If fans have a wish list of holiday miracles that they want to witness in the jampacked NBA Christmas Day 2019 schedule, it would look like this:
Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors (1:00 AM)
50 points from Jayson Tatum and/or Pascal Siakam
Both Eastern Conference teams suffered pretty much the same fate this past offseason: lose their biggest star to free agency. The only difference was that the Raptors' gamble on Kawhi Leonard paid off with a championship, while Kyrie Irving and the Celtics capped off a disappointing campaign with a second round exit.
Boston (20-7, second seed) and Toronto (21-9, fourth) have barely felt their respective losses, though, thanks in part to these franchise cornerstones. Siakam was leading the Raps in points (25.1) and rebounds (8) before going down with a groin injury. Tatum — second in scoring (21.6) for the C's — dropped a career-high 39 markers recently. Spicy P will need a miracle recovery for this forward duel to happen.
Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors (6:00 AM)
82 points from James Harden or at least a close game
Last year's Western Conference semifinalists are on opposite trajectories. The basketball gods have taken away what they have given the Warriors (6-24, second to the last in the league) five years ago. Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala are gone, while Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry are on the mend. D'Angelo Russell and Draymond Green are trying to lead a bunch of overachieving G Leaguers to a lottery pick.
On the other hand, the Rockets (20-9, third) are in their usual Top 4 spot on the back of another historic campaign from Harden (38.8 points 7.5 assists 5.1 three-pointers per game). Either let the Beard break at least Kobe Bryant's single game scoring record or the Dubs make the game a bit competitive.
New Orleans Pelicans vs Denver Nuggets (11:30 AM)
Zion Williamson's debut or a 40-point triple-double from Nikola Jokic
The Pelicans got the chance to play on Christmas Day after lucking out on the most hyped draft prospect since LeBron James. However, Zion has yet to see action after tearing his right lateral meniscus last October. Despite Brandon Ingram's breakout, their team is going nowhere with a 8-23 record as the 14th seed.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, are currently riding a seven-game winning streak as second-best in the West (21-8). It looks like Nikola Jokic (17.4 ppg 10 rpg 6.9 apg) has played his way into shape, while Jamal Murray (17.8, top scorer) and Wil Barton (14.6 ppg 7 rpg) are proving to be more than glorified sidekicks. A Williamson versus Jokic heavyweight matchup is sure to be a big one — literally.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Philadephia 76ers (3:30 AM)
Giannis Antetoukounmpo poster on Joel Embiid or five jump shots/three-pointers from Ben Simmons
Entering the season, the Bucks and Sixers were viewed as heavy favorites to face off in the East Finals due to the power shift in the league and relative weakening of their conference. So far, only Milwaukee (27-4, No. 1) has held up its end of the bargain, while Philadelphia (22-10, fifth) isn't even the best squad in the Atlantic Division. A primetime victory would give the playoff rivals an edge.
JoJo hasn't been shy in pushing his fellow big men around (just ask Andre Drummond and Karl Anthony-Towns), which is why all we want for Christmas is the Greek Freak yamming on the former and giving him a mean mug. Ben catching everyone off guard with a shooting clinic isn't half bad either.
Los Angeles Clippers vs Los Angeles Lakers (9:00 AM)
Healthy dynamic duos (Kawhi Leonard/Paul George and LeBron James/Anthony Davis)
The highly anticipated holiday Hollywood tug-of-war between the city's biggest basketball teams could only get better if all members of each roster are available. James (thoracic muscle strain) and Davis (right knee soreness) are coming off injuries. Leonard has already sat out nine games largely due to load management.
George might be the healthiest of the Los Angeles superstars, but he himself had missed the first 11 games following a couple of offseason shoulder surgeries. The rest of their respective lineups aren't too shabby — Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Dwight Howard, Alex Caruso — but who wouldn't want to watch the Klaw and PG13 stake their claim to the arena against Bron and the Brow?
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