Merry Christmas from the Hoops Rumors staff!
As usual, the NBA has a five-game slate on tap for Christmas Day, with many of the league’s top teams and biggest stars in action on December 25. Here’s today’s schedule:
- 11:00 am CT: San Antonio Spurs (15-14) at New York Knicks (19-10)
- 1:30 pm CT: Minnesota Timberwolves (14-14) at Dallas Mavericks (19-10)
- 4:00 pm CT: Philadelphia 76ers (10-17) at Boston Celtics (22-7)
- 7:00 pm CT: Los Angeles Lakers (16-13) at Golden State Warriors (15-13)
- 9:30 pm CT: Denver Nuggets (16-11) at Phoenix Suns (14-14)
While the goal on Christmas Day is generally to showcase some of the day’s biggest stars and best teams, this year’s schedule is a little lacking in the latter.
Despite featuring seven teams from the Western Conference, today’s slate of games doesn’t include any of the West’s top three seeds, the Thunder, Rockets, and Grizzlies. While Houston and Memphis weren’t necessarily expected to be this good, Oklahoma City’s absence is conspicuous, given that the Thunder were the No. 1 seed in the West last season.
Over in the East, we’ve got the No. 2 and 3 seeds in action today, but the NBA’s best team, the 26-4 Cavaliers, won’t be part of the Christmas Day slate. Instead, the third Eastern club is the 12th-seeded Sixers, who have been plagued by injuries but at least will have their big three available on Wednesday — Tyrese Maxey and Paul George aren’t on the injury report, and Joel Embiid is listed as available.
Despite the absence of so many top teams, each matchup still has something going for it, with plenty of star power on display.
The afternoon will feature rising phenom Victor Wembanyama visiting Madison Square Garden and the streaking Knicks, who have won four games in a row; a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Mavericks, who should have star guards Kyrie Irving (available) and Luka Doncic (probable) active today; and those aforementioned three Sixers stars going up against the defending champions in Boston.
The first evening contest between the Lakers and Warriors pits the No. 7 seed in the West against No. 8, but it also could be one of the last few times that NBA legends LeBron James and Stephen Curry face one another. James is considered questionable due to left foot injury management, but I’d be shocked if he didn’t play. A couple more would-be Western contenders who have had up-and-down starts will wrap up the day when the Nuggets visit Phoenix in a game that will feature a pair of former MVPs in Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant.
We want to know what you think. Are there any teams you wish were or weren’t part of today’s schedule? Which of these five games are you most looking forward to? Which five teams are you picking to win this year’s Christmas Day matchups?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in, and feel free to use it as an open thread to discuss today’s games.
they need to mix up the games more. As a warrior fan I am tired of seeing lakers vs Warriors on Christmas day. Its only for ratings to have the 2 most popular players to play in the same game.
This is the worst presentation ever…
Spurs vs Knicks…
I hope whoever came up with this gets fired and is never hired in entertainment again…
You know it’s funny and nothing against the Knicks at all, I like some of their players, but I really don’t enjoy watching New York anymore.
Thibodeau is a great coach and they’re a good team, but watching Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges is not entertaining for me. Maybe that’ll change in the playoffs because I appreciate what Brunson gets out of his limited body structure is amazing.
He’s not super tall or fast or lengthy, but the man gets it done. But yeah, I don’t enjoy watching them at all. Sort of weird.
It’s got nothing to do with the Knicks…
It took me half the game to realise the Disney “main street” game wasn’t the only way to watch the game…
The Knicks are just one of those cobbled together super teams… But with college history chemistry..
If it wasn’t for Thibs history they’d have a chance at the finals… Not highly entertaining to watch, but the group has the talent…
Have a flex game like NFL so we don’t need to have a terrible game on Xmas day.
None of these games are terrible.
Merry Christmas back at you Luke and the staff. May your day be filled with family, friends, good cheer, and plenty of joy.
Thanks for working today and putting out a bunch of stuff for us to read. You guys are dedicated warriors to the core, no coincidence intended.
Stars missing from Xmas games today:
Shai
Giannis
Mitchell
Morant
Sengun
IDK how you don’t have the two best records not play on Xmas Day or to 3 West seeds. But hey we have 7-11 seeds though. Completely laughable.
i agree with that but the NBA only cares about viewership. OKC is in a part of the country where there is very little viewership. NBA want the big market teams. Even as a warrior fan I don’t want to see GSW and Lakers game on Christmas day again.
LOL, you know someone is looking for things to complain about when they’re including Sengun on their list of top stars
Besides the point but go off.
It’s a direct reply to the point you were attempting to make, but go off.
You must be a casual. Sengun is a star on that team. lol anyone knows that. He’s been terrific last few years.
Ah, the stock “you must be a casual” reply when someone refutes your bad argument. He’s a good player, but not near one of the top stars in the league. Try again, champ.
I honestly think people are being way too harsh and unrealistic about this.
First of all, there are only 5 games, so 2/3 of the league will inevitably be left out.
Secondly, these matchups are decided before the season starts, so there’s only so much that can be done to project who the most watchable teams will be. You can’t account for things like injuries either. You could argue for “flex” matchups, but I would think most players would prefer knowledge of whether or not they can celebrate Christmas with their families ahead of time.
Thirdly, given that the NBA has to compete with the NFL for eyeballs, contests will be selected on the basis of not only the most attractive teams, but also the most popular players. That’s just reality.
Finally, even accounting for all of these challenges, let’s not act as though the matchups are awful. I could see either team taking any of these games (with the exception of Phoenix, but only on account of injuries). Are the likes of the 76ers and Lakers as formidable as usual? No, but they’re largely healthy and certainly hungry to beat Boston and Golden State, respectively.
Would I like to see the Grizzlies play today? Of course, but I’m also cognizant of the challenge embedded in selecting the Christmas matchups and am looking forward to watching some basketball with my friends and family, regardless
How Draymond doesn’t get kicked out of games with his WWE antics more often I will never understand…
The NBA isn’t ready to anoint SGA as a superstar yet – despite the fact he’s the best player, on the best team, and will get MVP votes.
They’d rather bleed the last ounces out of LeBron and Steph, sadly.