NBA Schedule 2019-20: Ranking Christmas Day games by watchability

4. Pelicans at Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)

Now that I got the weak link out of the way, the remaining four were tough to rank, as all of them have “can’t miss” value.

One had to be No. 4 though, so I went with New Orleans Pelicans paying a visit to the up-and-coming Denver Nuggets, which will be the last game of the day. This game is a “can’t miss” for two reasons: 1) Because we’ll get to see the high-flying Nuggets in action, and 2) This will be Zion Williamson’s first ever Christmas game, and more-than-likely the main reason the Pelicans secured their holiday slot.

Williamson is the most hyped NBA player to come into the league since LeBron James soared in 16 years prior. There is tremendous pressure on Williamson to live up to the hype and usher in a new era of Pelicans basketball. His presence alone is worth the ratings, but beside Zion, there’s an actual chance that New Orleans could be a dark horse playoff contender this season, given the team’s roster makeover this summer.

While Williamson will be the main attraction, no one should take their eyes off the Nuggets, who will be looking to build on the 54 wins they collected last season. Denver has brought back all of the core from that team, led Nikola Jokic, a unicorn center that certainly makes for primetime viewing.

The Jokic vs. Williamson matchup would be ranked higher if it weren’t for the final three games on this list.