NBA Christmas Day Preview: LeBron meets Luka and Celtics play Bucks in blockbuster
A total of five games in a row are scheduled for Christmas Day in the NBA. The New York Knicks will kick things off, followed by the duel of the stars between Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Later in the evening, first plays second in the East, before Denver and Phoenix conclude the total of almost 13 hours of straight entertainment.
18:00 CET: New York Knicks vs Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers come into Christmas day with an enormous tailwind after seven wins in a row. Even though they are missing a key player on the offensive end in Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers have enough weapons to be dangerous to any team in the NBA.
Usually, everything in the opposing defence is focused on the massive big man Joel Embiid, who creates space for the shooters on the side. With James Harden, Tobias Harris and PJ Tucker, the team from Pennsylvania have enough weapons to create danger from the outside. With 40.3%, they rank first in the NBA in three-point percentage.
On the other hand, the New York Knicks are having a bit of a dip in form right now. After a good start to the season, they recently suffered two defeats in a row, including the unfortunate 117-118 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
However, the Knickerbockers can take hope from this game, as they seem to have a rising star in their ranks. Small forward RJ Barrett has scored a personal career-best 44 points, plus he has put up an average of 27.3 points in the last eight games. Together with point guard Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have a dynamic offensive duo who can create their own shots as well as release colleagues.
The Knicks narrowly won the last duel between these two at the beginning of November, and tonight the game is completely open again. The Christmas atmosphere in Madison Square Garden will certainly be a bit better than usual, especially because the Knicks have a promising team again after a long time.
The New York fans are anything but spoiled by their club. In the last nine years, they reached the postseason just once, namely in the COVID-affected year of 2021. This year there is a certain sense of expectation around the team of coach and defensive specialist Tom Thibodeau. Can they continue their good form on Christmas Day?
20:30 CET: Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers
When you read that eighth in the West is playing thirteenth in the West, you don't necessarily expect a classic. But standings and form are not everything in the NBA. The Mavericks against the Lakers is, above all, the clash of superstars Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
The Mavericks' season has been sluggish, with better and worse phases alternating without notice. Recently, they won two games again, which is why the mood around ex-professional Jason Kidd's team is improving. Despite the absence of Maxi Kleber, the Mavericks have put together a powerful team in which everything revolves around Slovenian star Doncic.
Doncic leads the team, Doncic distributes the ball and also finishes when in doubt. Like the relationship between James Harden and the Rockets a few years ago, this dynamic brings advantages and disadvantages. On a good day - and it happens often - the Slovenian pulls his colleagues along and makes the Mavericks an almost unbeatable team. On bad days, however, they often lack a plan B.
Since the injury of Anthony Davis, the Lakers seem to be out of step for good. With a negative record and poor form (most recently three defeats in a row), the team from California has many question marks about how the season will progress. Some pundits are even predicting that this season will be scrapped in order to prepare for the rebuild in the coming years. It's hard to imagine LeBron James being comfortable with that idea.
On paper, the Lakers are still well-stocked, it's just that the big names like Russell Westbrook, Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schroder too rarely deliver consistently. With centre Davis out, the anchor in the middle is gone, and Thomas Bryant can of course not replace him equally. Since Davis will be missing for at least another month, the Lakers have to get into a positive run in order not to have already lost all chances for the postseason after his return.
A good start would be the duel at the Dallas Mavericks, against whom they last won almost exactly a year ago. Possibly a good omen for the team coached by Darvin Ham, who took over the post after a good job as assistant to Mike Budenholzer with the Bucks. His work is measured by results, of course, and so the 49-year-old needs to deliver positive results as soon as possible to avoid being questioned himself.
23:00 CET: Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks
Since 2018, the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks have played every Christmas Day in the NBA. Knowing that the schedule makers pick the most attractive matchups for Christmas Day before the season, you can guess that these two teams mustn't have done too much wrong in recent years.
This time first in the Eastern Conference meets second - a genuine blockbuster match. The two best teams in the NBA according to Win Percentage want to provide a spectacle when they face each other in the most anticipated game of this year's Christmas Games at TD Garden.
