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The festive season brings with it something or the other nbaThe most anticipated annual traditions of: xmas day Showcase gamefor jalen williams oklahoma city thunderThe plan is simple yet exciting: gifts in the morning, followed by a high-stakes game At noon. To them, it perfectly encapsulates an extraordinary Christmas.
The reigning NBA champions, who reportedly felt left out in last year’s Christmas program, are now firmly on the league’s premier slate. They are set to face the San Antonio Spurs as part of the annual five-game holiday extravaganza. Full schedule, all times Eastern, starting at noon cleveland In New York, after 2:: Spurs in Thunder on green-background[30] 5 p.m., Dallas at Golden State, Houston Los Angeles Lakers 8 p.m., and 10 p.m. in Denver, Minnesota::on green background[30] at o’clock
Williams expressed his excitement, saying: “As a basketball player, I think you grow up – in fact, if you’re a sports fan, you grow up watching games on Christmas. It’s really cool to be able to be a part of it. What Time We Play, 1::green-background[30] (central)? Yeah, we’re like good sports. eg, 1::green-background[30]The gifts have already been opened and everyone is watching the game. “I’m really looking forward to it.”
For most of the Thunder squad, this will mark the beginning of Christmas Day; Only Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso scored in the first holiday match. Conversely, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama will be making his second Christmas appearance, after an impressive 42-point, 18-rebound performance against New York last year. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault acknowledged the opportunity: “It’s a big day for the NBA and guys are excited to play on that slate. At the end of the day it’s one of 82, but it’s an elevated situation because of the attention on the game and the noise around it. It’s a good experience for any team and certainly for us.”
The Thunder boast an NBA-best 26-4 record this season, though notably, they are 0-2 against the Spurs, who most recently beat them 130-110 and ousted them in the NBA Cup semifinals earlier this month. Wembanyama anticipates a fierce rematch, commenting that the Thunder are “probably going to be more locked in than any time before.”
During this time, Lebron JamesThe man synonymous with the league’s biggest stages is set for his 20th Christmas Day game with the Lakers, if he plays. This remarkable feat surpasses the total Christmas attendance of 17 current NBA franchises. Despite the honour, James admitted: “I would much rather be at home with my FamilyBut it’s a game, it’s a game I love, it’s a game I watched on Christmas days as a kid, watched many of the greatest players play the game on Christmas, It has always been an honor to play it, I’m going to be completely honest: I would love to be at home on the couch with my family all day, but my turn has come, our turn has come, so we have to go out and perform,”
James’ extensive Christmas Day career means the record books will need further updates. He already holds the all-time Christmas records for games played, points (507), wins (11), field goals (180), and is tied with James Harden for 3-pointers (31). He is also close to breaking the records for assists (second with 137, eight behind Oscar Robertson), steals (second with 28, two behind Russell Westbrook), and free throws (second with 116, nine behind Robertson). In rebounding, James is sixth with 143, behind Dolph Schayes, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Wes Unseld and Bill Russell.
In addition to James, other sharpshooters can climb the 3-point leader board. Dallas’ Klay Thompson entered the day third with 27 Christmas 3-pointers, just ahead of Golden State Stephen Curry and Houston’s Kevin Durant.
While some teams are perennial fixtures, others continue their long wait for a Christmas Day slot. Sacramento hasn’t played since 2003, Indiana hasn’t played since 2004 (they might have gotten a nod this year if Tyrese Haliburton hadn’t been injured in Game 7 of the NBA Finals), and Detroit hasn’t played since 2005. To put it in perspective, Seattle, which has not had a team for nearly two decades, last played on Christmas in 2007, more recent than the Kings, Pacers and Pistons. Orlando’s last appearance was in 2011, and Chicago’s in 2016. In contrast, Boston’s nine-year Christmas appearance streak ended this year.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Lakers are celebrating their 27th consecutive Christmas Day game, while Golden State is celebrating its 13th consecutive season. Stephen Curry, whose Warriors recently won their second straight to go 15-15, commented: “Excited for another big game on Christmas Day. The vibe is good right now.”
This year also sees the Christmas debut of Dallas’ Cooper Flagg, who turns 19 this week. If he plays, Flagg will become the fourth-youngest player to appear in a Christmas game, behind Kobe Bryant, Bill Willoughby and James, who were all 18 years old during their first holiday contest.
Kevin Durant’s holiday trip is particularly notable; He is set to play for a fifth different team (and sixth different jersey) at Christmas. Having previously played for Seattle, Oklahoma City, Golden State and Brooklyn, he has now added his team the Rockets from last summer to the list. Only Shaquille O’Neal (Orlando, Lakers, Miami, Phoenix, Cleveland, Boston) has played for more teams on Christmas, with Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony also playing for five franchises.
A notable feature of this year’s schedule is the dominance of the Western Conference, with eight of the ten participating teams being from the West. This marks the most representation in a conference at Christmas since 1978, when eight of the then 11 Eastern Conference teams were selected. The last time there were more teams playing on Christmas in the East than in the West was 2004. Since then, including this year, the holiday event has seen an equal East-West split ten times, while the West has selected more teams on eleven occasions.