New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets tangled on Christmas day for one of the classic games of the season.
The 77th edition of the NBA Christmas Day is kicking off with Suns visiting the Knicks in New York. There will be five matchups on Wednesday night and superstars like LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant will be in action. Ahead of the 2024 Christmas Day, let’s go through the top five best Christmas Day games in NBA history.
This match will be remembered for the great matchup between Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, who turned into the rivals after playing the NBA finals together in 2004. Kobe led Lakers with 42 points and Shaq added a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Dwayne Wade paced the Heat with 29 points while Eddie Jones chipped in 18. O’Neal had the last laugh with a 104-102 win against his former team.
A low scoring affair between Bulls and Lakers is surely an NBA classic, thanks to a thrilling end to the contest. MVP contender, Derrick Rose scored 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting for the Bulls. Carlos Boozer added 15 and Luol Deng had 21 points.
Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points and Pau Gasol chipped in 14. Steve Blake scored 12 points off the bench for the Lakers, who fell short of one point in 88-87 loss. Bryant buzzer-beater was denied by Deng and Rose scored a winner in the final seconds.
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Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks played out one of the best Christmas Day games in the recent time. Celtics had a 13-point lead with six minutes remaining in the game but defending champions pulled off a comeback which ended with Wesley Matthews’ clutch three. 2021 NBA Champions held the nerves to win the game 117-113.
Reigning NBA Finals MVP, Giannis Antetekounmpo scored 36 points on his return. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday added 17 points apiece. For Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 25 points. Payton Pritchard added 16 points off the bench.
Caves and Warriors met on the Christmas Day after featuring against each other in NBA Finals 2016. The Caves, who were sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference rallied a comeback to win the game 109-108. Kyrie Irving scored 25 and led the fourth quarter comeback for the Caves through a clutch late shot with four seconds left.
Lebron James dropped a team-high 31 points while Kevin Love chipped in 20. The Warriors were paced by Kevin Durant who finished with 36 points and Klay Thompson contributed 24 points. Steph Curry managed only 15 points.
New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets tangled on Christmas day for one of the classic games of the season. This game will be memorable for Bernard King’s one-man show against the Nets. King scored 60 points and 7 rebound to set a new record of scoring most points on Christmas Day.
Rory Sparrow and Pat Cummings had 13 points each for the Knicks. Michael Ray Richardson led Nets with 36 points. New York Knicks lost the game 120-114 but this game became a memorable game in the history of NBA Christmas Day.
Special Mention:
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics – 2008
Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers – 2016
Image Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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