The 2023 NBA Christmas Day schedule will be graced by the latest edition of the rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, and a game between the last two champions; Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors.
As usual, the will be five marquee games running through out the day. In the event, the Milwaukee Bucks will travel to Madison Square Garden to play against the New York Knicks, while the Philadelphia 76ers will face the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks will meet the Phoenix Suns.
This will be seventh season in a row that Boston has played on Christmas, and the fifth time overall they’ve played the Lakers on the day. The most recent Christmas showdown between the age-long rivals was in 2008, when Los Angeles scored a 92-83 win behind 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists from the late Kobe Byrant. The Celtics later had the last laugh of that season, when they went ahead to win the Finals over the Lakers in six games; they will hope to repeat this history.
Denver and Golden State on the other hand, have both been staples on the Christmas schedule in recent years, this will be the 11th consecutive time they are participating, but they have never played each other on the day. They have had many thrilling matches since their respective cores have been together, and this has the makings of being the most exciting game of the day.
The Milawukee Bucks trip to New York to play the Knicks, will be rematch of the 2018 Christmas game, which Giannis Antetokounmpo and his team easily won. Madison has favoured Antetokounmpo throughout his career; he mad his NBA debut there, jumped over Tim Hardaway Jr. for a dunk and shot the game-winner in 2017.
It is curious that the 76ers and Heat are scheduled to play on the 2023 NBA Christmas Day especially since both clubs are presently in limbo about a few key players. Philadelphia is figuring out what to do with James Harden, who has requestd a trade and wants to play for the Los Angeles Clippers. While Miami is hoping for a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers to buy Damian Lillard. These two teams could look different by December.
Fans can expect a great basketball day when Dallas and Phoenix get placed last. This will be a rematch of the teams’ intriguing 2022 second-round series, which the Mavericks won in seven games. It will also be the first time that they have ever played a match on Christmas. With Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal set to make an appearance, the game should be a high-scoring fixture.
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