The NBA has done it again this year with five games on the schedule for Christmas Day including the marquee matchup that every basketball fan has been waiting to see. The defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Golden State Warriors in the second game of the day and while that matchup will undoubtedly steal the spotlight there are definitely reasons to watch all five games. Here is a look at the NBA Christmas Day matchups.
Boston Celtics @ New York Knicks
Sunday, 12:00 PM ET
The Knicks have turned a lot of heads with their 16-13 start but can’t afford to let their foot off the gas heading in to 2017. A home date with the Celtics on Christmas Day will be another tough test. Boston has won four in a row and has played its best basketball on the road this season so New York will be in tough. However, the Knicks are 11-4 on their home floor this season and can give their fans a Merry Christmas with a big win in another key matchup in which they can establish themselves as legitimate playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Pick: Knicks
Golden State Warriors @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Sunday, 2:30 PM ET
The biggest game of the year so far will feature a rematch of the last two NBA Finals with the Warriors visiting Cleveland on Christmas Day. There is no doubt that the Cavaliers want to win this game but Golden State has been waiting very patiently since last year’s NBA Finals and can finally earn a measure of redemption with a big performance. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will all be extremely amped up for this performance and with the entire basketball world watching you can expect them to take full advantage of the spotlight.
Pick: Warriors
Chicago Bulls @ San Antonio Spurs
Sunday, 5:00 PM ET
There will undoubtedly be somewhat of a letdown following the game of the year and while we don’t expect the Bulls to bow down to the Spurs and let them walk all over them that might happen anyways. San Antonio has done its best to keep close with Golden State in the Western Conference this season and they should continue that trend with a big win over Chicago at home.
Pick: Spurs
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Sunday, 8:00 PM ET
After watching what his former teammate Durant and company had in store for the Cavaliers, you can bet that Russell Westbrook will attempt to steal his share of the spotlight when Oklahoma City plays the Timberwolves at night. Minnesota has been a fun team to watch but that doesn’t mean we expect them to upset the Thunder on Christmas Day. Meanwhile, the Thunder are fighting for position at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff seeding right now so they have plenty of reasons to approach this game with a greater sense of urgency.
Pick: Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers @ Los Angeles Lakers
Sunday, 10:30 PM ET
The Clippers will need to survive the next month without Blake Griffin and they are off to a pretty good start so far. They are coming off back-to-back wins over the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs. Their Christmas Day date with the Los Angeles Lakers is considered a road game but it is actually right in the middle of a five-game home stand. Even without Griffin the Clippers should have no problem continuing to roll at home with a win over the Lakers on Christmas Day. They are only a five-point favorite, which might look a little odd, but remember that they no team has home-court advantage, which is usually quite valuable in the NBA. The Lakers have been a complete mess over the last month. They dropped eight straight games before beating the lowly Philadelphia 76ers. Since then, though, they have lost four straight. It hasn’t been particularly pretty for them either as they are fresh off a 19-point loss to the Magic. The Lakers will have to come out with some serious fire in their belly to get the job done on Christmas Day.
Pick: Clippers
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