Christmas has come exceptionally early for NBA fans as the Shams Charania revealed the 2023 Christmas Day match-ups. As is tradition, the league will play five marquee games on December 25, providing a solid string of bangers to get you through presents, dinner, and the eventual food coma. The day begins at MSG, where the Knicks will host the Bucks. The hype-ness of this matchup will entirely depend on whether the Knicks are good this season. However, the second game of the day will be a certified banger. The Sixers travel to South Beach to take on the Heat. Hopefully, this game will match Joel Embiid against Damian Lillard. However, both teams in this match-up are dealing with their own respective trade dramas.
The midday game is the only inter-conference matchup and sees the Celtics travel to LA. Like the first game of the day, the quality of this game will be determined by whether the Lakers are a contender this season. If LeBron and AD are performing well, great. However, it's probably a game to have on in the background if the Lakers start the 2023-24 season like they did the 2022-23 campaign.
Western Conference Clashes Dominate End of NBA Christmas Slate
The final two games of the day are both Western Conference beatdowns. The Kyrie Irving-Luka Dončić Mavericks travel to face the newly assembled Big Three of the Phoenix Suns. Depending on whether the Mavericks are good this year, this could be a pivotal matchup for those higher seedings. Finally, the defending champion Nuggets will host the Warriors, now boasting Chris Paul, in the night game. Overall, it's a solid slate that does suffer a little from a handful of teams needing to execute big trades or have hot starts to the season.
Of course, the NBA must now compete with the NFL for Christmas Day viewership. While the Raiders-Chiefs game won't draw many viewers away from the early games, the NFL's other two fixtures on December 25 could be a ratings concern for the NBA. Eagles-Giants could be a really fun matchup, especially if the Giants don't immediately regress after last season. With that game set for 4:30PM ET, it explains why the Sixers are playing so early in the day. Meanwhile, the Warriors-Nuggets game will have to compete with the Niners-Ravens nightcap, which could also be a fun game if both teams come out hot this season. What do you think of the Christmas slate? Let us know in the comments.
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