Celtics favored over Lakers in NBA Christmas quintuple-header

It’s one of the most wonderful times of the year for the NBA.

The league will showcase its leading title and MVP contenders in its annual Christmas Day quintuple-header Monday.

The Celtics and Lakers will renew their rivalry in the afternoon in Los Angeles. Boston is a 2½-point favorite and the total is 234½.

The Celtics are the 3-1 favorites at the Westgate SuperBook to win their 18th NBA championship, which would break a tie with the Lakers for most in league history.

Los Angeles, which snapped a four-game losing streak in Saturday’s win at Oklahoma City, is 16-1 to win it all.

“Ever since the Lakers won that In-Season Tournament, they’ve been struggling,” SuperBook NBA oddsmaker Jeff Sherman said. “They’ve dealt with a lot of injuries.”

The Bucks are 3½-point road favorites over the Knicks in the opener and the total is 240½. It’s a rematch of Milwaukee’s 130-111 win over New York on Saturday.

The Bucks are tied with the defending NBA champion Nuggets as the +450 second choice to win the 2024 title. Milwaukee star Giannis Antetokounmpo is the 10-1 fifth choice to win his third MVP award.

Denver is favored by 6½ at home over Golden State and the total is 233½. Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the 3-1 second pick to win his third MVP.

Denver has won four straight and seven of eight (6-2 ATS). The Warriors have won five straight following a three-game losing streak and the indefinite suspension of forward Draymond Green.

“They think when Green comes back, they’ll be what they were,” Sherman said. “But (guard) Klay Thompson is not the player he was.”

The 76ers, led by center Joel Embiid, the +150 favorite to repeat as MVP, are 1½-point road favorites over the Heat. The total is 226½.

Philadelphia, tied with the Clippers as the 10-1 fourth choice to win it all, has won and covered eight of its last nine games.

“Philadelphia has just been phenomenal this year without (guard) James Harden,” Sherman said. “The biggest aspect going on with that team is the positivity in the locker room. Guys genuinely love playing together and you see it translate on the court.”

In the nightcap, the Suns are 5-point favorites over the Mavericks and the total is 235½. Dallas star Luka Doncic is the +650 fourth choice to win his first MVP award.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.