NBA Christmas Day 2024 Schedule Prediction

Christmas Day arguably features the best regular season games of the entire year. The only games comparable are opening day, the in-season tournament and the final stretch of playoff-impact games. One reason the games are so much fun is because they are one of the biggest stages for teams to showcase the league's best talent. Last year, five MVP winners and all four previous NBA champions played.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks

Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's 32 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, the Knicks emerged victorious in a high-scoring game, 129-122. All-Star Jalen Brunson scored 38 points to lead New York, but Julius Randle and two players who are no longer with the team, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, also contributed over 20 points.

Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets, then defending champions, did well at home, beating the Warriors 120-114. Stephen Curry put in a weak performance by his Hall of Fame standards, scoring just 18 points, four assists and two rebounds. That wasn't enough against arguably the league's best duo, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who combined for 54 points, 21 rebounds and 11 assists.

Boston Celtics vs Los Angeles Lakers

The Boston Celtics dominated the entire 2023-24 NBA season from the start, and Christmas was no exception. They beat the Lakers on the road 126-115, improving their record to 23-6 at the time. The most dangerous aspect of this Celtics squad, which was evident in the NBA Finals, is that several players can step up and win a game. This time it was Kristaps Porzingis, who recorded a double-double with 28 points and 11 rebounds. The best player on the court was Anthony Davis, who scored 40 points and 13 rebounds, but the Celtics' depth was too much for the Lakers to overcome.

Philadelphia 76ers vs Miami Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers were without Joel Embiid in this game, who suffered an ankle injury. Tyrese Maxey was not convincing in his absence and only scored 12 points. Most Christmas games focus on superstars, but the two best scorers in this match were Jaime Jaquez Jr. (31 points) and Tobias Harris (27). Jimmy Butler of the Heat also had to sit out due to a left calf injury, but Miami still won at home 119-113.

Dallas Mavericks vs Phoenix Suns

The biggest point differential came in the last game, when the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic beat the Suns 128-114 in Phoenix. Doncic has been the Suns' best player since the Game 7 win in 2022, and this Christmas game was more of the same. Luka scored 50 points, 15 assists and six rebounds on one of the biggest stages as far as regular season games go.

Based on these previous encounters, we can make an educated guess about the Christmas Day schedule next season.