Two of the most storied franchises in NBA history, the Celtics and the Lakers, are set to square off on Christmas Day in the 2023-24 season in Los Angeles, as revealed recently by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Elsewhere, the two most recent NBA champions, the Warriors and the Nuggets, are going to renew their rivalry in Mile High, while the Bucks, Sixers, and Mavericks pay a visit to the Knicks, Heat, and Suns, respectively, to round out our five-game slate.
Christmas Day is always a fun time to be an NBA fan, and SBOTOP is here to provide an early preview of all the matches this holiday season.
Milwaukee Bucks @ New York Knicks
Madison Square Garden is one of the places to be on NBA Christmas Day. After all, the arena is dubbed the “Mecca of Basketball”.
On December 25th, the Knicks will host the Bucks in what will be a star-studded matchup, with the likes of Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday taking the spotlight.
Both teams had a busy offseason, as the Bucks brought back the same core by re-signing Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, while the Knicks also re-signed Josh Hart to a new long-term extension and added Donte DiVincenzo.
The Bucks beat the Knicks in all three of their meetings last season. They finished as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, only to be eliminated by the eighth-seeded Heat, who went on to defeat the Knicks too in the second round.
Philadelphia Sixers @ Miami Heat
The Heat are going to host the Sixers down in South Beach. It’ll also be a reunion of sorts for former Sixers teammates Joel Embiid and Jimmy Butler.
Last season, the Sixers suffered yet another early exit from the playoffs despite Embiid’s MVP campaign, which has prompted changes within their squad. Nick Nurse took over as head coach following the dismissal of Doc Rivers.
Much of the Sixers’ summer has been about their James Harden situation. After activating his player option, The Beard suddenly wants out of Philadelphia, and he has listed the Clippers as his potential destination, although the Clippers haven’t made a substantial bid.
Meanwhile, the Heat have their eyes on Damian Lillard, whom they feel is the missing piece to their championship puzzle. Unfortunately for them, their trade talks with the Blazers have hit a snag.
Last season, the Heat won 2-1 in their season series against the Sixers. Despite this, they needed to go through the play-in tournament to qualify for the playoffs, and they defied the NBA 2023 odds when they became the second eighth-seed to go all the way to the NBA Finals.
Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers
The Celtics’ new big three of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis will face the dynamic Lakers duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, so fans are going to enjoy the NBA 2023 highlights from this match.
Boston formed their new big three at the cost of Marcus Smart, and they also traded away Grant Williams. Los Angeles, on the other hand, essentially maintained the same core, including signing Anthony Davis to a historic extension.
Most NBA fans wanted a Celtics-Lakers finals last season, which would’ve been the case if it weren’t for the Heat and the Nuggets. With this Christmas Day matchup, hopefully, this is going to be a finals preview.
Dallas Mavericks @ Phoenix Suns
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are set to go toe-to-toe with the Suns’ new triumvirate of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal.
The Suns got Bradley Beal by trading away Chris Paul, who eventually landed in Golden State. After years of toiling in Washington, Beal decided to waive his no-trade clause when the opportunity to go to Phoenix presented itself.
On the other hand, the Mavericks are looking to redeem themselves after missing out on the playoffs altogether. They re-signed Kyrie Irving to a massive extension this summer to give Luka Doncic the co-star that he needs.
Golden State Warriors @ Denver Nuggets
The Christmas Day matchup between the Warriors and the Nuggets features two of the most versatile offencive players that we have today in Steph Curry and Nikola Jokic.
These two league MVPs will light up the scoreboard, and they have great supporting casts too, such as Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Chris Paul, Jamal Murray, and Aaron Gordon.
The Nuggets swept their season series against the Warriors last season, beating them twice at home and once on the road.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE BASKETBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
