The NBA has released the 10 teams scheduled to play on Christmas Day and it is full of FIRE! All 10 teams were participants in the playoffs last year, and the match-ups feature a lot of “what would have been” juice for us to look forward to. Thanks to this early gift from Santa, TSA is going to break down and predict each game for you, thanks in part to a few of our NBA heads!

Bucks @ Knicks

JR- We get the #1 overall team in the NBA from the ‘22 season versus the revamped New York Vibe! Thanks to a big injury to Giannis, the landscape of last year’s playoffs changed for good! The emergence of Jalen Brunson in New York has become a breath of fresh air. It’s redemption versus a “prove it” team. I’m taking Milwaukee 107-99.

Iggy – Playing at Madison Square Garden on Xmas day is a once in a lifetime experience, even for those in the NBA. It is a great game to kickoff the day and two great teams will be on the floor.
The Bucks finished as the number one team last season, but had the misfortune of having their best player being injured when they needed him most. Luckily the Bucks were able to retain their core four with the resigning of B. Lopez and K. Middleton. They also have G. Allen, P. Connaughton, B. Portis, and J. Crowder. Arguably the deepest squad in the NBA.

The Knicks are on the rise and have a bonafide star in J. Brunson to lead the charge back to the playoffs. The Knicks went further than the Bucks in the Eastern playoffs, and currently have momentum on their side. If they will have enough come this game is a matter of the future. MIL 113 – NY 102

Rico – Last season didn’t go as planned for Giannis and the Bucks. Coming off an injury he should be ready to go for this Christmas Day matchup. The Bucks did manage to bring back “Cash Money” Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, while also bringing in another shooter in Malik Beasley and Robin Lopez. They will also have a new head coach in Adrian Griffin leading the charge for the team. Consistency is key for them as they have most of their team returning. 

New York is going to be a madhouse come Christmas Day because the Garden will be rocking! Not much will have changed for them as a whole in terms of their roster. Obi Toppin is now in Indiana, Donte DiVincenzo is now in the building, and they gave Josh Hart an extension. Do they have enough to win their second Christmas Day game in 3 seasons? I think not. Milwaukee 105-Knicks 90

76ers @ Heat

JR- This game would have been a much bigger redemption game had we not just witnessed another drama moment for the 76ers. This team is one bad tweet/post away from a meltdown, fresh off of a very disappointing exit from the playoffs and has a lot to prove to show its fanbase that they can still contend for a title. The Heat are going to try and reincarnate that playoff magic that got them to the NBA Finals. Plus, the Heat are getting their sharpshooter, Tyler Heero, back. Its looking to me like a win for the Heat 92-88. 

Rico – Drama galore is running rampant in the city of Brotherly Love…and not much love is to be found. Harden wants his money and also to be traded. The trust between he and Darryl Morey is all but gone, leaving one question that not too many people may be asking…what does Joel Embiid do? He has essentially been “The Process” for the entirety of his career in Philadelphia, but after a certain point…is it time to ask out of Philadelphia? Oh, and also Nick Nurse is now coaching this team amidst all the drama. Philly is in for a ride this year.

The big question everyone is asking about the Miami Heat…what will this team look like without Gabe Vincent? 😂 I digress, but seriously though…will Damian Lillard be the missing piece to get them back to the Finals and over the hump with Jimmy Butler? As we all watched them make it to the Finals from the 8 seed, you had to think sooner or later they would run out of gas. They did. Now with the potential of a Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, and Damian Lillard trio on the horizon, is this what gets them back to basketball immortality? Will Miami decide to go another route if they strike out on Lillard? One thing in all of this is certain…this game will be nothing short of a show. Philadelphia 87-Miami 101

Iggy – Miami is hosting Philadelphia who is a mess to say the least. It will feature the reigning MVP, J. Embiid, and the Eastern Conference Finals MVP, J. Butler, who are former teammates. This could be a marquee match up and national display for one or both future hall of fame members. Whichever team is healthy has the best chance of winning this game. It is difficult to predict who will be but MIA 94 – PHI 90

Warriors @ Nuggets

Iggy – The past two champions square off in this Christmas thriller. It will likely be the best matchup if not the most watched. The Nuggets begin the title defense against the Lakers and have the marquee game against the Warriors. Bright light games seem to have a positive effect on the Nuggets. The Warriors are led by the usual suspects but did get a 19th overall pick and this season could be to the Warriors dynasty what Donuts was for Dilla.

