bet is rated three stars.

James has distributed a minimum of seven assists in his last five games, with nine or more in four of them. Despite the Celtics being one of the top teams in the league at limiting assists to just 24 per game, James continues to excel in creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.

James is currently averaging 9.5 assists per game this season, although he only averaged 6.3 per game in November and 6.5 in October. If you’re performing at a high level, playing against the Celtics can bring you back down to or even below your average.

The price for this prop is fantastic. James has been racking up assists lately, but getting this close to +100 offers excellent value, particularly given the matchup.

Green Finnian made NBA player props for the Celtics vs. Lakers game.

Tyrese Maxey is expected to make over 3.5 three-pointers, with odds of +100 on FanDuel. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Although Miami is typically a solid defensive team, they struggle to limit opponents from shooting beyond the 3-point line. The Heat have given up an average of 13.7 made 3-pointers per game this season, ranking them 22nd in the NBA in that statistic.

Even though Tyrese Maxey’s average number of made threes per game is slightly lower at 3.3, he has made at least four 3-point shots in each of his last four games and has achieved this in six of his past eight contests.

Since Miami’s defense doesn’t pose a significant threat in this particular area, Maxey’s 3-point total has solid value at even odds on Over 3.5 at both DraftKings and FanDuel. It is recommended to avoid bet365 for this prop as its -105 odds on Over 3.5 are not as favorable.

Julia Lopez created player props for the 76ers vs. Heat NBA game.

Devin Booker has odds of +170 on FanDuel to make 3 or more 3-pointers. ⭐⭐⭐

Devin Booker has been struggling with his 3-point shooting recently. The 27-year-old guard is only making an average of 1.9 threes per game, which is one of the lowest of his career.

Booker’s 3-point shooting percentage fell to 34% in December, down from 40% in November. However, we are optimistic that the Christmas night game will be a breakout opportunity for Booker, with enticing plus-money odds on a reachable point spread.

Booker is attempting an average of 5.2 3-point shots per game this month. With Dallas’ average perimeter defense, there is a good chance he could make a few shots and earn a +170 return at FanDuel. The Mavericks are ranked 15th in the NBA for allowing 12.9 3-pointers per game.

Julia Lopez presents player props for the Mavericks vs. Suns NBA game.

Check out our selection of NBA picks and NBA odds.

Top NFL bets for Christmas Day

Patrick Mahomes is projected to have under 25.5 completions, with odds of -109 from BetRivers. This bet is rated three stars.

I have to admit, this one is a little scary. I’m hesitant to underestimate Mahomes, especially when it comes to his completions total, since the Chiefs frequently utilize short passes as part of their running game.

Mahomes has only managed to exceed 25.5 completions in six out of 14 games in 2026, achieving this milestone just twice in his last seven games. One of these occasions occurred during a game against the Raiders, placing Mahomes in a select group of five quarterbacks who have accomplished this against Las Vegas all season. This highlights the difficulty and rarity of surpassing this threshold against the Raiders’ defense.

The main reason I enjoy this Under is not because trends always provide a complete picture.

I am betting on Mahomes’ passing completions Under because BetRivers is offering a great price, and our projections show that the odds have a strong positive expected value.

Mahomes’ average passing completions projection across seven different models is 24.58, which falls just short of the number needed to surpass the Over on this prop by about one-and-a-half completions.

According to that estimate, we have a positive expected value of approximately 11.5% on this wager.

King Orson’s prediction for the Raiders vs. Chiefs matchup.

Tommy DeVito is expected to throw for over 184.5 passing yards, with odds of -110 from bet365. This bet has a four-star rating.

The Eagles have recently played against two strong NFL MVP candidates, Dak Prescott and Brock Purdy, during their three-game losing streak. However, in Week 15, they faced a much weaker opponent in Drew Lock. Despite only starting his fifth game since 2020, Lock made crucial late-game throws to secure a surprising 20-17 victory for the Seattle Seahawks.

During their three-game losing streak, the Eagles have allowed an average of 264.3 passing yards per game. This stat is giving hope that DeVito can surpass the low passing yards total set by four of our top sportsbooks.

In the limited number of games played during the rookie’s career, DeVito has found success against weak secondaries. He threw for 246 yards against the lowest-ranked Washington Commanders and 191 yards against the New England Patriots, who have a mediocre pass defense ranking of 16th.

Despite a lackluster performance against the Saints, he came close to surpassing his Week 16 passing yardage total with 177 yards. The Giants are expected to be significant underdogs against the Eagles, setting up another game where DeVito will likely throw frequently against a struggling pass defense.

Considering all of these factors, it is clear why several projection models are predicting DeVito to exceed 190 yards. ESPN’s projection of 242 yards is even higher than most.

Kelly Irvin’s prediction for the Giants vs. Eagles matchup.

The 49ers are projected to score more than 26.5 points in their upcoming game, with a four-star rating from Caesars sportsbook.

The Ravens possess one of the top defenses in the league, and their strong unit has the potential to lead them to the Super Bowl through the AFC this season.

However, they have also displayed some weaknesses in recent weeks. I anticipate that the 49ers will capitalize on this opportunity on the grand stage to bring an end to Purdy’s MVP campaign.

Just two weeks ago, Matthew Stafford guided the Los Angeles Rams to a 31-point performance in an overtime defeat against the Ravens. Baltimore has struggled to contain Kevin Stefanski’s offense previously, with the Cleveland Browns putting up 33 points against them in Week 10.

The 49ers under Kyle Shanahan represent the pinnacle of an offensive system that relies heavily on play-action pass concepts.

Purdy’s critics often argue that his success is due to the wealth of offensive talent surrounding him. While there is some validity to this claim, it certainly strengthens the argument for his abilities when considering the talented players like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, and Brandon Aiyuk who support him.

Scott Justin predicts the outcome of the Ravens vs. 49ers game.

Check out our selection of NFL picks and NFL odds.

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Written By:
Evans Santiago
Esten is the Senior Publishing Editor for UnderscoregReview.com. He has been in the sports betting industry since the legalization of mobile sports betting in New Jersey, and with UnderscoregReview prior to the launch of sports betting in Ontario. Esten’s previous stops include the USA TODAY network, including GolfWeek. He previously worked in the fantasy sports industry, with FNTSY Sports Network, theScore, and USA TODAY. Esten graduated from the College of Sports Media with a diploma in Radio and Television Sports Broadcasting after acquiring a degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Guelph. He has appeared on FNTSY Sports Network, VSiN, and VSiN’s Long Shots podcast, where he correctly called Will Zalatoris as the winner of the 2026 FedEx St. Jude Championship. Esten is a big proponent of the entertainment side of sports betting and loves to dip his toes into the novelty and alt-markets while chasing long shots with reduced wagers on golf outrights and futures markets. He’s also been known to sprinkle some lunch money on touchdown-scorer parlays with two notable hits still funding his bankroll. Esten looks at sports betting much like golf and advises beginner bettors to compete against themselves rather than being concerned with what others may or may not be doing based on social media claims.