The NBA took centerstage on Christmas Day, as ten teams across five games squared off during the holiday.
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Philadelphia 76ers @ New York Knicks
The first game was a duel between the Eastern Conference 5th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in New York against the 6th-seeded Knicks.
Going into the Eastern Conference showdown, the 76ers were on a 7-game winning streak, and the home team Knicks, were on a 3-game skid as they looked to stop the 76ers’ heater.
The Knicks were 8-9 at home this season and hoped to turn things around for the New York crowd. The Knicks took an early lead at Maddison Square Garden, leading 37-25 at the end of the first quarter. Philadelphia punched back in the second, finishing the quarter with 35 points, to the Knicks’ 26, and all the momentum heading into halftime after a great Shake Milton half-court buzzer-beater.
The game was close to starting the second half, with the Knicks narrowly leading the 76ers, 73-70. The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle, with the 76ers scoring 35 points in the quarter compared to the Knicks’ 33. Knicks’ center Mitchell Robinson was in foul trouble early in the third, and Philadelphia’s perennial MVP candidate and starting center, Joel Embiid, took full advantage.
The 76ers pulled away in the 4th, as the team got red hot, and the Knicks went ice cold. Philadelphia finally got their first lead, with 10 minutes and 37 seconds to go in the game, after a tie-breaking Georges Niang’s three-pointer, giving the 76ers a 101-98 lead, a lead they would not squander moving forward.
Philadelphia won the classic Christmas showdown, 119-112, giving them a 20-12 record for the season. Following the loss to the 76ers, the Knicks fell to an 18-16 record and a three-game losing streak, just a week after their 8-game winning streak.
Joel Embiid’s quest for his first MVP was bolstered as he finished the game with 35 points, eight rebounds, and one assist. Embiid hit 1 three on two attempts and shot 22 free throws, hitting 12.
Embiid was not the only 76ers player having an excellent game. Starting shooting guard and former NBA MVP James Harden had a great stat line of 29 points, four rebounds, and 13 assists. Harden was a sharpshooter from long range, knocking down five three-pointers on 11 attempts.
The Knicks’ loss distracts from the brilliant game starting power forward Julius Randle had. Randle is in his fourth season with the club and is looking to have a bounce-back season after a disappointing 2021-2022 campaign. In this game, Randle had an awe-inspiring 35 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Randle had seven offensive rebounds and made four three-pointers on nine attempts.
Randle was not alone in this game, as both Jalen Brunson and Mitchell Robinson played well.
Brunson, the starting point guard for the Knicks, had 23 points and 11 assists while shooting 2/5 from behind the three-point line.
Mitchell Robinson had an excellent game despite being in foul trouble early into the third quarter. Robinson had 10 points and 16 rebounds, 7 of which came on the offensive end. Robinson finished with the highest plus-minus on the Knicks, finishing +12 for the game. Robinson’s counterpart, Joel Embiid, finished with -6, despite the elaborate stat line and Robinson having to tone down the defensive pressure for much of the second half.
The primary catalyst for this Philadelphia victory was their bench, Georges Niang in particular, as he put up 16 points and had a +/- of 17, which was the most in the game. Despite not having a ton of points, backup center Montrezl Harrell had a solid game on the defensive end, having 2 points, both coming from the free throw line; Trez finished with a +/- of 13 and 4 rebounds.
Moving forward, the 76ers have a game against the 13-21 Washington Wizards in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, December 27th. The 5th-seeded 76ers are expected to extend their 8-game winning streak against the mediocre 12th-seed.
The next game for the Knicks is Tuesday the 27th, as they head out for a western road trip starting in Dallas, facing off against the 18-16 Mavericks, who are 8th in the current Western Conference standings.
Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks
Photo by Lola Gomez/Staff Photographer for The Dallas Morning News
The struggling Los Angeles Lakers traveled south to take on the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks looked to claim victory on Christmas after the unveiling of their franchise icon, Dirk Nowitzki’s statue, outside of American Airlines Center, the home of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavs succeeded in their hopes of winning as they embarrassed the Lakers with a ridiculous 51 points in the third quarter. This third quarter is the most allowed in a single quarter by a Lakers team since 1959, the most in a quarter ever on Christmas, and tied for the most in a Mavs quarter ever.
Surprisingly, Dallas only won by 9 points, but that tends to happen when nearly the entire second half is garbage time.
Superstar guard and perennial MVP candidate, Luka Doncic, led the charge for Dallas, scoring 32 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in 39 minutes of work. Christian Wood, the starting center for Dallas, also had a spectacular game, putting up 30 points, hauling in 8 rebounds, and dishing out eight assists.
For the Lakers, Lebron James led the squad with 38 points becoming the oldest player to do so on Christmas Day, with six rebounds and five assists. Former league MVP turned Lakers sixth man, Russell Westbrook, had a good game off the bench, scoring 17 points and acquiring five rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes. The only other Laker to score double digits in points was second-year shooting guard Austin Reaves, who scored 16 points on 1-2 from three.
The Lakers had the edge going into the second half, leading 52-43, before Dallas decimated them in the third quarter, outscoring them 51-21. Interestingly the Lakers outscored the Mavericks in the other three quarters, 94-73, but as well know, basketball is a 4-quarter game.
The Lakers are looking to turn the page without their superstar big man, Anthony Davis, as the 13-20 Lakers head to the southeastern region to take on the 13-21 Orlando Magic. Next on the schedule for the 18-16 Mavericks are the 18-16 New York Knicks, in Dallas, on Tuesday, December 27th.
Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics
Photo credit to Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
The top-seeded Boston Celtics hosted the two-seeded Milwaukee Bucks for this calamity of Eastern Conference rivals. At 23-10, the Celtics were looking to start a 2-game winning streak, with the Bucks trying to halt a 2-game losing streak.
The Celtics dominated the Bucks, leading from the first quarter to the last second of the game, winning this bout with eastern titans, 139-118.
Surprisingly, superstar Bucks forward and former league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled mightily in this one, scoring 27 points, 8 of which came from the free-throw line. Giannis shot 9-22 from the field and had nine rebounds and three assists, to go along with a disgusting +/- of -27. Milwaukee’s defensive starward, point guard Jrue Holiday, had a solid offensive game but an uncharacteristically poor defensive game, having a +/- of -19. Of the 11 Bucks who played on Sunday, every single one had a negative +/-.
The plus-minus stat can be sketchy or misleading at times, as the stat quantifies the difference between points between the two teams playing while a player is on the floor.
The Celtics were firing on all cylinders, and it showed. MVP frontrunner and starting Boston forward Jayson Tatum scored 41 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Starting Celtics guard Jaylen Brown also had a solid game scoring 29 points in 37 minutes of work. Brown also had five rebounds and four assists.
The 24-10 Celtics will be hosting the 9-23 Houston Rockets on Tuesday, December 27th. Milwaukee will look to get back on the right track and improve to 23-12 as they head to Chicago to take on the 14-18 Bulls on Wednesday, the 18th.
Memphis Grizzles @ Golden State Warriors
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
If you like referees and constant stoppage, this was the game for you. The 15-18 Golden State Warriors hosted the 20-11 second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
The Warriors entered the game without their superstar point guard and reigning NBA Finals MVP, Stephen Curry. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies were coming into this Western Conference battle with shooting guard Desmond Bane back in the lineup for his second game after missing 17 games to a sprained toe.
The Warriors led 59-54 going into the second half, and that’s when the game worsened for Memphis. Golden State outscored the Grizzlies 64 to 55 in the final half.
The Warriors, led by guard Jordan Poole, started for the injured Curry. Poole scored 32 points before being ejected in the fourth quarter after he received his second technical foul. Poole shot 3-10 from the three-point line and 11-25 from the field.
Memphis was led by superstar point guard Ja Morant, who put up an impressive 36 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. Morant shot 2-10 from three-point land and 15-29 from the field.
Fouls were a recurring theme for the game, as the Grizzlies had 23 personal fouls, and Golden State had 18. Star Memphis power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. only played 21 minutes as head coach Taylor Jenkins was hesitant to lay him off with five fouls. The three blind mice had many blown calls, including claiming the wrong Warriors player was fouled and that the Warriors used a “take foul,” which resulted in a technical; the problem with that was Steven Adams, the player who got fouled, was well behind the ball when it happened, and the ruling should have been a regular personal foul as the pace of play was not interrupted.
This 123-109 Warriors victory is not one I will be eager to rewatch anytime soon. The Grizzlies shot 9/39 (23.1 %) from three and had 13 total turnovers, which seems much lower than it looked in real-time. The officiating was all over the place, and it seemed like every careless decision Memphis could make, they made gladly.
The 20-12 Grizzlies will take on the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, the 27th and the 16-18 Golden State Warriors will take on the Charlotte Hornets on the same day.
Phoenix Suns @ Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets mount a comeback after being down by 12 points in the 4th quarter to defeat the Phoenix Suns, 128-125 in overtime.
This game was supposed to be one of jubilation for Suns fans, as superstar shooting guard Devin Booker was considered to make his return from a groin injury. Booker did make his return. However, he aggravated his groin and had to leave the game partway through the first quarter.
The Nuggets were a well-oiled machine led by 2-time reigning MVP center Nikola Jokic. “The Joker,” as Jokic is affectionately called, put up an uncanny 41 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists. Jokic’s 41 points on Christmas Day is a new franchise record for the Denver Nuggets, as he passed Dan Issel’s total of 37 in a losing effort against the Utah Jazz in 1979.
Aaron Gordon starting power forward for the Denver Nuggets, also had an incredible game scoring 28 points, 14 of which came from highlight reel dunks, including a thunderous posterized dunk on Landry Shamet in overtime that was initially called an offensive foul but changed to a shooting foul.
Denver’s shooting guard, Jamal Murray, is building quite the reputation for himself as a clutch performer, scoring 26 points and going 5-11 from three in this nationally televised classic.
Leading the charge for the Phoenix Suns was backup shooting guard Landry Shamet, who tried to fill the void Booker’s removal left behind. Shamet scored a rather impressive 31 points hitting seven threes in 17 attempts and going 10-20 from the field. Deandre Ayton was second in scoring for the Suns, putting up 22 points and snatching 16 rebounds.
The last few minutes of the fourth quarter and all of overtime was a back-and-forth thriller that kept fans on the edge of their seats, with the Denver Nuggets prevailing at home, scoring 128-125.
Moving forward, the Suns will be playing the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis on Tuesday the 27th, and Denver is matching up against the 17-14 Sacramento Kings in Sacramento on Tuesday.
The 2022 Christmas games were dull by the third quarter. However, the Denver vs. Phoenix game was fantastic. Nikola Jokic’s 41 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists were the day’s best performance.
