Lakers vs. Nets headlines NBA's marquee slate of Christmas Day games
Jeff ZillgittThe NBA packed starpower and marquee matchups into its Christmas Day schedule.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz are among the Dec. 25 games. The defending-champion Milwaukee Bucks vs. face the Boston Celtics, and the Phoenix Suns will host the Golden State Warriors.
Consider the names in the Lakers-Nets game: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. There are six All-Stars and future Hall of Fames in that group.
The Hawks-Knicks game is a rematch of their first-round Eastern Conference series won by the Hawks — and the first time the Hawks have played on Christmas since 1989 when Atlanta’s Dominque Wilkins, Spud Webb and Moses Malone each scored at least 20 points in a victory against Cleveland.
The Jazz-Mavs contest features two of the biggest young stars in the league — Dallas’ Luka Doncic, already an MVP candidate at 22 years old, and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, a two-time All-Star at 24 years old.
