The holidays are here, and five can’t-to-miss matches are underway NBA leaderboard – and our team of reporters are watching every second!
Follow up on Christmas Day, like Yaron Weitzman, Buchou Ric and Melissa Rohlin share their key takeaways from each primetime competition.
Philadelphia 76ers 119, New York Knicks 112
Current position: The Sixers are currently 20-12 and are currently on an eight-game winning streak. The Knicks are currently losing 18-16 and have lost three games in a row.
Key stats: Joel Embiid continues to assert himself as the best player in the game. He is leading the league in goals and scored 35 points in Sunday’s win.
Main lesson: The story of this game — before and during — is James Harden. An hour before kick-off, we received the bomb, courtesy of Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPNthat Harden is “seriously considering a return.” Houston rocket in free agency this July.” Then in the game, Harden scored the Knicks 29 points and 13 assists while helping lead the 76ers to a 119-112 win at Madison Square Garden This win was the Sixers’ eighth in a row, and it represented what the team envisioned when pairing Harden with Embiid.Two players dominate (Embiid has 35 points on 12 to 22), who , when at their best, form an invincible combination. It’s always a matter of whether the stars care and are willing to work together. Games like this show what they look like. How they work Reports like the one that came out this morning is understandable why you still have doubts. — Yaron Weitzman
Dallas Mavericks 124, Los Angeles Lakers 115
Current position: Both LA and Dallas have performed poorly this season. The Lakers are leading 13-20 and have now lost four games in a row. The Mavs are currently 18-16 and have won three games in a row.
Key stats: This season, Mavs is currently 15-6 when Luka Dončić score 31 and above. But today I’m not alone, because christian wood bring up 30 and Tim Hardaway Jr. count 26.
Main lesson: Mavericks dare LeBron James to defeat them – the Lakers dared not do the same to Dončić. In the end, Dallas’ cockfighting style proved to be better to win 124-115. The Lakers and James, as they often have this season, looked like a formidable opponent from the start but faded away later. Meanwhile, concerns about Dončić’s supporting cast seem to be well-founded in the first 24 minutes. Forcing the ball out of his hand by double hitting him as soon as he crosses half the court worked extremely well, as Hardaway and Spencer Dinwiddie Shoot combinations 1 to 10 for a total of three points. Meanwhile, Mavs was content to selectively run second defender with James, and he took full advantage, scoring 18 points in the first half when he shot a 9 to 13 to take the lead. 11 points for the Lakers during halftime.
But that all changed in the third quarter. The Lakers continued to double down on Dončić, but faster decisions and better ball movements overall led to a 3 second opening. After missing 12 of 17 long-range attempts in the first half, the Mavs buried 7 of 11 attempts in the third half and limited the Lakers to 1-6 in the same range, all leading. to a 31-point turnaround, Dallas had a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. James added 20 points in the second half for a game-high 38, but half of that came from the free-throw line in the final time after the result had been decided. Dončić, having expended the least amount of energy in the first half, came to life: 22 points, seven assists (no revenue) and six rebounds to complete a table and a dime short. to make a double. — Buchou Ric
Boston Celtics 139, Milwaukee Bucks 118
Current position: With victory, Boston still tops the East with a score of 24-10. Milwaukee is currently 11/22, as it awaits the return of Kris Middleton once again.
Key stats: Jayson Tatum came out for Boston in the biggest game of the season so far, scoring 41 points from 14 of 22 shots, seven rebounds and five assists. The Celtics are leading 15-3 this season when Tatum scores 30 points or more, 5-1 when he scores 40 or more and 12-2 when he shoots 50% or more from the field.
Main lesson: Still have to come!
Memphis Grizzlies @ Golden State Warriors
Current position: Memphis and the Golden State are going in two different directions. Grizz is second in the West with a score of 20-11, but has the same record as the top team (Denver). They also won 8 of the last 10 matches. The Warriors are 11th in the West with a score of 15-18 and have lost 7 of the last 9 games.
Key stats: Are from Steph curry With a shoulder injury, the Warriors are leading 1-3. And even though they got a 16-point win at Toronto on December 18, their three losses since Curry’s injury averaged 26.7 points.
Main lesson: Still have to come!
Current position: Denver is contested as the best team in the league, topping the West with a 20-11 scoreline and having won six of its last seven games. Phoenix, the West’s top team from a year ago, finished fourth in the convention 19-14, but won only three of its last 10 games.
Key stats: Defending MVP Nikola Jokić is supposed to be getting better. He averages 24.9 points, 10.9 rebounds and is third in the NBA in assists, with 9.3. He is the only non-scoring defender in the top 10 for assists and the only center in the top 37 (Embiid is 38th with 4.6 assists per game). ). Jokić was also the first in the tournament in triples (six) and doubles (22) this season.
Main lesson: Still have to come!
Yaron Weitzman is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He is the author of “Reaching to the Top: Philadelphia 76ers and the boldest run in professional sports history.” Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman.
Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He has previously written for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, “Rebound,” about NBA forward Brian Grant’s battle with young-onset Parkinson’s disease, and “Yao: A Life In Two Worlds.” He also has a daily podcast, “On The Ball with Ric Bucher.” Follow him on Twitter @Ric Bucher.
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the tournament for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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