The Nuggets are up and coming, and will be difficult to dethrone. A rowdy Ball Arena makes it difficult for anyone to win as they only lost one playoff game in the postseason. Jokic and Murray could be the most dynamic duo for the rest of the decade and a national audience will be a fine display. DEN 124 – GS 109

Rico – The Warriors dynasty doesn’t seem like it wants to end, and their Big 3 have a lot to say about it. After winning the title in ‘22, they fell short of repeating after losing to the Lakers in the Western Conference Semis. They felt like they needed a change, and they decided to make a splash. Trading CP3 for Jordan Poole and re-signing Draymond Green were their big off-season moves. Now with a team that is heavy on veteran leadership, is this the last time we see the core make a run? Klay Thompson is looking for a 💰this upcoming off-season, but is the front office going to make it happen to keep this team together? All of this while Chris Paul is looking to finally hoist up the Larry O’Brien trophy himself.

Ahh the Nuggets. The hunter is now the hunted and they look primed and ready to defend their title. With two time MVP and Finals MVP Nikola Jokic leading them it’s hard to bet against this team. Most of their championship team is returning with the exception of Jeff Green and Bruce Brown. The playoff experience that Christian Braun got last year will be a key component for them and their depth going into this season. This should be the best game to watch on Christmas Day. Golden State 130-Denver 132

JR – This is the 2nd game I really want to watch and you should too. Why? It’s New Champ versus Old Champ. The Warriors were one series away from playing the Nuggets in what could’ve been a better story than “AD vs Jokic” or the “Age of Lebron.” Although the Nuggets lost a couple of players from their championship team (as expected with any team that wins it all), I think this team will show their method wasn’t a fluke. The Warriors should be in full health this time of the season, and  allowed Jordan Poole (and whatever locker room drama he possessed) to head to Washington, acquired Chris Paul and so on. Call me crazy, but I think these two teams will show the world they’re headed for deep playoff runs, if not the NBA Finals. I’m going Dubs in this match-up, but it’s going to be a barn-burner. Denver 115-113 in OT.

Mavs @ Suns

JR – This is going to be an interesting match-up because both teams are having very odd offseasons. After seemingly selling the farm to acquire Kevin Durant, the Suns then went a step further and acquired Bradley Beal in a deal that looked to almost choke off the cap space of the Suns. All of “X” (including me) seems to call this team the “Brooklyn Nets of the West,” though that team made the playoffs too. Now, the Mavs acquired traveling hoop god Kyrie Irving, in an experiment that seemed to, well, fail by all means. The team gave away pieces dating back to Jalen Brunson, then let other key players walk, and now they’re trying their hand at executing with 2 star guards. Idk. The match up between KD and Kyrie will be nice, but I hope this is the early game so it’ll be on in the background. Suns over Dallas, 92 – 85.

Rico – The Luka-Kyrie duo is back in action, but what else can Dallas do? These two obviously create one of the most potent backcourts in the association, but their defense isn’t stellar. They have no size at the center position and wing depth isn’t looking good either. They did get Grant Williams, which will be a solid addition to this team. Are they good enough to beat the Suns though? 

Phoenix was…where do I even start? Acquiring KD mid-season last year, then trading for Bradley Beal to also go along with Devin Booker…it’s clear why a lot of people have them as their title favorites. Not me though. Lack of depth was their downfall last year and they looked to fix that this year…sorta. While this team has the makings of a title contender, I’m not too sure what happens with them and Ayton going forward. One thing here to note…KD will show out on Christmas. Dallas 89-Phoenix 123

Iggy – This has become a new age rivalry since the moment Luka belittled Booker, CP3 and the Suns. The Suns organization may have changed from top to bottom, but Booker is there and as the face of the franchise and has had three painful playoff series losses to shoulder as the foundation. Luka is in a similar boat as the Mavs had an epic collapse that had several questioning their moves.

