The NBA is serving up a handful of intense matchups on Dec. 25 (Dec. 26 for us fans in the Philippines). Which of the five Christmas Day games will you be watching? Members of the NBA.com Philippines editorial team make their choices.
JC Ansis: My initial pick was the Warriors-Grizzlies game plainly because of the trash-talking and pettiness we saw between these two teams in the Western Conference semis last season. But without Steph, this matchup just isn't as interesting. LeBron and Luka will undoubtedly bring the fireworks in the Lakers-Mavs duel but I'll most likely catch the Bucks and Celtics.
This matchup is a potential preview of the East Finals that'll keep your eyes glued to the screen. The Bucks and Celtics are the perfect rivals because of their contrasting styles - elite defense vs. top-notch offense. Then, there's the star power. Jayson Tatum is enjoying a phenomenal MVP-like year and Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to put up numbers that make game statisticians' fingers sore.
And here's one last tidbit to make this matchup spicier: on Christmas Day last season, the Bucks rallied from 19 points down to beat the Celtics, 117-113. Celtics out for revenge? We'll see. Hopefully this Christmas, this game will be an epic back-and-forth that'll be decided on the last possession. Would that be too much to ask, Santa?
Polo Bustamante: Remember when you were a kid and you’d fight your sleepiness to stay up and hopefully catch a glimpse of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve? I'd usually crash before he “arrived” so I would settle with opening the gift he left for me early on Christmas morning.
As an adult, the NBA Christmas Day games are now my version of opening presents on Christmas morning. There’s nothing like waking up to playoff-intensity basketball the day after Christmas.
The gift I’m excited to unwrap this year is the battle between the two best teams in the league, the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. There’s a lot to unpack in this holiday matchup.
The two are vying for the best record in the NBA with the Bucks currently holding a slim lead over the Celtics in the standings. Then, there’s Jayson Tatum facing off against Giannis Antetokounmpo, two MVP favorites who could use this premiere matchup to help build their case over the other. These two teams are defensive studs with multiple players who could step up and have a big night.
It’s just a fun little preview of what could most likely be the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s the perfect game to extend my holiday high this year.
Migs Flores: Picture this: You just ate the best post-Christmas midnight snack in Filipino history: a couple of slices of top-notch holiday ham, pancit malabon, a scoop of caldereta, and a slice of your family's favorite chain restaurant pizza. You're about to settle on the couch with a heaping platito of puto bumbong and let the TV put you to sleep. What else would you want? A good NBA game!
Luckily, the Philadelphia 76ers-New York Knicks game comes on at the perfect time at 1:00 AM. Even more lucky for us, the Knicks and Sixers are currently kind of in the same mid-tier in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers have had to deal with injuries to four of their five starters. The Knicks started the season frustratingly slow but have picked it up as of late.
Really, the game being good is just a bonus. Just having an NBA game to fall asleep to after Christmas is one of the best annual gifts.
Lei Macaranas: There’s nothing like watching your favorite basketball players on the merriest day of the year. If you want to receive an extra ounce of excitement on Christmas, tuning into the Lakers versus Mavericks would be a treat.
Everyone knows that superstars will be the main attraction of this matchup. The Lakers aren’t really title contenders as of now but the return of Anthony Davis has made a big improvement to their standing. And of course, they still have LeBron James making the highlights. As a LeBron fan, I’m very excited to watch him while he still has the power and energy to play. He won’t be in the league forever so better appreciate his presence while it lasts.
We also have one of the most exciting players to watch in the NBA leading the Mavericks, and it’s none other than Luka Doncic. Who wouldn’t want to witness Luka go at it with LeBron? The Mavs guard continues to emerge as one of the best players, while the King is in the last stretch of his career. We could view this Christmas game as a passing-of-the-torch kind of thing or simply a competitive encounter between the NBA giants. It’s basically greatness gift-wrapped for the casual basketball fan.
Jon Carlos Rodriguez: Christmas is all about giving. There’s no better way to celebrate it than to watch two of the league’s best givers in Chris Paul and Nikola Jokic.
With CP3, you get the safe, pragmatic passer who gets the job done in the most efficient and clean way possible. He’s the type to give out the most practical presents, like a textbook bounce pass on the break or a personalized coffee mug.
The Joker, on the other hand, is a wild card gift-giver. You know his gifts are always going to be awesome but you just don’t know how and when he’s going to deliver them. The best part is that there are times you don’t even know why he does it. A one-handed baseball pass off a rebound? A no-look bullet pass from across the court through traffic? A 1-of-1 vintage jacket from the ‘70s? These are the types of gifts Jokic would think of.
The Phoenix Suns versus the Denver Nuggets on Christmas Day is a gift that will keep on giving—thanks to two generous dudes whose gift-giving game is always extra.
Yoyo Sarmenta: Always watch good teams play basketball. That’s the rule. Looking at the Christmas Day schedule, you go for teams who are not only leading the standings but also have a legitimate shot at the title.
If you want high-level, entertaining, and a possible playoff matchup, you have to go with the Celtics versus Bucks. It’s Christmas so let’s make a list and check it twice.
Star power? Check. That’s what Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo bring (and with Steph Curry out, the Warriors-Grizzlies game gets a nod below the Celtics-Bucks). Co-stars? Check. Guys like Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton, and Jaylen Brown are game-changers themselves. Elite defense? Check. For basketball nerds, you’re going to love all the defensive schemes that both teams will pull out. Who’s going to play zone to stop the other team’s superstar? Are both teams going to do a lot of switching, and maybe even pre-switching? Playoff implications? Check. We might see these two teams down the road and quite possibly in the Eastern Conference Finals. Potential for a solid Christmas Day game? Definitely check.
