The NBA’s Christmas Day recreation has been a practice since 1947 and continues to showcase a few of the league’s largest groups and superstars.
Groups and gamers have an opportunity to make a reputation for themselves because the eyes of the world tune in to this yr’s 5 marquee matchups.
To assist preview the fixtures, we spoke to former NBA participant and champion with the Miami Warmth, Jason Williams, to see what intrigues him concerning the Christmas Day schedule….
Cleveland Cavaliers @ New York Knicks
5pm, Sky Sports activities Primary Occasion and Sky Sports activities+
Christmas Day begins within the house of many festive movies, New York Metropolis, the place the Knicks will welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers to Madison Sq. Backyard. An iconic Christmas location will characteristic two of the Japanese Convention’s strongest groups.
The Knicks are contemporary from just lately lifting the NBA Cup after a formidable win over the San Antonio Spurs. Whereas Jalen Brunson is seen because the facet’s central determine, London-born ahead OG Anunoby is quietly constructing a case for his first All-Star choice.
Anunoby was the main scorer within the Cup ultimate and in accordance with Williams, is doing all the fitting issues to earn his place at All-Star Weekend. When requested what extra Anunoby must do, Williams’ recommendation was easy: “Keep winning and mounting those wins, and that’ll take care of the All-Star selection when it needs to be taken care of.”
New York Knicks’ OG Anunoby is having fun with a nice season =
The Cavs, in the meantime, had been the most effective regular-season crew within the Japanese Convention final season, ending with a 61-21 file, however have since struggled to recapture that type.
Donovan Mitchell, who nonetheless exudes famous person confidence, has been upfront about his crew’s below-par performances.
The Knicks have performed in additional Christmas Day video games than another NBA crew and this yr, a festive victory over the Cavs, mixed with their win within the NBA Cup ultimate, might present them with the right platform for a run at their first championship since 1973.
San Antonio Spurs @ Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder
7.30pm, Sky Sports activities Primary Occasion and Sky Sports activities+
The second recreation of the day offers our first famous person conflict. Final yr’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, takes on the lofty problem of the 21-year-old, 7ft 5in centre, Victor Wembanyama, because the Thunder welcome the Spurs to Oklahoma Metropolis.
When requested what has excited Williams about this season up to now, he stated: “I’m really excited about the parity. Other than OKC, who seem to be a level above everybody else”.
Final yr’s NBA champions, the Thunder, have picked up the place they left off and on the time of writing, have simply two losses, together with the most effective file within the league.
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Watch the most effective of Victor Wembanyama in opposition to the Dallas Mavericks, as he scored 40 factors in San Antonio Spurs’ season opener
Two groups touted with next-generation superstars, Williams was unequivocal in his reward of Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama.
“Both of them are special and unique,” he stated. “To be honest with you, I didn’t think Wemby was going to be as good as he is. I thought it would take him a couple of years, and he would come along a little bit slower than he has, but man, was I wrong!”
On Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams added: “Shai is just…I mean, it’s just loss for words. Just as soon as you think that he’s as good as he can be, he takes it a step higher and raises his team to another level.”
The stakes had been raised even greater on this recreation after the Spurs eradicated OKC from the NBA Cup earlier this month. A gathering of arguably the 2 finest groups and the 2 finest particular person gamers within the league, Spurs vs Thunder is a assured Christmas cracker.
Dallas Mavericks @ Golden State Warriors
10pm, Sky Sports activities Primary Occasion and Sky Sports activities+
Steph Curry’s fashion of play has captured the creativeness of a era of basketball followers throughout the globe. Approaching his thirty eighth birthday in March, Curry’s evergreen abilities will likely be pitted in opposition to the skills of a participant nearly 20 years his junior, 18-year-old Cooper Flagg, who was this yr’s No 1 draft decide.
In late November, Flagg’s 42-point haul in opposition to the Utah Jazz broke the NBA file for many factors by an 18-year-old. With accidents to a number of vital team-mates, continuous enhancements on the court docket all through Flagg’s rookie season have seen him become an offensive fulcrum for the Mavericks.
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Cooper Flagg scored 42 factors within the recreation in opposition to the Utah Jazz, turning into the highest-scoring 18-year-old in NBA historical past
One other fascinating side to this recreation is Curry’s reunion with former team-mate, Klay Thompson. The “Splash Brothers” gained 4 championships collectively over 12 years, setting quite a few scoring information alongside the best way.
Two of the best three-point shooters to play the sport, their identities as gamers are so intertwined that it nonetheless appears unusual to see them on opposing groups, nearly two years since Klay’s departure from the Warriors.
