NBA Christmas Day 2022 Schedule: Game-by-Game Preview and Analysis
Christmas Day is an opportunity to spend time with family, in between catching some of the biggest games of the NBA season.
Few days on the regular-season calendar are more anticipated than Dec. 25, when the league routinely earmarks some of the juiciest matchups on offer.
This year is no different with five intriguing contests on the docket:
- Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks: Noon
- Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics: 5 p.m. ET
- Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors: 8 p.m. ET
- Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets: 10:30 p.m. ET
The schedule features a great mix of individual star power along with showcasing some of the top title contenders.
Here's a look ahead to the holiday festivities.
Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks
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It doesn't really matter whether they're good or bad; the NBA is bound to feature the New York Knicks on Christmas Day.
The Knicks actually had a solid offseason simply by signing Jalen Brunson, the point guard they've sorely needed for years. His four-year, $104 million contract is unquestionably a gamble, but he made steady improvement over his four seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.
Even though New York remains a few pieces away from climbing to the top of the East, the front office is at least laying the necessary foundation.
More eyes will likely be drawn to the Philadelphia 76ers to see how James Harden and Joel Embiid are meshing in their first full season together.
Harden left some money on the table in order to re-sign with Philly, which allowed the team to better fill out the roster. That also seemed to reflect the general understanding that he has something to prove following a few years that fell below expectations.
Embiid, 28, performed at an MVP-type level in 2021-22, averaging a league-high 30.6 points along with 11.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, yet the Sixers couldn't get past the second round. They need Harden to return to something approaching his peak to ensure they don't waste another of Embiid's prime years.
Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks
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LeBron vs. Luka.
That alone is enough to make this game a draw for fans, and it might be the only thing depending on how the season is unfolding by mid-December.
it seems abundantly clear by now the triumvirate of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook can't lead the Los Angeles Lakers to glory.
James is beginning to show his age with the injuries starting to pile up. Davis has durability problems of his own, missing 42 games last year. And Westbrook's decline has become more pronounced and tougher to mask.
On the other side, the Dallas Mavericks have question marks of their own. They were unable to sign an adequate replacement for Jalen Brunson. The arrival of Christian Wood addresses a need, but he might not even be the starting center. Spencer Dinwiddie's hot shooting—49.8 percent overall and 40.4 percent on three-pointers—may not carry over into a new season.
Even if Luka Doncic plays like an MVP, it might not be enough to earn Dallas a top-four seed in a loaded Western Conference.
That's at least more than you can say for the Lakers, who could face another uphill battle just to make the postseason.
Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics
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Why mess with a good thing?
The Milwaukee Bucks hosted the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day during the 2021-22 season. Now, the Celtics will get to welcome the Bucks to Boston.
These teams met in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with Boston advancing in seven games. There's a good chance this could be a preview of another forthcoming postseason series since the Bucks and Celtics are arguably the conference's two best teams on paper.
Boston retained all of the key players from its NBA Finals run and made some solid improvements by adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari. Milwaukee was in a similar position in that simply running it back was enough to remain a championship threat.
The Bucks probably entered the offseason believing they would've taken the Celtics out if they had a healthy Khris Middleton at their disposal, too. The 2020-21 champions seemed to be hitting their stride in the first round against the Chicago Bulls but didn't have the depth to keep up with Boston.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. might be looking to send a message at Christmas.
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Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
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Of all the Christmas Day games on the schedule, this one might be the most fun.
The Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors combined for an entertaining series in the Western Conference semifinals. And the action on the court was matched by the posturing off of it.
The trash talk didn't even end after the Warriors were crowned champions.
This matchup also presents a clash between a franchise that now represents the old guard and the kind of upstart Golden State was when it was embarking on a dynastic run in 2015.
When the Warriors were bounced in the first round of the playoffs in 2013-14, few could have foreseen them winning 67 games and capturing the first of their three titles in a four-year span the following season.
This Grizzlies roster is still looking for its first postseason breakthrough together, but the franchise has a cornerstone in Ja Morant whose confidence and swagger is infectious.
"The only thing I can do is give my respect to that team; they earned that," Draymond Green said after the conference semis, per The Athletic's Sam Amick. "You know, there was a lot of talk in this series of fouls and this and that, and this should be reviewed and that should be reviewed. I think it really started to take away from what was a really great, great series with two amazing teams."
Especially if Jaren Jackson Jr. is fully recovered from his foot surgery, this will be a great test for Memphis' contender credentials.
Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets
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The NBA wasn't going to overlook Nikola Jokić after two MVP wins.
The omission of the Denver Nuggets from last year's Christmas Day slate was notable because the league typically wants to showcase whoever was the Most Valuable Player from the season before.
Now, Jokić and the Nuggets are getting their shot.
The 27-year-old showed how much of a floor-raiser he can be when he almost single-handedly carried Denver to 48 wins. The team is welcoming back a healthy Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to raise genuine hopes of a championship chase.
Porter is a major wild card because his history of back trouble is concerning, but the Nuggets at least have the pieces to be the best in the NBA.
On the other side, it's easy to overreact to the Phoenix Suns' Western Conference semifinals loss to the Dallas Mavericks. The Suns totally unraveled, losing four of the series' final five games, and tension between the team and Deandre Ayton spilled out into the open.
Still, Phoenix finished second in the West in 2020-21 and then posted the NBA's best record (64-18) last year. There's little reason to think the team won't be hovering near the top of the conference once again with nearly all of its key pieces returning.
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