Kyrie Irving was signed by the Mavericks despite how awful they were together last year. The Mavericks drafted a 7’ 1” Center out of Duke, Dereck Lively II. They desperately need a center and Dallas has difficulty getting a Center in free agency. This should help them but Dallas is weak at the Wing-D and it could hamper them all season. G. Williams and Seth Curry are nice fill ins but Dallas will have trouble with the Suns on Xmas. PHX 108 – DAL 101

Celtics vs Lakers

D’Ante – Boy oh boy! As a Celtics fan, I can’t tell you how much this game excites me! After a failed opportunity to capture Banner #18 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics entered the offseason with more questions than answers. The Celtics went ahead and traded for Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team trade that unfortunately sent our heart and soul on defense Marcus Smart to the Grizzlies. The C’s then went ahead and extended Jaylen Brown, giving him a 5 year, $304 million max contract after much speculation and trade rumors. The Celtics are looking to extend Tatum next. Can this trio of Tatum, Brown and Porzingis do well enough to be a top contender in the East? Only time & health will tell…

On the other side of the NBA, the Lakers look to re-establish themselves as one of the best teams in the West after a surprise run deep in the playoffs that ended with a 0-4 sweep to the future NBA champions Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. They extended core players such as Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura, who truly shined in both the regular season and more so in the playoffs. The biggest headline of the Lakers is the extension of a Mr. Anthony Davis, who was given a 3 year, $186 million max; whether or not he deserves $62 million a year remains to be seen. LeBron isn’t getting any younger as he approaches his 20th season in the NBA, so the Lakers need to win a championship with the core they have now. Can AD and LeBron establish themselves as a dominant top-heavy team in the West? We shall see… FINAL SCORE: CELTICS 130-122

Rico – 5 years/$303.7 million. That’s how much Boston gave Jaylen Brown in his extension. They want to go all in and make sure they have the best chance to win. Brown and Jason Tatum are the future of this franchise, but can everyone else on the roster step up to get them back on top? Trading away Marcus Smart while also acquiring Kristaps Porzingis are big time moves for this team. We know what Brown and Tatum are capable of; can everyone else on the roster step up?

The Lakers have been BUSY this off-season! Anthony Davis got his money, they brought back Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and D’Angelo Russell, but they didn’t stop there. Now on this roster you have Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, and Cam Reddish. They got guys who filled important needs for this team: size and wing depth. Now the big question: can we get a healthy LeBron/AD combo this season? They still have the bad taste in their mouth of being swept in the WCF, and we all know Father Time is undefeated. Boston 102-Los Angeles Lakers 118

Iggy – In the middle slot, and likely the most watched time slot the iconic game of BOS vs LAL will take center stage. It’s an all-time matchup as Lebron, AD, and the west coast Lakers, host the east coast Boston Celtics. Tatum and Brown are locked together for the next few years and they have a way of turning up in big games. Lebron only has a few more Xmas games, but Boston has a squad ready for redemption BOS 119 – LA 112

JR –  If it ain’t broke… The C’s are looking to come into this season strong after a disappointing end to their season. On the plus, their All-Star Jaylen Brown got his bag with a new 5-year deal. That should alleviate any pressure and allow Jaylen to continue to build with his team. On the other side, the Lakers have been busy filling in holes and fortifying this team around All-Stars AD and Lebron. After a somewhat surprisingly deep run in the playoffs, this team is out to prove it all wasn’t a fluke. Call me a homer but give me the Lakers 107-102

You want to hear our follow up? Find it on X/Twitter with Rico and D’Ante’s series ‘Off the Backboard,’ and let us know your thoughts in the comment section below. Oh, and please give us a follow!