First-time matchups to clash of champions: 5 key talking points ahead of NBA Christmas Day bonanza
Every NBA season, Christmas Day is one of the biggest days on the schedule. This year, there are countless storylines to go with the full slate of prime time matchups.
There are five games on the NBA Christmas Day schedule, keeping the action running from 12:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Things will kick off with the Milwaukee Bucks battling the New York Knicks, and end with the Dallas Mavericks taking on the Phoenix Suns.
Leading up to the action, here are some of the key talking points from the Christmas Day slate.
Key talking points of NBA Christmas Day schedule:
1) First time matchups
Of the five games on the NBA Christmas Day slate, three of them will be the first meeting of the year between those teams. This is the case for Nuggets vs. Warriors, 76ers vs. Heat and Mavericks vs. Suns.
On top of it being their first matchups of the year, these games also have another thing in common. They were all playoff matchups from the 2022 season. Golden State took down Denver in the first round, with Miami and Dallas picking up wins in round two.
2) LeBron James extending another historic mark
Last season, LeBron James became the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Prior to that, he held the record for most points scored on Christmas Day (460). This season, he has an opportunity to keep adding to his record.
The LA Lakers star has been know to show out on Christmas Day, with last year being a prime example. Even though the Lakers didn't win, LeBron still ended the night with a stat line of 38 points, six rebounds and five assists.
3) Miami Heat looking to remain unbeaten on Christmas Day
Since being head coach of the Miami Heat in 2009, Erik Spoelstra has led to franchise to big wins on the game's biggest stages. That includes Christmas Day. Heading into their meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers, the Heat are undefeated on Christmas (8-0) in the Spoelstra era.
This will be the first time Miami is playing on Christmas Day since the 2020-21 season. Last time around, they were able to beat the New Orleans Pelicans by a final score of 111-98.
4) Clash of champions on Christmas Day
This year, the NBA Christmas Day schedule features something that has never happened before. For the first time ever, the last four champions will be in action on one of the league's busiest days.
It starts back in 2020 with the LA Lakers. Followed by the Milwaukee Bucks (2021), Golden State Warriors (2022) and Denver Nuggets (2023). There will even be a clash of champions as the Warriors and Nuggets are facing one another.
5) Multiple MVP candidates in action
Rounding out the Christmas Day talking points has to do with some of the superstars who will be in action. Among the five games, a handful of early MVP favorites will be in action.
First up is the reigning MVP Joel Embiid. The 76ers star big man is averaging 34.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists. Another top candidate is the player who beat out Embiid in year's past, Nikola Jokic. He is currently putting up averages of 26.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 9.4 assists.
The other possible MVP candidates on the slate include Luka Doncic and Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum. For this players, having a big performance could help with their case later down the road.