The Whiteboard: Reasons to watch every Christmas Day NBA game

The NBA’s Christmas Day showcase has long doubled as the season’s entry point for casual fans. So let this serve less as a preview and more like a watch list for your entertainment. 

San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks (12 p.m. ET)

For the kids who wanted a unicorn for Christmas, tune into San Antonio Spurs vs New York Knicks. On one side, we’ve got the 7-foot-3 Victor Wembanyama. On the other, four-time All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns. Between these two centers, we’ve got 14 feet and 4 inches of height and 14.3 combined attempts from beyond the arc. For the adults who hate the league’s over-commitment to 3-point shooting, don’t tune into Spurs vs Knicks.

Meanwhile, this game will feature two megawatt stars: Wembanyama and Madison Square Garden. This is Wemby’s first Christmas Day game, and you know he wants to put on a show. What will we hit on Wemby Bingo today? Another 10-block game? Or maybe 30 points and 20 rebounds? Or will he do something new, like sprout a pair of pterodactyl wings, pick up Jack Nicholson and drop him through the net for the game-winning shot?

Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks (2:30 p.m. ET)

You may run into some smart, Xs and Os insights as you browse Christmas Day previews, but matchups are for the playoffs. Christmas is for the stars. Your reason for watching Minnesota Timberwolves vs Dallas Mavericks isn’t complicated: Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Yes, it’s a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals, but both teams have changed a ton since the Spring. The Mavericks have surrounded Doncic with the best supporting cast he’s ever had, adding Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Spencer Dinwiddie to a full season of P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford. Dereck Lively II is blossoming in his second season.

The Timberwolves, meanwhile, aren’t the defensive juggernaut they were last season. What made the conference finals compelling was the unstoppable force vs immovable object of it all. But after swapping Towns for Julius Randle, the Wolves defense doesn’t have the same bite. 

How will they guard Luka? Will they commit to the drop and let Luka and Kyrie let it rip from mid-range (bad idea). Will they ask Rudy Gobert to come up closer to the level of the screen and force Minnesota’s other defenders to rotate? Oh, man, I stepped into some Xs and Os.

Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics (5 p.m. ET)

I wish I were more excited for this matchup, but I’m not. First of all, are we sure Joel Embiid is going to play for the Philadelphia 76ers? If he finds a reason not to, can’t say I’m jazzed about watching Podcast P go 6 of 14 for 16 points. 

In the other corner, the Boston Celtics might be the most boring dominant team since Tim Duncan was boring jealous onlookers in the early aughts. Look, the Celtics are great. Hats off to the whole amazing 3-point shooting and switching defense thing. But if you’ve seen one Celtics win, you’ve seen them all. Wait, you're telling me they made 18 3-pointers and decided to try on defense? Cool, cool.

OK, maybe I’m being too dismissive. There’s a version of this matchup that sees the supposed super team go against the defending champs. On paper, this could be an instant Christmas Day classic. But paper is about all the 76ers have right now, and the Celtics are more interested in what they do in June than in December.

Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors (8 p.m. ET)

It’s easy to dismiss this star-studded affair as two teams playing for little more than a spot in the play-in tournament, but c’mon, it’s LeBron vs Steph!

Look, it’s true that LeBron James and Stephen Curry won’t be competing for a championship this season unless the Lakers or Warriors make a dramatic trade that changes the ceiling of their teams. 

But LeBron is 39. Steph is 36. Their careers at this stage are less about accomplishments and more about moments. If 23 and 30 go score-for-score for a few minutes in the fourth quarter of a close game, that’s enough to justify their primetime slotting.

Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns (10:30 p.m. ET)

My only question is, who stops who? The Phoenix Suns are one of the league’s worst teams in defending the paint. The Denver Nuggets are one of the league’s best paint-scoring teams. The Nuggets give up a lot of mid-range shots. The Suns chew up those mid-range shots like hungry, hungry hippos. 

Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic and Oso Ighodaro have no hope of stopping Jokic. Look out for a steady drumbeat of Jokic post-ups and Aaron Gordon lobs. 

Meanwhile, the Suns will stress Jokic out on defense, forcing him to defend in no-man’s land between the level of the screen and the rim. 

Both teams feature scorers who can get their shot off in any context, Jokic and Kevin Durant. They are complemented by dynamic scorers in Jamal Murray and Devin Booker. 

Whatever the over/under on the point total of this game is, take the over. This will be a barn burner.