‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Yet one sound was heard, the faint bounce of a ball, a reminder come morning, it’s time for roll call.
Now, Wemby! Now, KAT! Now, Ant and Kyrie!
On, JT! On, Curry! On, LeBron and KD!
Five games on Wednesday, spanning morning to night, a hooper’s dream, oh what a delight.
In the meantime, while you wait for teams to play, here’s one storyline, for each game on Christmas Day.
San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks @ noon ET / 9 a.m. PT
Wemby takes centre stage: If we think of the NBA as a Christmas tree, it’s only a matter of time before Victor Wembanyama is the shining star on top. The former Rookie of the Year has been on a tear, averaging 29 points on near 50/40/90 per cent splits with 8.2 rebounds and 5.2 blocks over his last five games. In that same span, he’s had a 42-point effort with a career-high seven made threes and also a 30-point, 10-block performance. He’s putting up numbers only an elite few have, and almost none of them were doing it at 20 years old.
While the sophomore Frenchman is already one of the most popular players in the league — rightfully so given his out-of-world antics and averages of 24.7 points, 10 rebounds and 3.8 blocks for the season — the bright lights of Madison Square Garden are a spectacle unlike any other. Should Wembanyama show out against a formidable Knicks squad in his Christmas Day debut it could put him on the nice list of NBA fans all around the world.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks @ 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT on Sportsnet, Sportsnet One and Sportsnet+
Do the T-Wolves deserve coal in their stocking?: Another yuletide debutant will be Anthony Edwards, when his struggling Timberwolves visit Luka Doncic and the Mavericks in a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. It’ll also be the first time the two squads have ever faced off on Christmas Day.
And if there is a team in desperate need of Santa’s magic right now, it’s Minnesota. The off-season move that dealt away Karl-Anthony Towns, a trade that seemed largely financially motivated, has unsurprisingly hurt the Timberwolves who are currently ninth in the West. Donte DiVincenzo has been rocky, averaging his lowest scoring and three-point marks since his rookie year. Meanwhile, Julius Randle has been his usual up-and-down self, and at this point, there’s more than enough tape of him falling asleep on defence to warrant a spot on the naughty list.
In retrospect, moving a former first-overall pick and home-grown four-time All-Star, after Minnesota’s best season in 20 years, probably wasn’t a great idea. If the middling squad can’t turn things around soon, we know what Timberwolves fans are going to fill team president Tim Connelly and his front office’s stockings with this Christmas.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics @ 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT on Sportsnet, Sportsnet One and Sportsnet+
Time to rekindle a rivalry: The Atlantic division opponents have played each other plenty of times over the years, even meeting in the post-season three of the last seven seasons. Yet the pair have only faced off once before on Christmas day and that didn’t happen until 2018 despite both teams taking part in the tradition for a combined 71 of the 77 years the NBA has done it.
Meanwhile, when the 76ers signed Paul George in the off-season, the deal came with a promise of threatening the Celtics atop the East. His two-way play was supposed to offer Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey a steadier running mate than Tobias Harris, one that could challenge Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Instead, the injury-riddled Sixers have struggled out the gates and are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference, while the champion Celtics have kept pace well above them. In fairness, the 76ers have picked up their play (and health) as of late, winning six of their last nine games. But if Philadelphia really wants to turn doubters into Christmas miracle believers, a win over Boston in their first matchup of the season goes a long way.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors @ 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Sportsnet, Sportsnet One and Sportsnet+
The last (yuletide) dance?: It’s no secret that a very-soon-to-be 40-year-old LeBron James and 36-year-old Stephen Curry only have so many years left in the NBA. And while no one is ready to predict when each will have their last dance — as both are still quite productive — it’s unclear how many Xmas matchups are left between them.
The pair have defined basketball for the better part of the last decade — meeting in four consecutive Finals — including four Dec. 25 matchups in the last 10 seasons. And outside of a blowout win in 2018 for James’ Lakers, the average margin of victory when the pair face off on Christmas is a slim 4.7 points.
All hoop fans remember in 2016 when the Cavaliers and Warriors put together arguably the greatest Christmas Day game ever in what ended up as a 109-108 win for Cleveland. Let’s hope James and Curry channel the ghost of Christmas past and give folks another all-time classic on Wednesday for old-times sake.
Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets @ 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT on Sportsnet, Sportsnet One and Sportsnet+
Is either squad the Grinch who stole the trade deadline?: Whether it’s for Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram, Zach Lavine or any of the other names being floated around, it seems clear both the Suns and Nuggets need to consider making deals come the Feb. 6 deadline.
Phoenix and Denver are already two of the oldest and most cap-crunched teams in the league, so by no means is making trades easy for either of them. But for those very same reasons, and some inconsistent performers (I’m looking at you Bradley Beal and Jamal Murray), neither appears to be a real threat in the West so far.
The Suns have lost seven of their last nine while the Nuggets have lost to the four-win Wizards and nine-win Trail Blazers in their last six games and needed overtime to beat the five-win Pelicans. Hence why both squads have been linked to so many trade rumours thus far.
While most fans expect a duel between Kevin Durant and Saint Nikola Jokic, don’t be surprised if role players get some shine. What better stage to heighten their value before moving guys than the final of five Christmas Day games and a captive NBA audience?
The sound of dribbling, grows stronger and louder, and before you know it, Lebron’s tossing chalk powder.
And that’s our cue, let’s all take a seat, for it’s time to enjoy, our NBA treat.
You’re now ready for hoops, what a wonderous sight, happy Christmas to all and to all a good night.
