LeBron James (#23) of the Los Anfeles Lakers defends James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets in the game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 18, 2021. /CFP
LeBron James (#23) of the Los Anfeles Lakers defends James Harden of the Brooklyn Nets in the game at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, U.S., February 18, 2021. /CFP
The NBA Christmas Day games are taking place in less than 12 hours but most of the teams that will attend these games will miss some of their best players.
The most eye-catching game on Saturday will be the one between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers at the newly named “Crypto.com Arena” in LA. It will be the first home game for the purple and gold since name-changing and their opponents are the Nets, one of the most likely teams for the NBA Finals next year.
Unfortunately, you won’t see Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving on the floor when the game happens. Davis is taking about a month to recover from medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain. Durant and Irving are out for health & safety reasons.
James Harden (#13) of the Brooklyn Nets look on in the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., December 10, 2021. /CFP
James Harden (#13) of the Brooklyn Nets look on in the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., December 10, 2021. /CFP
The good news is that James Harden will be able to play for the Nets against the Lakers, according to Nets head coach Steve Nash. There will be very limited help Harden can receive from his teammates because both LaMarcus Aldridge and Joe Harris will be out. Harden needs to find his magic back and creates offense out of nothing.
That doesn’t mean the Lakers have full assurance of success. It’s true they can send two of their Big Three, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook, to the floor, the team is still a mess both offensively and defensively. Judging by their game plans so far this season, the purple and gold are very likely to send a small-ball squad in which James plays center in Saturday’s game. A squad like that works (relatively) for offense, but may lead to a defensive disaster in front of Harden.
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks on in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, U.S., June 2, 2021. /CFP
Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks looks on in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, U.S., June 2, 2021. /CFP
The Nets vs. Lakers matchup is not the first game on Christmas Day. The Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks will meet in the first game at Madison Square Garden (MSG).
Hawks ace Trae Young was placed in the league’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, which is a huge loss for the team offensively. Not only has he averaged 27.3 points, 9.3 assists and 2.7 3-pointers at 37.7 percent, Young has been the team’s offensive engine with his screen plays.
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau must be relieved he won’t have to watch Young bowl to MSG fans or conduct other sarcastic move on the floor, but he has other headaches to deal with. The biggest one is called Julius Randle, who has been one of the worst-performing players in the league this season.
Julius Randle of the New York Knicks saves the ball from going out of bounds in the game against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, U.S., December 23, 2021. /CFP
Julius Randle of the New York Knicks saves the ball from going out of bounds in the game against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, U.S., December 23, 2021. /CFP
It could take a long article to list all the proof of what a liability today’s Randle is to the Knicks. Simply speaking, when he was on the court, the Knicks lost by seven points every 100 possessions; when he was not there, the team won by 14.6 points per 100 possessions. The Knicks are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 14-18 record, partly because Randle averaged 35.5 minutes per game.
One of the Knicks’ true positive contributors, Derrick Rose, will sit on Saturday’s game due to ankle surgery. That will be another headache for Thibodeau. Fortunately, he can count on Kemba Walker to run offense. Walker didn’t complain at all after he was ruled out by Thibodeau for 10 games and he had 44 points, nine rebounds and eight assists against the Washington Wizards on Thursday.
However, the Knicks lost at home in that game after Kyle Kuzma drained two triples in front of Randle in the last two minutes.
Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns looks on in the game against the Oklahoma City at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., December 23, 2021. /CFP
Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns looks on in the game against the Oklahoma City at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, U.S., December 23, 2021. /CFP
The Phoenix Suns did not suffer too much from COVID-19 and are able to host the Golden State Warriors at Footprint Center on Saturday.
Usually only the top teams of the previous season would be selected to play on Christmas Day. The last time the Suns were chosen happened in 2009. Devin Booker, their franchise scorer today, was only 13 years old back then.
“I think it’s an honor for us. It’s a big deal,” Booker said of playing on Christmas Day this season. “As much as we want to talk it down, if you love the game and live in that Christmas tradition of watching the games throughout my whole life and I’m sure a lot you guys are the same – Now being able to participate in it, it’s gonna be a lot of fun.”
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after making a 3-pointer in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, U.S., December 23, 2021. /CFP
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after making a 3-pointer in the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, U.S., December 23, 2021. /CFP
By contrast, the Warriors appeared more often on TV on this day in recent years, but they are visiting Phoenix missing several players. Andre Iguodala is TBD because of knee injury; Damion Lee, Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole entered the health and safety protocols.
The record of Stephen Curry in Christmas Day games does not look good for the Warriors either. Having played eight games on this day in his career, Curry averaged only 13.1 points, lower than his worst season average in 2011-12. The Suns limited him to 4-21 in field goals (FGs) the first time the two teams met on November 30.
However, Curry was 13-22 in FGs and 8-14 in 3-pointers to get 46 points, helping the Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday. The Suns have great defense, so do the Grizzlies, but the Warriors managed to find a way to help Curry beat the tough defense on him. Coach Monte Williams may want to wish his Christmas present be cold touch of Curry.
Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz dribbles in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. December 23, 2021. /CFP
Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz dribbles in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. December 23, 2021. /CFP
The Utah Jazz are another team that dodged the influence of the coronavirus and their franchise player Donovan Mitchell wants to make their Christmas Day game a must-see for home fans at Vivint Arena on Saturday.
“You’re staying up watching those games, you’re on Christmas break,” Mitchell said. “So we’ve got to go out there and put on a show and have fun … It would be nice if everybody was out there and healthy but I’ll be excited to play, I know my teammates are, I know Mavs are. Doesn’t matter what’s going on. It’s a special day. It’s a special game and it’s an honor to play on that day.”
Jason Kidd, head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, looks on in the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, U.S., December 23, 2021. /CFP
Jason Kidd, head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, looks on in the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, U.S., December 23, 2021. /CFP
The Jazz have been finding their 3-point shooting back and currently lead the league in points per game (115.8), offensive rating (117.6) and 3-pointer made per game (15.7). Mitchell averaged 25.1 points but he can be much more explosive than that in scoring if he wants to. Rudy Gobert could get 15.5 points and 2.3 blocks per game while leading the NBA in rebounds (15.1) and FG rate (71.4 percent).
None of the above is good news to the visiting Dallas Mavericks, but the worst one is the absence of their best player Luka Doncic who tested positive for COVID-19. The team have been struggling to digest the new changes coach Jason Kidd has brought. Without Doncic, they will need some truly surprising work from the rest of the team to avoid the fourth loss in five games.