It may be the halfway point of the NBA’s holiday slate, but the third game on Wednesday features the ghosts of Christmas Past and Future. Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors have been Christmas staples for the past decade, but a disappointing start to the season has raised questions about how much longer that will be the case. The Dallas Mavericks haven’t exactly been lighting the world on fire either, but they’re trending in the right direction, and if he keeps growing as much as he has thus far this season, Cooper Flagg has a whole lot more Christmas basketball ahead of him.

Given how far down the Western Conference standings both the Mavericks and Warriors have fallen, this is actually a critical game from a play-in and standings perspective. To get you ready, we’ll post our best bets below, both against the spread and in terms of props.

Mavericks at Warriors: Where to watch

• Time: 5 p.m. ET | Date: Thursday, Dec. 25
• Location: Chase Center — San Francisco
• TV channel: ABC/ESPN | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
• Odds: Warriors -8, O/U: 227.5 (via FanDuel) 

Bold predictions for each NBA Christmas Day game: Thunder-Spurs tension, a Curry flurry and more

Jack Maloney

Mavericks at Warriors: Prediction, odds, best bets

The Warriors have played nine games thus far in December. They’ve won just two of them by eight or more points. Draymond Green mysteriously disappeared after a heated exchange with Steve Kerr on Monday. Nobody on this team but Stephen Curry is scoring consistently. Golden State shouldn’t be favored by eight points against anyone, let alone a Mavericks team that is frankly playing just about as well as they are. The Pick: Mavericks +8

Here’s a fun fact for you: Cooper Flagg already has 68 points in the clutch. That’s almost halfway to the recorded rookie record (138 by Brandon Jennings). The point is that Flagg seems comfortable in big moments. He’s going to relish the chance to put on a show against a living legend in Stephen Curry on his home court in a marquee Christmas game. I’m fully expecting him to meet the moment. The Pick: Flagg Over 19.5 Points