At the same time, both teams come into this game with minor concerns. The Celtics needed an energy performance from Jaylen Brown in the final quarter on Friday night to break a streak of three straight losses against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Recently, especially the offence has not been running as smoothly as usual, even though the regular players are all fit. Since the suspension of coach Ime Udoka for distasteful comments to a female employee in September, Joe Mazzulla has been on the sidelines and doing a good job so far. The shoes he is filling are not small, however. Udoka had led the team directly to the NBA Finals in his first year, but the team stayed together for the most part and can thus also deliver strong performances this year.
Their situation is similar to today's opponents. The Bucks also show what can come out of continuous work if you don't want to change half the squad every year. With Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the team's core has been under contract in Wisconsin for several years, and Khris Middleton, another mainstay, is currently missing due to injury. The Bucks are also a real contender for the NBA Finals this season, although they lost both games in the past week. In the prime time game of Christmas Day, Milwaukee will be especially motivated to show its best side. Expect a spectacle!
02:00 CET: Golden State Warriors vs Memphis Grizzlies
One of the surprise teams of the current NBA season is the Memphis Grizzlies. After a clear victory in the top-of-the-Conference clash at the Phoenix Suns, the Grizzlies climbed to second place in the West - an interim result that hardly anyone would have believed for Taylor Jenkins' team before the season.
The key to success for the men from Mississippi is the team's unity. Against Phoenix on Friday night, six players scored in double figures. Although Ja Morant is the clear star in the team, there is no special treatment for the 23-year-old. He dedicates himself to the team and, on the other hand, he gets all the support from his colleagues to be able to shine himself. With an average of 26.5 points so far this season, he is doing just that, and he is also frequently putting up double-digit assists. A real team that can also pose a threat in the playoffs.
The mood of the Golden State Warriors is completely different. The reigning NBA champions are having great problems this year following up on last year's outstanding performance. Once again, the dependence on superstar Stephen Curry, who is currently unable to play due to a shoulder injury, is a major factor. Neither Klay Thompson, who is still not his old self after his long injury nor Curry substitute Jordan Poole can represent the MVP of 2015 and 2016 worthily.
ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith recently lashed out at Poole, saying he is "happy with all the money" he is getting, but that Poole needs to "earn it". The performances of recent weeks were "embarrassing" and "not worthy of a champion", Smith said. Indeed, eleventh place in the West and a negative record are far from what Steve Kerr's team envisaged for this season.
Against the Memphis Grizzlies, there is a chance to take a first step in the right direction, but success for the Warriors without their leader Curry would be a big surprise. It is more likely that Memphis will silence the Chase Center early, despite all the Christmas euphoria, and inflict the champions' nineteenth defeat of the season.
04:30 CET: Denver Nuggets vs Phoenix Suns
The long NBA Christmas Day concludes with the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns, two more top teams from the Western Conference meeting.
Although Denver actually leads the West, they continue to have one of the worst defensive lines in the league. There has been improvement in recent weeks, but for a deep run in the playoffs, players like Bones Hyland and DeAndre Jordan will need to play more focused defence.
The Nuggets' showpiece is their offence, which is loaded with MVP Nikola Jokic and pace-setter Jamal Murray. In addition, role players like Aaron Gordon, who is currently enjoying arguably his best period since leaving Orlando, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are doing important work for the team. Should Michael Malone's team get the defensive gaps closed, they are definitely a candidate to go far in the playoffs this year.
On Christmas night, the Nuggets will play the Phoenix Suns in a duel that they narrowly won in October. The Suns are currently fourth in the Western Conference and have slightly exceeded expectations with their 19-14 record. Now that controversial owner Robert Sarver has finally sold the franchise, Phoenix looks set for a season of smooth sailing. The team is led by playmaker Devin Booker, who sets the pace of the attack. In DeAndre Ayton, they have a very good and robust centre who always manages to post up well to either find a shot or create space for the wing players.
The Suns are in the top quarter of the league with 37.5% successful threes, they will need that efficiency against the Nuggets if they are to give their fans one last Christmas gift.
Follow all the action from Christmas Day in the NBA on Flashscore.
