Photo by Wendell Cruz-Pool/Getty Images. Pictured: Trae Young (right). Reggie Bullock (left).
The NBA has released the schedule for its Christmas Day games and PointsBet has already posted odds for two of the matchups.
The New York Knicks opened as one-point favorites (-115) when they play host to the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden in a rematch of this past season’s Eastern Conference First Round Series, which Trae Young and the Hawks won handily four games to one.
The series saw Knicks fans systemically harass Young with taunts and chants, culminating in a fan being banned for life for spitting on the 22-year-old All-Star.
Young responded by hitting the game winner in Game 1 at MSG, putting up 30 points in a Game 2 loss at the Garden, then heading back to Manhattan for Game 5 and putting up 36 in a 103-89 closeout game.
Trae Young had three 30-point games on the road in the First Round series with the Knicks
The only other players with 3+ 30-point road games in one series at age-22 or younger are LeBron James & Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/2TCD7f3DqT
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) June 3, 2021
After the Game 1 winner, he shushed the crowd and repeatedly yelled “It’s quiet as [expletive] in here!”
Needless to say, there will be no love lost when Young returns to the Garden.
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Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers will be one-point favorites (-115) when they host the Brooklyn Nets at the Staples Center on Christmas Day.
The Nets (+225) and Lakers (+300) are currently the two biggest favorites to take the NBA title next season.
The Nets are incredibly firm favorites to win the Eastern Conference at +120. The Milwaukee Bucks have the closest odds at +400 while the Philadelphia 76ers have third-best odds at +800.
The Lakers are +175 favorites to take their second Western Conference title in the last three seasons. The Golden State Warriors have the second-best odds at +375 while the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers have the third-shortest odds at +900.
FanDuel released the odds for Nets v. Lakers and Hawks v. Knicks later in the day, as well.
The Lakers are 1.5-point favorites over the Nets at the sportsbook while the Knicks are 1.5-point favorites over the Hawks.
Other games scheduled for Christmas Day include the Bucks hosting the Boston Celtics; the Jazz hosting the Dallas Mavericks; and the Suns hosting the Warriors.
FanDuel opened those odds at Bucks -7, Suns -4.5 and Jazz -5.5.
