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This year’s NBA Christmas Day game roster features a combination of the league’s most prestigious stars and 10 organizations at the start of an unpredictable season. We have Zion Williamson against Bam Adebayo, Stephen Curry against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum against Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic against LeBron James and the LA Clippers against their past bubble ghost.
Let’s dive in and see the most intriguing stories from each game, starting at noon ET on ESPN with two amazing big men.
MORE: The Complete List of NBA-Approved Restaurants for Team Dining
The best big youngsters in the league
These teams look forward to competing for titles throughout this new decade, and both come equipped with exciting great players who have the potential to define the future of the game on the NBA’s front court. Bam Adebayo (23) and Zion Williamson (20) are the great men of the future. And they dominate in unique ways.
At this stage, Adebayo is a more complete player for one main reason: defense, which is Williamson’s biggest flaw in his second season.
Ask Jayson Tatum, who had a potentially career-defining dunk and was turned down by Adebayo in one of the bubble’s most memorable moments. Adebayo’s combination of size, speed, and cunning makes him arguably the prototype great defender of the current era. While Jimmy Butler is clearly the heart and soul of this brave Heat team, Adebayo is their backbone.
But Adebayo can’t compete with Williamson’s natural scoring ability. The young left-hander has a great sense of the game and a knack for finding ways to propel his strong frame to the rim. Williamson scored 22.5 points per game last season, making more than 58% of his shots.
Even the best rookies often suffer from inefficiencies as scorers, but Williamson came into the league with an elite feel around the bucket. If teams keep him off the rim, they can stop him. Easier said than done, but that’s exactly what Adebayo & Co. will try to do in this game.
The MVP battle
Game 2 features a showdown of two boys who have captured four of the last six NBA MVP trophies.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has emerged as the NBA’s most dominant inside force, leading the league in points in the paint. and defensive rebounding last season, while Stephen Curry has literally changed the sport with his perimeter excellence.
However, Curry suddenly looks deadly. Most of his key running partners from the Dubs’ dynastic career in the 2010s are either gone or beaten, and this year’s model looked awful in his debut against Brooklyn. The Warriors used to decorate the court with versatile threats at all positions, but on Tuesday the ball continued to find mediocre players unable to do much of anything. That left Curry on an island. You can do a lot, but you cannot do it alone.
If Game 1 is a sign of things to come and the defenses can devote a great deal of resources to stopping Curry, the only splash this squad will make this season will be once again with ping-pong balls.
The NBA is a cruel league. Injuries are a reality and success is fleeting. The Warriors are just the latest proof that all dynasties are fading. With their MVP locked in for years to come, the Bucks dream of dominating the 2020s just as the Dubs dominated 2010. A big win over Curry in this game would be a poetic step on that journey.
Despite all the attention given to the Bucks’ recent playoff failures, you can look to the history of Curry and Golden State for encouragement. Curry didn’t even make the finals until he was 27. Giannis just turned 26 a few weeks ago.
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Average fill statistics: If there is a red flag in Antetokounmpo’s game, it is on the line. The huge free throw that he missed against Boston on Wednesday was not unexpected. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, Giannis has missed 25 free throws, the most in the NBA. Clutch time is defined as the last five minutes with the score within five points. Of the 20 most active clutch free throw shooters in that time period, he ranked last, converting 64% of those important gifts.
Oh wow, the Nets
Well, the Nets quickly erased a ton of questions on their debut. Both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving edged out Curry, and they looked amazing doing it, combining for 48 points on 32 shots. Steve Nash’s new coaching staff was nothing more than masked smiles as the Nets dominated on both ends.
With Mike D’Antoni, Nash, Durant and Irving all involved, these guys could easily become the best offense in the league. While the big names on the team grab all the headlines, their rotation was also encouraging. GM Sean Marks has built one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Players like Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert would start in most squads, but they lead a bench unit that will propel this team to win even when the superstars aren’t shooting full blast. LeVert added 20 points in 25 great minutes Tuesday, proving that this team is more than just a pair of superstars with stylish coaches.
LeVert and Allen are the exact type of bench players that Boston lacks. There’s no question the Celtics have a pair of wing freaks, a dangerous point guard, and a good coach, but there are real question marks deep down in their rotation. Gordon Hayward is gone. The front track still looks thin. And in the context of a now brutal Eastern Conference packed with great coaches and superstars, it’s unclear if this team is still a legitimate contender.
If Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown continue to score like they did in their impressive win over Milwaukee on Wednesday, it would be a huge boost. But even these rising stars need more help than they currently have.
LeBron v. Luke
What’s it like to be the most hyped phenomenon in basketball? This game features two guys who know the answer.
Friends, Luka Doncic’s hype is not unwarranted. He could be a college student at 21, but instead he led a Mavs offense that was literally the most efficient scoring machine in league history last season. That was before he melted our faces with one of the most impressive playoff debuts in recent memory.
Now, Doncic is tasked with building on that foundation and showing the basketball world that he’s ready to take the next step. That means improving your defense and getting out of the first round of the playoffs.
At 35, LeBron James is squarely in the teaching phase of his career. Don’t let that gray of his beard fool you, he’s not emeritus yet. He comes into this season as the reigning MVP of the Finals and the oldest starter in the league, which is incredible. In year 18, he still plays amazing basketball and has a legitimate chance to win more titles and become the top scorer in NBA history.
If Doncic could learn anything from Professor James, it’s the tried and true lesson that defense wins championships. The purple and gold had the best defense in the West last season, while Dallas ranked ninth. James has no shortage of offensive highlights on his CV, but those chasing blocks at the big times will always help define his legacy.
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Average fill statistics: This will be LeBron’s fourteenth consecutive season playing at Christmas, tying Kobe Bryant for longest streak. James has 361 career points at Christmas, the third most of all time. Follow Bryant (395) and Oscar Robertson (377).
Revenge!
This tasty rematch features two teams hoping to topple the Lakers at the top of the West. Last year’s epic seven-game series left a bad taste in the mouth of Paul George and the Clippers, who collapsed when it mattered most in the bubble.
But the short offseason gave the Clippers a chance to start over. Game 1 indicated that they are ready to redo. George looked great on both ends when the Clips spoiled ring night for the Lakers. At this point, Kawhi Leonard has become a dependable playoff force, but the success of this duo will largely depend on George’s postseason performances.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, enter this year with confidence. They know they belong, they are young and they are rising. The roster features arguably the best young core in the entire league. Nikola Jokic is 25, Jamal Murray is 23 and Michael Porter Jr. is 22. These guys are not only young, but they are a perfect fit on offense. Jokic is arguably the best big in the league right now; Murray is one of his best young guards; and Porter is a flourishing beast in flight.
The incredible Jokic-Murray interaction has gone from being a League Pass hipster favorite to a Christmas top attraction for a reason. These guys are emerging as the Stockton-Malone of the 2020s, and in case you think that’s a stretch, consider this wild stat from last year’s playoffs:
The best duos from passer to shooter | 2020 playoffs
1. Nikola Jokic to Jamal Murray: 185 points
2. Jamal Murray to Nikola Jokic: 166 points
3. LeBron James to Anthony Davis: 147 points
via Second Spectrum
Jokic is a sage. Murray is awesome. These two dominate defenses like no other duo in the league, and neither have reached their prime yet.
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Average fill statistics: On Tuesday, George became the first player to score 30 or more points while shooting 70% or more from the field in a season opener since Blake Griffin also did so for the Clippers in 2015.
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