The Christmas Day games have become the jewel in the NBA’s regular season crown and this year promises to be no exception.
LeBron James facing Golden State has become a holiday tradition, as he has played against the Warriors for the last three seasons on December 25 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James will take on the Warriors once again when Los Angeles Lakers face the defending champions at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. Read on as we look at this year’s NBA Christmas Day schedule.
12pm ET: Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks (ESPN)
With Kristaps Porzingis still recovering from a torn left ACL injury this game is likely to lack some of the star quality on show later in the day.
The Knicks have struggled without the Latvian and the Bucks are likely to be big favourites in the NBA Betting by BetEasy. Check out this site to stay updated with the latest odds on your teams this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is always entertaining to watch for the Bucks and he will be strongly fancied to rack up plenty of points in this one.
3pm ET: Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (ABC)
Someone at NBA towers has a taste for the mischievous by scheduling a meeting between Carmelo Anthony and his former Thunder teammates.
OKC moved Anthony on this summer after a just one season with the club and he will be eager to prove a point on Christmas Day.
Throw in the likes of Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Chris Paul and this one has all the makings of a classic.
5:30 p.m. ET: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics (ABC)
The Celtics are one of the teams fancied to push the Warriors hard for the NBA title this season and it will be interesting to see how far they have progressed when they face the 76ers.
The two sides are fancied to meet up in the East Conference finals and this match-up could be a taster for what is to come later in the season.
With home advantage the Celtics should emerge victorious, but expect the 76ers to put up an almighty fight.
8 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors (ABC/ESPN)
On paper this is a home banker for the Warriors, but James will undoubtedly be eager to give Los Angeles the perfect Christmas present.
Watching the likes of James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson strut their stuff is a festive treat not to be missed by NBA fans.
The Lakers are not yet in the class of the reigning champions, but their young squad certainly has plenty of potential and they could emerge as the Warriors’ main rivals over the next few years.
10:30 p.m. ET: Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz (ESPN)
Both teams had a strong end to the regular season in 2017/18, although they ultimately came up short in the play-offs.
They both suffered a hangover by making slow starts to the new campaign, but should be in the play-off mix by the time Christmas comes around.
The game could even end up having a big impact on play-off seedings further down the road.
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