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The NBA regular season showcase comes a little earlier in this year’s season, as teams will only have one game on their belts when the Christmas Day slate begins on Friday. Time alters the dynamics a bit as players are still making their way into the young season, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are some incredible matchups at stake.
Featured by superstars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic, the Christmas Day board features five games that should be incredibly entertaining. To make things a little easier to digest, like the holiday meal, we’ve focused on a key story from each team to keep in mind as you watch.
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Pelicans Story: Zion Unleashed?
All New Orleans wants this holiday season is a healthy Zion Williamson. The 20-year-old boy only played in 24 games last season, and it’s safe to say we never got to see him in full force. The Pelicans stretched him this preseason and he looked terrific, both in terms of his conditioning and his game. Williamson averaged 33.5 minutes in two games, scoring 28.5 points and 10 rebounds per game on 57 percent shooting, whetting the appetite of basketball fans who were waiting to see Zion unleash.
He’ll have a tough test on Christmas afternoon against Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat defense, so it will be interesting to see Williamson begin his second season. Before last season’s hiatus, the Pelicans’ net rating was a ridiculous 13.9 points better with Zion on the court. It will likely be the key to New Orleans joining the playoffs image this season.
Heat plot: take the leap
Heat leaders Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic are familiar products at this point in their careers, but the defending Eastern Conference champions can reach another level this season if Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson can continue to develop. Adebayo became an All-Star last season, Herro had his introduction party in the bubble and Robinson had one of the best 3-point shooting seasons of all time, making 45 percent of his 8.3 attempts per game. . It was a short offseason for Miami, but we should still expect to see improvements from the Heat’s three key youngsters, along with All-Rookie first-team guard Kendrick Nunn. With only two months left until his last game in the bubble, we will see if coach Erik Spoelstra turns to his younger players while his veterans get more rest than usual.
Warriors plot: Steph went crazy
Stephen Curry took 21 shots in 30 minutes in the Warriors’ opening night loss to the Nets, and it honestly seemed like that wasn’t close enough. Our Brad Botkin wrote about the head coach Steve Kerr’s reluctance to use Curry on more pick-and-rolls, but you may not have a choice if Christmas Day looks a bit like it at first. The Bucks are known for using drop coverage on the pick-and-roll, which means Curry could get in a lot of good 3-point looks if Mike Budenholzer doesn’t fit in. Curry needs to have a great game if the Warriors are going to compete with the best regular-season team in the league in the past two years.
Bucks plot: Jrue’s home debut
Perhaps in an effort to secure a long-term commitment from Giannis Antetokounmpo (which apparently worked), the Bucks traded a ton of assets for Jrue Holiday, who will make his home debut for Milwaukee at Christmas. It won’t be exactly the atmosphere you would like without fans in the stands, but it will be interesting to see what kind of impact you have as you adjust to a new system and new teammates. Holiday, one of the best two-way guards in the league, will likely be tasked with chasing Curry for a good chunk of the game, as he takes on secondary duties on offense. The Bucks are hoping the vacation trade for Eric Bledsoe in the starting lineup will help get them to the top, and we’ll see the adjustment early Friday.
Brooklyn Nets at Boston Celtics – 5 p.m. ET (ABC)
Nets plot: the return of KD
Kevin Durant looked phenomenal in his debut Tuesday, but it will still take a while for him to return to his normal conditioning level as he recovers from Achilles surgery. Brooklyn coach Steve Nash said Durant didn’t have a minute limit in Game 1 but only played 25 minutes in the beating. This game should be a lot closer, so we’ll see if Nash leaves his superstar on the court longer and how effective Durant can be against the NBA’s fourth-best defense in a season. KD has shown a tendency to come out hot and slowly fade, offensively at least, in the young season, so his stamina is something else to watch out for.
Celtics plot: Jay-Jay all day
With Kemba Walker out with injury and Gordon Hayward in Charlotte, much of the Celtics’ offensive assault will be left to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Both forwards scored career numbers last season, but they will attract more defensive attention with fewer guns on the floor. The Nets also have a host of athletic defenders to pitch for both, from Kevin Durant to Taurean Prince to Caris LeVert. The lineups with Tatum and Brown netted a plus 9.6 in more than 1,200 minutes last season for the Celtics, but they logged very few minutes without Walker and / or Hayward alongside them. It’s their show now, and it’ll be fun to watch Brad Stevens try to put the duo in positions to succeed.
Mavericks storyline: Luka Magic
He talks about Luka Doncic’s young superstar status that the NBA selected him and the Mavs to compete against LeBron James and the Lakers in the best time slot on Christmas Day. He won’t have the services of his running mate Kristaps Porzingis for at least the next two weeks, but Doncic is a one-man offense in a 6-foot-7 pack. The Mavericks had the best offense in the league last season, and their rating dropped from 117 points per 100 possessions with Doncic on the floor to 112.1 with him sitting. Doncic was in the 90th percentile individually, averaging 1,351 points per possession on the midfield offense when passing is included, according to Synergy Sports Technology. In other words, get ready to entertain yourself no matter who is by your side.
Lakers plot: new blood
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are entering the season after a brief change from the Lakers title in October, leaving plenty of opportunities for other players to step up. In the first game of the season, a loss to the Clippers, Montrezl Harrell and Dennis Schroder, the top two finishers in last season’s Sixth Man of the Year vote, each got a double-double. They seemed to have great pick-and-roll chemistry, a positive sign for the Lakers early on.
Veterans Marc Gasol and Wesley Matthews got off to a slightly rougher start to their Lakers careers, failing to score in 23 combined minutes in Tuesday’s opener. Defending champions have many new parts to integrate and the process begins now.
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets – 10:30 pm ET (ESPN)
Clippers history: seeking revenge
Yes, it’s just a regular-season game, but human nature suggests that the Clippers will have a little more oomph for the Christmas Night showdown with the Nuggets, who knocked the Clippers out of the bubble in devastating three returns. consecutive in the second half to erase. a 3-1 deficit and advance to the Western Conference finals. The Clippers have a new head coach in Tyronn Lue, but he was on the sidelines of collapse as an assistant and should have his team ready to make a statement. Paul George scored 33 points in opening night’s win over the Lakers, and said he feels like a new man after a full offseason at work after making a full recovery from shoulder surgery. LA has some new pieces to incorporate in Serge Ibaka, Luke Kennard, and Nicolas Batum, and with George and Kawhi Leonard directing the show, this should be fun to close the night.
Nuggets History: Promotion for Porter
When Jerami Grant decided to sign with the Pistons, the door was opened for scheming young forward Michael Porter Jr. to take over most of his minutes. Porter, one of the most dynamic offensive players in seeded games, is coming off an All-Bubble performance and will have every opportunity to prove he belongs in the Nuggets’ starting lineup. The prospect of him playing alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray is absolutely terrifying on offense, but it remains to be seen if the defense can be consistent enough to make that an effective lineup. Whether he ends up starting or leaving the bank, Porter could be in store for a breakout season as the Nuggets look to take the next step in their rise to the league’s elite.
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