Predicting NBA Christmas Day Schedule 22-23
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12:00 p.m ET: Bucks at Celtics
To start off the Christmas day extravaganza, we will see a playoff rematch between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics were victorious in a seven-game series in last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. Milwaukee was also victorious in the previous Christmas match-up between the two teams. Two defensive juggernauts will face off in Boston and are both favorites to win the East in the upcoming season. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will look to defend their home court, whereas Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kris Middleton will try to steal one in Boston.
2:30 PM ET Nets at 76ers
The Nets will travel to Philly for an Eastern Conference match-up against the 76ers, a match-up long overdue after the exchange of Ben Simmons and James Harden. We don’t know the future of the Nets or if Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will stay in Brooklyn, but if they do, this would be a star-powered match-up. Joel Embiid and a healthy Harden pair up to take on Durant, Irving, and Simmons. Harden gets to play against his former teammates Irving and Durant, while Simmons will face off against his former teammate Embiid.
5:00 PM ET Hawks at Mavericks
This Eastern Conference-Western Conference match-up features young superstars Trae Young vs. Luka Doncic, two players that have the potential to become the face of the league. The Hawks added Dejounte Murray to pair up with Young, which should be exciting to watch. Christian Wood, a complement to Doncic, was added to a Mavericks team who reached the Western Conference Finals in the last season. Two offensive-minded teams face off in Atlanta, where the young stars will put on a show.
8:00 PM ET Clippers at Lakers
The Los Angeles match-up will bring stars on and off the court. From your favorite celebrities to some of your favorite players such as LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook on the Lakers versus Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and new addition John Wall representing the Clippers. It’s a must to have the Lakers in primetime as they will try to regain success after struggling last season, whether it was injuries or performance. The Clippers also battled injuries last season, so seeing both of these teams healthy battle on Christmas day is a gift for all basketball fans.
10:30 PM ET Memphis at Warriors
Finally, we have the highly anticipated match-up between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors in Golden State. Ja Morant of the Grizzlies and Draymond Green of the Warriors have been going back and forth on Twitter about the two teams meeting up again after the Warriors defeated the Grizzlies in six games in the second round of the playoffs. Klay Thompson of the Warriors called Jaren Jackson of the Grizzlies a bum after mocking the Warriors’ motto “Strength in Numbers,” which can add fuel to the fire when these two teams meet. This could be a rivalry we get used to, seeing as the young talented Memphis Grizzlies team face off against the defending champs.