Reported CHALLENGING NBA Christmas Games 2022| Exciting & Ranked
Good news about NBA Christmas games: Word on the street is that the games for the NBA’s busiest day of the regular season have already been set.
On Christmas Day, the defending champion Golden State Warriors will host the Memphis Grizzlies. Similarly, the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics will meet in Boston, while LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will travel to Texas to play Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
Also, the Phoenix Suns will go to Denver to see Nikola Jokic, who is the reigning MVP and has won the award twice. At Madison Square Garden, the Philadelphia 76ers will face the New York Knicks.
In two of the Christmas Day contests, rematches from this year’s postseason will occur. Here is how the NBA Christmas games 2022 will likely rank in terms of excitement.
NBA Christmas games 2022 competition rankings
1. Golden State Warriors vs. Memphis Grizzlies
This season’s matchup between the Warriors and Grizzlies will be a rematch of the Western Conference semifinals from 2022. On one hand, we have the defending NBA champion Warriors, who are attempting to maintain their historic dominance.
On the other hand, we have an up-and-coming club led by a dynamic young star anxious to prove that their 2021-2022 season was no fluke. This alone makes this contest highly exciting.
Even after the Warriors comfortably trounced the Grizzlies in the 2022 playoffs, both teams continued to use foul language.
After the Warriors ultimately won the championship, a number of Golden State players made sure to mock the Grizzlies in blatant ways. This included Draymond Green and Ja Morant, who showed interest in a NBA Christmas games showdown between their respective teams. Well, Green and Morant got what they wanted, and there is no doubt that this game will be the most awaited.
This game will be trending on social media and on the court. Already, the writing (and tweets) are on the metaphorical wall.
2. The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Dallas Mavericks
This will be the second time in the last three seasons that the Lakers and Mavericks have met. In 2020, the Lakers were victorious, but a great deal has changed since that forgettable game.
The LeBron James-Luka Doncic showdown should naturally be the centre of attention. On one hand, he is an uncontested all-time great. On the opposite extreme, we have the European youngster who could soon succeed LBJ as the face of the NBA.
The Mavericks have advanced to the Western Conference finals thanks to Doncic’s MVP-caliber performances during the playoffs. The Lakers will seek to return to the postseason after missing out last season.
Given that both teams may still make roster adjustments before this game, it is difficult to predict the outcome. Nonetheless, this duel should be more exciting than the one we saw two seasons ago.
After hosting games in 2019, 2020, and 2021, the Lakers will be on the road for Christmas this year. The Mavericks, on the other hand, will be playing at home after spending the previous two Christmases on the road.
3. Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks
This game is a rematch of a seven-game NBA Eastern Conference semifinal series that Boston won in 2022.
Earlier this year, the Bucks lost to the Celtics in one of the best playoff series ever. A damaged MCL prevented them from playing without their second-best player, Khris Middleton.
Middleton underwent wrist surgery in July, but he should be healthy enough to play by the time this rematch is set. It is believed that he will return before the beginning of the season.
This is a showdown between two Eastern Conference heavyweights. With the return of Khris Middleton, the Bucks will undoubtedly want vengeance. This game is a rematch from Christmas 2021, when the Bucks defeated the Celtics 117-113.
If the Celtics are able to obtain Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant via trade, this game might take on a very different complexion. Fans will have to wait and see how the Durant sweepstakes play out. Regardless of the outcome, there will be plenty of excitement surrounding this game on Christmas Day.
4. Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker and Chris Paul will go to Denver to face two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic. Remember that the Suns defeated the Nuggets in the second round of the 2021 playoffs by sweeping them?
Denver returns to the Christmas Day schedule after the previous year’s absence. Remember that in 2019 and 2020, the Nuggets hosted Christmas Day games?
It may be a preview of the Western Conference finals, so the situation is pretty fascinating. The Nuggets should be healthy, and Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr., who missed most of last season because of injuries, should be back in the starting lineup.
Nikola Jokic is perhaps the most dominant centre in the league. He will receive further aid as the Nuggets attempt to establish themselves as legitimate title contenders. They will be able to demonstrate to the Suns what it is like to face a full-strength Denver team, as they were missing Murray during their 2021 playoff loss.
5. New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers
The first Christmas game for Joel Embiid and James Harden with the Sixers will be against the Knicks. Meanwhile, the Knicks will play their 55th total game on Christmas Day. That is a league record.
The Sixers will play their first Christmas Day game since 2019 on December 25. Harden expressed his excitement for the rumoured showdown on Twitter.
This game between the Knicks and the Sixers may not be the most exciting on this list. Still, Embiid and Harden are two of the top players in the NBA. It will be a good test for a New York team that believes the offseason acquisition of Jalen Brunson can make them a contender for the playoffs.
Even if the Knicks don’t have the brightest stars on their roster to compete with Embiid and Harden, this game should still be entertaining.
