NBA Schedule 2019-20: Ranking Christmas Day games by watchability
By Kareem Gantt
3. Bucks at 76ers (2:30 p.m. ET on ABC)
The second game of day between the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers will feature two teams with something to prove.
The Bucks will be looking to bounce back from a shocking six-game defeat at the hands of the eventual world champions in the conference finals. In the offseason they tried to bolster their roster with moves that could keep the core intact, most notably giving second-leading scorer Khris Middleton a $178 million deal.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo’s free agency looming, the Bucks want to show their superstar forward that staying in Milwaukee would be his best bet, which is why this game will loom large. We could get a glimpse of whether their 2018-19 campaign was a sign of sustainable greatness, or if they may have peaked already.
Same goes for the 76ers.
They have trusted the Process for this long, and this is the season to finally cash in. They threw a ton of money at Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris for the long-term and outright stole Al Horford from the Celtics to finally make a run. With Kawhi out of the East, they feel as though this could be their year. So do the Bucks, which makes this Christmas Day matchup a Titanic one for both squads.