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The NBA’s Christmas Day schedule is set, and all five clashes are filled with star power.
Zion Williamson makes his Christmas Day debut as the New Orleans Pelicans face reigning Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat.
Stephen Curry, back with a broken left hand, leads the Golden State Warriors against two-time reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving is making his long-awaited return to Boston after missing both games last season with injury – and he will have a healthy Kevin Durant by his side.
Two showdowns in Los Angeles headline the night, with LeBron James and defending champion Los Angeles Lakers welcoming MVP contender Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks and Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the LA Clippers meeting with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets after the Clippers’ shocking playoff collapse against Denver in the Florida bubble.
Here’s what you need to know about the five-game feast on ESPN, ABC, and the ESPN app.
Once again, the NBA presents Zion Williamson in one of its windows.
His first Summer League game in July 2019 drew a line of fans around the building, although Williamson only played eight minutes. The league tried to showcase Williamson last season on both Opening Night and Christmas Day, but he was sidelined until January due to an injury sustained in the pre -season. The Pelicans were also chosen to trigger the bubble on national television, but again Williamson was only able to play for 15 minutes.
Finally, Williamson is fortunate enough to be a major presence on the NBA milestone day alongside new max contract star Brandon Ingram.
On the Miami side, coffee-loving bubble darlings and reigning Eastern Conference champions take center stage after signing Bam Adebayo for a level cap expansion. The Heat also added Moe Harkless and Avery Bradley and wrote Precious Achiuwa from Memphis.
And, of course, anyone could use a dose of Jimmy Butler on Christmas Day.
– Andrew Lopez
Long live the wind. Long live the wind. Giannis leads the way. Oh, what a pleasure to watch Steph Curry make it rain.
This Bucks-Warriors showdown has the makings of a holiday classic. Both teams have something to prove after disappointing finishes in the 2019-20 season. Golden State missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011-12, and the Bucks suffered a disappointing second-round exit. Both groups will be looking to find chemistry quickly with new lineups.
Milwaukee is expected to work on several new pieces around Antetokounmpo, including Jrue Holiday, Torrey Craig, Bryn Forbes, DJ Augustin and Bobby Portis.
“I’m not sure there is a more underrated guy in the NBA,” Bucks goalie Pat Connaughton said of Holiday. “I think if you pair him with Khris [Middleton] and Giannis, that’s a big deal, and I’m not sure a lot of people have really explained how important this is, but that’s kind of what we like. “
For Golden State, the impact of losing Klay Thompson for a second consecutive season after tearing his Achilles apart will be huge, but the current roster has a healthy Curry and Draymond Green backed by Andrew Wiggins, the No. 2 overall pick. James Wiseman and the acquisition of wing Kelly Oubre Jr.
– Eric Woodyard
Just two years ago, Irving stood inside the TD Garden in Boston and announced that he hoped to stay with the franchise for years to come. He was gone after this season. Now he’s making his long-awaited return to the building in a Christmas Day duel, and after missing both games in Boston last season due to injury, he will once again have to go. in the face of booing fans.
This game also offers a national stage for the Irving-Kevin Durant couple against a talented Celtics team who believe they can take the East. Young Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be looking to show how much their respective games have developed since Irving left for Brooklyn. Emotions surrounding Irving’s return aside, this will be a first chance to see if Durant looks like his old self against a young and hungry team. He hasn’t played since breaking his Achilles in Game 5 of the 2019 Final.
If the dynamic All-Star duo pass that early Christmas test, it could be a warning to the rest of the league of the Nets’ talent when their stars are on the pitch and create opportunities for teammates.
– Nick Friedell
In November 2018, Luka Doncic sheepishly lingered outside the Lakers’ locker room at Staples Center so that a security guard could hand him an autographed uniform of his childhood hero, LeBron James. Now Doncic will try to get James to lose on Christmas Day.
The fact that the NBA pits the Mavericks against defending champions the Lakers on a milestone day in the league calendar is a testament to Doncic’s rapid rise. As compelling as it is to see the Lakers engage in a final rematch with the Heat or take on former champion Warriors or add another chapter to the growing Lakers-Clippers intrigue, the NBA has always been on the lookout for it. about his star system, and there’s nothing in today’s game that can rival LeBron vs. Luka.
At Doncic, Dallas has a star that many in the league plan to earn multiple MVPs and rings. In James, the Lakers have someone who helps restore the franchise to its former glory as he strives to add more MVPs and rings to his resume (he has four of each).
This Christmas Day couple’s NBA pick also shows the pivotal place the league finds itself in. James is his face, but he’s almost 36 and entering his 18th season, and his contemporaries have retired or have become actors. The stars half a generation behind are injured (Curry, Durant and Irving), have not yet won a championship to validate their ranking (Antetokounmpo, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, Joel Embiid and Butler) or n don’t have the charisma or interest to emulate the star status of James (Kawhi Leonard and Anthony Davis).
Add in the injury issues Zion Williamson had in his rookie season, and the way has been cleared for the 21-year-old Doncic to carry the torch for years, like James was supposed to do from a young age.
– Dave McMenamin
The last time we saw the Clippers Paul George took a 3 corner to the side of the back panel.
This cemented the lasting symbol of the Clippers’ embarrassing 3-1 collapse in the second round of the playoffs. A little over three months later, the Clippers will face the Nuggets again and Nikola Jokic will try to play spoiler again.
A lot has changed since the two teams faced each other. In LA, head coach Doc Rivers and reigning sixth man of the year Montrezl Harrell are gone. The Clippers are banking on new trainer Ty Lue and overhauled staff to unlock chemistry. Also, they need the signing of free agent Serge Ibaka to play a better defense against Jokic than Harrell.
Former Clipper JaMychal Green will be on the Nuggets ‘side after signing with Denver in free agency and dealing a blow to the Clippers’ rotation. The Nuggets will need Green to help make up for the loss of Jerami Grant, who signed with the Detroit Pistons after his playoffs.
Even so, this budding rivalry should come down to the main characters, as it did in the playoffs. Jamal Murray and Jokic will perform on the NBA Christmas stage, looking to take the next step after their run to the Western Conference Finals in the bubble. They hope to show a national audience that they are the Lakers’ main competition in the Western Conference. Leonard and George will seek to re-establish the Clippers as title contenders and erase memories of their collapse.
– Ohm Youngmisuk
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