The Nuggets and Knicks both handled business last night…
while the NFL is looking to Netflix and chill this Yuletide.
Nuggets, Knicks Back In Driver’s Seat
What Happened: The Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, the second seeds in the Western and Eastern Conferences respectively, seized control of their playoff series last night.
Both teams are now up three games to two in their best-of-seven series, but they took different paths getting here.
Why It Matters: The Nuggets were in big trouble…until they weren’t. Dropping two home games as the higher seed in the series seemed to point to Denver’s failure to defend last season’s title. Instead, those slip-ups have served as wake up calls, with the Nuggets ripping off three straight wins and reinserting themselves as the favorite to emerge from the West, with odds of -125 better than the conference’s top-seeded OKC Thunder at +270.
Meanwhile, the Knicks-Packers series has featured the home team winning in each game, which obviously stands as an advantage for New York. But no one believes any team can knock off Boston (-600 to win the East) and the Knicks’ shallow rotation, paired with their letting Indiana back into the series after seizing a 2-0 lead, won’t change minds on that front.
How We’re Feeling Today
Not very festive, and quite frankly, fearful of what Christmas Day might look like this year.
In case you missed the news, Netflix will be airing two NFL games on December 25th this season. Of course, the NFL has played on Christmas in previous seasons, such as in 2023 when the holiday fell on a Monday. But this year, four teams will be forced to play a regular season game on a Wednesday.
For those who have endured such moments as the Mark Sanchez Butt Fumble while trying to celebrate Thanksgiving with family, they know the pain that sports can bring on a day already high with potentially stressful interactions.
Dealing with family for eight hours is a burden all on its own. Throw in the emotional swings that an NFL game can produce, and Christmas is gonna look way different in a lot of households this year. ‘Tis the season.
The Look Ahead
Darius Garland POINTS – Garland peaked our interest on Monday as play, and with Donovan Mitchell missing Game 4, Garland easily got over his 15.5 line that night, finishing the game with 30 points in a narrow Game 4 loss. Mitchell is again questionable to play due to a calf injury, which will present Garland with more opportunities. His points line for tonight has ticked up to 19.5, so the difficulty level has risen, but it’s definitely a play worth considering.
Miro Heiskanen SOG – The Stars are a game away from advancing to the Western Conference final, and with a 3-1 series lead, they can afford to play aggressively. Heiskanen’s line for shots tonight is 2.5, and it’s a plus-money play as of this writing. The Dallas d-man got three shots on net in Game 4 against Colorado and in three of this series’ four games already.