Curry attracts excessive reward from Williams, who additionally performed level guard throughout his 12-year NBA profession: “The best way he can shoot the basketball, I believe he might in all probability play until he was 60 if he needed to. He might stand within the nook all day and defensively, if his man left him, it is going to be a knock-down 3-pointer.
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Golden State Warrriors star Steph Curry pulled off the ridiculous by making this shot from nicely off the court docket!
“If he chose to play that long, he could. I think he’s probably the best point guard to ever play the game, definitely the best shooter that I’ve ever seen.
“I believe we’re fairly fortunate to see, as sports activities followers, not to mention NBA followers, to see a few of these athletes that we get to see. And Steph Wardell Curry is certainly one among them.”
Houston Rockets @ LA Lakers
1am Friday December 26, Sky Sports+
One of the glitziest games of the Christmas Day schedule sees LeBron James’ Lakers face off against a rejuvenated Rockets side, led by Kevin Durant. Now 40 and 37 respectively, the game is set to be a highly competitive meeting between teams led by two of the league’s veteran superstars.
Like Steph Curry, Durant’s elite shooting touch has helped extend his prime well into his 30s, with a playing style focused on technical ability over athleticism. That isn’t to say KD doesn’t possess an outstanding all-round game. Earlier this month he became the third fastest player to 30,000 points, 5,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists, second only to Michael Jordan and LeBron.
Williams had huge praise for KD, but also highlighted the Rockets’ talented Turkish centre, Alperen Şengün, as one to watch.
“I am an enormous KD fan. You could possibly take him and drop him on any roster within the NBA, and I believe they immediately turn into a playoff contender. However I do not suppose Şengün is getting talked about as a lot as he ought to. He is quietly going about his enterprise and doing what he is speculated to do. e’s a big-time participant.”
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LeBron mixed with Rui Hachimura for the game-winner because the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Toronto Raptors within the famous person’s twenty third NBA season
On the different finish of the court docket, the Lakers are hoping Luka Dončić recovers from harm in time to crew up with LeBron, who is about to take part in a record-breaking twentieth Christmas Day recreation, an all-time NBA file. LeBron will flip 41 earlier than the top of December and when requested what targets he may need left, Williams replied: “What else is left for him to do? He’s already done everything else, so I think just winning championships is all that it’s about now.”
Whereas LeBron’s retirement as soon as appeared a distant risk, it’s rapidly turning into an impending actuality. Williams is stuffed with reward for James and believes he would not at all times obtain the reward he deserves.
“I think we, as fans, we take LeBron James’ career for granted. We just expect him to have 25 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists every night. I think he should have won a couple more MVPs, in my opinion, but they just didn’t give it to him because it was someone else’s turn. Now, that doesn’t mean the next guy doesn’t deserve the MVP, but I just we take LeBron James for granted.”
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Denver Nuggets
3.30am Friday December 26, Sky Sports activities+
Within the ultimate recreation of the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule, those that keep up into the early hours of Boxing Day morning will see a showdown between one of many league’s rising rivalries, because the Denver Nuggets play the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Denver Nuggets centre Nikola Jokic is three-time MVP winner
Just like the Gilgeous-Alexander v Wembanyama matchup earlier within the day, this recreation options two of the NBA’s largest present abilities in Nikola Jokić and Anthony Edwards. Williams stated: “Jokić is one of the best, if not the best, player in the NBA and Edwards is right on his heels. He’s trying to take that throne from him.”
For the Nuggets, Jokić is a three-time MVP winner whose on-ball abilities have seen him labelled the most effective passing centre of all-time. In a sport that usually prioritises physicality, Jokić stands aside, his fashion outlined by elite basketball IQ and court docket imaginative and prescient.
Earlier in December, “Joker” broke the file for many assists by a centre in NBA historical past, eclipsing a 35-year file set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Much more impressively, he achieved the feat in a staggering 789 fewer video games, a testomony to his distinctive abilities.
In distinction to Jokić, Edwards’ fashion relies on a tenacious strategy to the sport, underlined by high-flying, explosive athleticism.
Minnesota Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards has developed into an elite participant from lengthy vary
Equally decided off the court docket, regardless of preliminary draft issues over his vary, Edwards has developed into an elite long-range shooter, main the NBA for three-pointers made in the course of the 24-25 season, whereas additionally turning into the youngest participant in NBA historical past to make 1,000 threes.
Contracted with the Timberwolves till 2029, how Edwards develops will outline the way forward for the franchise.
With each groups having eradicated one another within the 2023 and 2024 postseason, the Nuggets-Timberwolves rivalry stays one of many NBA’s most hotly-anticipated fixtures.
A blockbuster Christmas Day schedule concludes with one of many highlights of the night.
