Christmas Day is upon us, and for a lot of NBA fans, tomorrow marks the unofficial actual start of the NBA season. Up to now, it’s been a bit of table setting, teams figuring out who they are. Now, it’s time for the season to really get going. And there are 5 games tomorrow to kick us off.
Some of the games … not so good. This isn’t the fault of the NBA, but rather due to crummy injury luck and two of the featured teams more or less going full tank.
Like the Pelicans. The Pelicans with Zion Williamson would have been super fun to watch on Christmas Day. Zion Williamson is hurt, and the Pelicans are probably going to lose by like 25.
That stinks. But alas. Such is life. Anyway, let’s count down the games we do want to watch, from “maybe take the dog for a walk” to “appointment viewing.”
5. Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors (5 p.m. ET, ABC)
This was primed to be a fantastic game, then Stephen Curry got injured, and the Warriors went into full rebuild mode. They stink, the Rockets will win by 30, and you’ll have to sit there and watch James Harden shoot free throws for two hours. Maybe get dinner and spend some time with loved ones here.
4. New Orleans Pelicans vs. Denver Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ESPN)
This game … should have been more fun than it will be. You can tell the NBA scheduling gurus were fired up to showcase an unheralded but exciting Nuggets team against rookie sensation Zion Williamson and the Pelicans.
Then Zion got hurt. And now, uh, yikes. With Williamson out, the Pelicans have struggled to come together, and now look like they might be going full tank. The Nuggets are fantastic, and well worth watching, but it’s hard to see this Pelicans team keeping things close. This game is only ranked above the previous game because I prefer watching Nikola Jokic pass the ball then James Harden not pass the ball.
3. Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors (Noon ET, ESPN)
Two teams who lost stars, but haven’t seemed to lose a step in the process. The Raptors aren’t quite the same team they’ve been since the departure of Kawhi Leonard, but they’re still a force to be reckoned with. The Celtics have arguably gotten better since the departure of Kyrie Irving and the arrival of Kemba Walker. This is a really fun way to start off the day.
2. Milwaukee Bucks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
The two best teams in the East (arguably) going head-to-head in an afternoon matchup. This game will have Giannis Antetokounmpo going against Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, all in front of a fired up crowd in Philadelphia who will be treating it like a playoff game. This will be very fun.
1. Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)
It’s still unclear if LeBron James and Anthony Davis will play, but something tells me they’re going to suit up for this one. This game has it all: The Los Angeles rivalry, two of the top teams in the West, a potential conference finals preview, LeBron, AD, Kawhi, Paul George … it’s got everything you could possibly want in a game.
If you can only squeeze in one game, this is the game to watch.
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