The 2020-2021 NBA season is scheduled to tip off on December 22, with the league starting in time to conduct games on Christmas Day. With Christmas Day just a few weeks away, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski released the tentative slate of games.
Of course, the NBA games could be altered due to issues with COVID-19 or other events that could arise. But for now, the New Orleans Pelicans and Miami Heat will kickstart Christmas Day with a matchup between Zion Williamson and the defending Eastern Conference Champions.
Then, the Golden State Warriors — minus Klay Thompson — will square off with the Milwaukee Bucks. Without a doubt, there will be chatter about Giannis Antetokounmpo and whether or not he joins the Warriors next NBA offseason to form a superteam.
Following the Warriors and Bucks game, the Brooklyn Nets will get a chance to showcase their NBA duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the national stage. At the same time, Irving will return to Boston, where he played just two seasons ago.
In the two later NBA games, both Los Angeles teams will take part in the Christmas Day festivities, but not against one another. Instead, the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Dallas Mavericks, who had some hard-fought games with the Lakers last season with Luke Doncic against LeBron James.
To cap off the night of NBA games, it will be a rematch of the Western Conference Semi-Finals between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets. While the Clippers held a 3-1 lead in the series, it was the Nuggets who emerged victorious, advancing to face the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.
Similar to most seasons, despite the ongoing issue with COVID-19, the NBA has compiled an intriguing slate of games for Christmas Day.