julius-randle.jpg
USATSI

There's an extra helping of sports on Christmas Day this year, with the NFL joining the NBA on the slate. There was one NFL game on the holiday last season, but the NBA schedule has typically carried the day. This will be the first Saturday NFL doubleheader of the season after last week's was disrupted. The NFL Week 16 matchups are Browns vs. Packers (4:30 p.m. ET) and Colts vs. Cardinals (8:15 p.m. ET), and both will have big impacts on the NFL playoff picture. Green Bay is -7.5 in the latest NFL odds at Caesars Sportsbook, while Arizona is -2.5.

The NBA schedule tips off with Hawks vs. Knicks at noon ET, followed by Celtics vs. Bucks (2:30 p.m. ET), Warriors vs. Suns (5 p.m. ET), Nets vs. Lakers (8 p.m. ET) and Mavericks vs. Jazz (10:30 p.m. ET). The Suns are six-point home favorites in the latest NBA odds from Caesars in what could be a Western Conference FInals preview against Golden State. Before considering any 2021 Christmas Day picks or parlays, you need to see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say. 

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every game 10,000 times, and the NBA model is up well over $10,000 for $100 players over the past three-plus seasons. It is on a stunning 46-23 run this season on top-rated NBA picks against the spread. 

Meanwhile, the NFL model is up more than $7,000 on top-rated NFL picks since its inception six-plus years ago and is on an incredible 133-96 run that dates back to the 2017 season. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on the Christmas Day sports schedule and locked in its best bets. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. If you parlay these picks, you could be looking at a payout of more than 24-1. 

Top NBA and NFL Christmas Day picks 

One leg of the five-way parlay that the model really recommends is Utah covering as a 12-point favorite against Dallas at 10:30 p.m. ET. The Jazz are the highest-scoring team in the league, and while the Mavs don't give up a ton of points, they don't score a lot either, especially without Luka Doncic (protocols). Dallas also will have trouble keeping up on the boards. The Jazz are strong inside and outside and shouldn't have much trouble in either area Saturday. Utah leads the NBA in shooting (47.8 percent) while Dallas opponents shoot better than 46 percent (23rd). The Mavs score 104.4 points (27th) while allowing 104.6 (fifth).

Meanwhile, Utah scores 115.8 points per game and shoots 47.8 percent, with both marks the best in the league. Center Rudy Gobert is a matchup nightmare for any team and leads the NBA in field-goal percentage (71.8) and rebounding (15.1 per contest). Donovan Mitchell (25 points per game) and Bojan Bogdanovic (17.2) handle the outside shooting duties for a team that shoots 36.9 percent from outside (fourth in NBA). They combine for almost six 3-pointers per game. Bogdanovic hits 43.5 percent of his tries, while Mitchell makes more than 34 percent.     

How to make Christmas Day parlays

SportsLine's model has also identified four other extremely strong picks that need to be in your Christmas Day parlays, including an underdog that is facing a team that has been taking a step backward, making this one a must-back. You can only see the model's best bets here. 

What are the model's top Christmas Day NFL and NBA picks? And which other matchups should you target for your Christmas Day parlays? Visit SportsLine now to see the NBA and NFL best bets for Christmas Day, all from the model that has dominated its top-rated picks over the past several seasons, and find out.