“It’s just dope to play on Christmas. It’s still another game, but it felt cool on the day growing up,” said Mikal Bridges, a Brooklyn Nets wing. Every single Christmas since 1947, the NBA fills the screen with legendary games, and has become a tradition for many.
Iconic Games
One iconic game in NBA history is Wilt Chamberlain’s 1961 game where he scored 59 points and 36 rebounds. The Philly Warriors still lost in double overtime and the game ended with the Knicks winning 136 to 135.
The 1995 NBA playoffs had a rematch of the NBA finals between the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets. Penny Hardway scored 22 points and the game-winning shot with 3 seconds left which made the score 92 to 90.
In 2004, Kobe went up against his former teammate Shaq. The Heat looked to extend their win streak to 11 games after beating the Lakers 104 to 102. Kobe did go out quiet though he ended the game with 42 points, six assists and three rebounds after 50 minutes of play.
The most recent legendary game was in 2017. This was the third year straight where the Cavs and the Warriors went toe to toe again, the Warriors taking this one 99 to 92. With three minutes left, the Cavs went on an 11 to 2 run and tied the game. Klay Thompson ended the run by hitting a crazy step back that helped the Warriors slide past the Cavs. Later in the year, the Warriors would face the Cavs in the Finals where the Warriors would take it in game five.
This year’s games
This year, there are five games on the slate for Christmas: Philadelphia 76ers vs New York Knicks, Las Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies vs Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns vs Denver Nuggets.
To tip the day off at 12 pm Eastern time, the 76ers take on the Knicks. The 76ers open as favorites by three points and have the reigning MVP in Joel Embiid and trading James Harden to the Clippers for more role players is going to make Joel Embiid another MVP candidate.
The next game on the schedule is Lebron’s Lakers vs Kyrie and Luka Mavericks at 2:30 pm Eastern. Kyrie Irving a former teammate of Lebron when he played for the Cavs, and Luka Dončić the young Bronco that has been tearing the league apart.
At 5:00 pm Eastern, the Giannis Milwaukee Bucks play the Jayson Tatum Boston Celtics. The Celtics start at three-point odds. The Boston Celtics are also the defending champs of the NBA. This game has the potential to be one of the best games to ever be played on Christmas.
The fourth game on the bracket is at 8:00 pm Eastern and is the hardest to predict because the Grizzlies are struggling due to their big free agent signing Derrick Rose being out, but also their centerpiece Ja Morant suspended for 25 games for his rapper-like lifestyle.
The biggest game of the night is the Joker Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets against Kevin Durant leading the Phoenix Suns in primetime at 10:00 pm. This is a matchup that we could see down the road in the Western Conference championship game. Jokic is a back-to-back MVP winner averaging extremely close to a triple-double this season and is the face of the NBA. On the other team is Kevin Durant, who is arguably one of the greatest scorers of all time. The Suns are also the team that has appeared in the playoffs for the past three years.
