NBA Christmas Day Watch Guide + sizing up top teams’ resumes so far – The Athletic

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Christmas Preview

Everything you need for holiday hoops

Christmas Day games are here, and that means the start of the NBA season for a lot of casual fans. We know this thing has been going strong for two months now, but a lot of people will tune in for the first time this season as they look to escape their families.

But maybe Christmas isn’t your thing, and you’re just looking to watch hoops all day. Either way, for your viewing guide, we’ve got a drinking game for each team (drink responsibly, of course, or use water or juice), something to look for and as many as five eyes emojis ( 👀) on the scale of whether you should interrupt family time to watch. (All times Eastern.)

Bucks (22-7) at Knicks (16-12), noon, ESPN

The Bucks are 3-0 against the Knicks this season, including a win in New York on Saturday, but Jalen Brunson did drop 45 points on them in the first matchup. The first two games were in Milwaukee.

Bucks drinking game: Drink every time the game-ball situation is brought up on the broadcast as they show either Giannis Antetokounmpo or his brother Thanasis.
Knicks drinking game: Drink every time Brunson gets into the lane and pivots himself into a made shot over a much taller defender.

Something to look for: The Knicks are hurting for size, so how many paint points do the Bucks get in this one?

Worth interrupting family time? 👀👀👀

A lot of celebrating families are probably opening presents around this time, but it’s worth a watch.

Warriors (15-14) at Nuggets (21-10), 2:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN

The defending champion Nuggets are 1-0 against the Warriors this season, and we know Draymond Green is still indefinitely suspended.

Warriors drinking game: Drink every time the broadcast talks about Green’s suspension and how it affects the Warriors.
Nuggets drinking game: Every time Nikola Jokić looks like he misses his horses as he dominates his matchup while looking bored.

Something to look for: Whether the Warriors can make their 3-pointers. Denver is 10th in 3-point percentage allowed, and the Warriors are 8-1 when they hit 40 percent of their 3s.

Worth interrupting family time? 👀👀👀

You might see Jokić go for 30-20-20.

Celtics (22-6) at Lakers (16-14), 5 p.m., ABC/ESPN

It’s the oldest and boldest rivalry the NBA has to offer.

Celtics drinking game: Drink every time Jayson Tatum takes a stepback jumper.
Lakers drinking game: Drink every time we see the NBA Cup banner as some In-Season Tournament propaganda.

Something to look for: Whether Kristaps Porziņģis can contain Anthony Davis.

Worth interrupting family time? 👀👀👀👀👀

We know LeBron and Tatum will try to put in special performances to duel under the bright spotlight.

76ers (20-8) at Heat (17-12), 8 p.m., ESPN

It’s a battle of two teams that are consistently overlooked in the East, but the 76ers will be without Joel Embiid.

Sixers drinking game: Drink every time Paul Reed scores and my colleague John Hollinger posts about “Bball Paul” needing more time.
Heat drinking game:  Drink every time Jimmy Butler baits the Sixers into a foul and then smiles or trolls them.

Something to look for: How the Heat try to neutralize Tyrese Maxey and make anybody else beat them.

Worth interrupting family time? 👀👀👀

The Embiid injury takes some of the gusto out of this one, but this will still be fun.

Mavericks (17-12) at Suns (14-14), 10:30 p.m., ESPN

Final game of the night features the rivalry of Luka Dončić against Devin Booker. It has a good history.

Mavericks drinking game: Drink whenever Luka mocks the Phoenix crowd booing him.
Suns drinking game: Drink whenever the broadcast mentions that we’ve barely seen Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Booker on the court together.

Something to look for: Will either of these teams attack the basket? Dallas is nearly last in the league, and Phoenix is in the bottom half.

Worth interrupting family time? 👀👀👀👀👀

A potentially spicy game is a perfect way to end the night.

Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert celebrates a basket against the Sacramento Kings. (Kelley L. Cox / USA Today)

NBA Résumés

Who has the best, worst so far?

One of the criticisms of the Philadelphia 76ers’ hot start has been their weak schedule. They’ve had one of the easiest schedules to start this season, which … isn’t their fault. They’ve just had to play the teams in front of them. But it also inflates their net rating, which is typically an indicator of future success over time.

They’re not the only ones. Let’s check out of the top teams in each conference, who has the best and worst résumés so far:

Eastern Conference: 

Boston Celtics (22-6): Second-toughest schedule; 9-2 against the top six in the East; 14-5 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪💪💪💪💪 About as good a résumé as you could hope for.

Milwaukee Bucks (22-7): 29th-toughest schedule; 7-2 against the top six in the East; 10-4 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪They haven’t been tested too much.

Philadelphia 76ers (20-8): 26th-toughest schedule; 1-3 against the top six in the East; 6-7 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪Also haven’t been tested much but did recently beat Minnesota.

Orlando Magic (17-11): 18th-toughest schedule; 2-4 against the top six in the East; 8-8 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪💪 Not too much thrown their way, but for a young team, this is a good start.

Miami Heat (17-12): 28th-toughest schedule; 1-4 against the top six in the East; 4-8 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪Another East team beating up on bad teams so far.

New York Knicks (16-12): 23rd-toughest schedule; 1-6 against the top six in the East; 5-11 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪They’re 11-1 against losing squads.

Western Conference

Minnesota Timberwolves (22-6): 16th-toughest schedule; 5-1 against the top six in the West; 15-4 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪💪💪💪Middling schedule, but they’ve been great in most situations so far.

Denver Nuggets (21-10): Sixth-toughest schedule; 5-4 against the top six in the West; 10-10 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪💪💪They’ve performed well and know they have to pace themselves.

Oklahoma City Thunder (18-9): 11th-toughest schedule; 3-4 against the top six in the West; 10-9 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪💪💪They’re 8-0 against losing teams but have had some impressive wins.

Sacramento Kings (17-11): Fifth-toughest schedule; 5-3 against the top six in the West; 11-11 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪💪💪Impressed with how the Kings have handled a tough schedule to start.

LA Clippers (17-12): 24th-toughest schedule; 5-4 against the top six in the West; 11-9 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪💪Just had their big streak ended, but they needed to build against bad teams.

Dallas Mavericks (17-12): 21st-toughest schedule; 1-7 against the top six in the West; 6-10 against non-losing teams.
Résumé Meter: 💪The Mavs have been destroying bad teams, almost exclusively.

Bounce Passes

Check out your necessary Christmas Day game odds and previews.

Jason Jones ranks the best Christmas sneakers, from Kobes to LeBrons.

Are the Timberwolves title contenders? Sam Amick sure thinks so.

Screen Game

• Main showing: “Die Hard” (rental). Yes, it’s a Christmas movie. No, you probably shouldn’t have your kids watch it. Yes, it’s my favorite.
• For the family: “Home Alone” (Disney+). Fun for everyone, and it’s a classic that always hits.
• Really put the kids to bed: “The Night Before” (Tubi). Highly underrated comedy in “A Christmas Carol” format with Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie.

(Top photo of Jaylen Brown and LeBron James: Paul Rutherford / USA Today)