Does the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule mean anything?
As we power rank the 10 teams playing on this yuletide holiday, it is an interesting question in the aftermath of the NBA Cup, which made early-season games feel more meaningful.
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Unlike the NFL’s three-game Christas Day slate, which boasts only two playoff-bound teams across three mostly meaningless games, the NBA’s five games feature 10 potential postseason teams, including nine of the 10 betting favorites to win the championship.
Only a few games separate the vast majority of guaranteed playoff berths in both conferences, leaving open the playoff picture. Each of these games means something.
Beyond that, they should be good games to watch (all times Eastern) …
(Yahoo Sports)
Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (12 p.m., ABC, ESPN) The two preseason favorites to emerge from the Eastern Conference. As the Cavs are struggling, this is a fascinating early test of their mettle, or lack thereof. Can they hang?
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San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder (2:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN) A budding rivalry. After starting the season 24-1, the Thunder have lost three of their last five games, and two of those losses have been delivered by Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs.
Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors (5 p.m., ABC, ESPN) Cooper Flagg vs. Stephen Curry. This year’s No. 1 pick, a future face of the league, vs. the league’s most breathtaking talent, certainly one of the few defining players of this century.
Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers (8 p.m., ABC, ESPN) Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James — with a ton of talent around them, including Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Just a powerhouse game.
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets (10:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN) The Wolves, led by Anthony Edwards, have made two straight Western Conference finals, and the Nuggets, led by the incredible Nikola Jokić, won the 2023 title. A battle out West.
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Now, let’s power rank them.
(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
A new motto for the once-proud Warriors, via coach Steve Kerr: “There is something beautiful in the quest. Because we love it so much, because we love what we do, there really is a beauty in the collaboration, the journey, the quest to hang in there and maybe reach the mountaintop one more time. You just can’t quantify it. But we all know inside what that journey means to us.”
Cooper Flagg celebrated his 19th birthday. Nobody but LeBron James and Kobe Bryant scored more points in the NBA at so young an age. “He’s playing high-level basketball at the age of 18,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. “Through Duke and his first couple of weeks here, he’s been playing extremely well, and we believe at the age of 19 it’s just going to get better.” Watch out.
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Coach Kenny Atkinson is downplaying his Cavs’ struggles. “I call it ‘the dip,’” he said. “You’ve got to manage the dip. It’s really important. Very rare does [the season] just go [on an upward trajectory]. Maybe OKC this year; that’s one team in this league. … Everybody else, we’re going through the ups and downs; kinda normal in an NBA season.” (This is not normal for Cleveland.)
Wolves coach Chris Finch was run by the officials from their win over the Thunder, but his outburst, which spurred Minnesota to the upset, could be the motivation this team needed to recapture its back-to-back Western Conference finals juju. “I’ve never seen him run on the court,” said Naz Reid. “I’ll take it. It got us going, flipped the script. It was exciting to see.”
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LeBron James has a pretty good idea of why the Lakers are so good. “It’s Luka Magic,” he said. “He’s just so damn good. It’s ridiculous.” And coach JJ Redick has a pretty good idea of what it takes to succeed around James and Luka Dončić. “Defend and shoot 3s,” he said. Now, to contend, the Lakers need more players who can do both. Maybe they will fall into their laps, too.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka didn’t mince words when his team blew a game to Sacramento after a big win over Denver the night before. “We had a game yesterday that we were much more motivated for,” he said. “Just to let the [Kings] hang around the way that we did was a lot due to us. … I’ve got to do a better job of getting them motivated in games against lesser opponents.”
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Devin Vassell issued a word of warning to the NBA for whenever Victor Wembanyama — playing his way back from a calf strain — returns to his regular workload for the Spurs, who have won seven straight (save for the Cup final): “The impact he has on both ends of the floor is just amazing. And to see that he’s doing it on a minutes restriction, the league is in trouble.”
Still fresh from an MVP effort in the NBA Cup, Jalen Brunson showed out in another win over Miami. “You want to have an MVP on your side,” said Knicks coach Mike Brown. “For him to score 47 points, 15 for 26 from the field, 6 of 13 from 3, 11 of 11 from the line, and dish out eight assists … that’s what MVPs are supposed to do.” And, yes, Brunson is in that conversation.
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Nikola Jokić submits a new entry into the MVP discussion every night. In fact, Jokić — already a three-time winner of the award — has been so good, so consistently, that David Adelman is running out of ways to characterize the planet’s best player. “The efficiency has been through the roof,” the Nugs coach said. “He’s just having a hell of a season, man. That’s all I can say.”
Every year, we can quibble over whether the NBA’s schedule-makers aced the annual Christmas Day showcase — whether some fan base or another has cause to feel aggrieved over its squad not getting the brightest possible spotlight (we see you, Detroit!) or whether one participant or another has ridden too long on the struggle bus this season to make for a particularly compelling watch (hey there, Mavs-Warriors!). But while the powers that be are unlikely to ever fully nail all 10 teams and all five games, they have, inarguably, seeded the holiday slate with plenty of eye-catching talent.
The 2025 Christmas quintuple-header features the defending NBA champions, eight top-10 offenses and six top-10 defenses. We’ll (hopefully) see as many as five Most Valuable Player winners, including last year’s winner and runner-up, 10 of last season’s 15 All-NBA selections (though Evan Mobley’s likely to miss it with his calf strain) and more than 25 players who’ve earned an All-Star nod — plus a few more who might be on the verge of cracking that list themselves.
(Henry Russell/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
The NBA’s Christmas lineup should offer tons for fans to feast on: rivalries old and new, bona fide legends and new stars to get more familiar with … and, with any luck, a handful of games that stay tight late, treating those who’ve popped in between eggnog and dessert to a reminder of just how awesome highly competitive NBA basketball can be.
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As we get set to tear open the presents and cut into the fruitcake, let’s take a look at the five most interesting players — to me! — on the NBA’s 2025 Christmas schedule, with one from each game. We begin with someone who’s having arguably the best all-around season of his career … 11 years, more than 700 games and nearly 24,000 minutes into it:
Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
Glance at the box score, and it looks like KAT’s having a down year. He’s shooting a career-low 47.7% from the field. His 3-point percentage is lower than it’s been since his rookie season. His scoring — per game, per minute and per possession — are all down from last year. And nights like Sunday, when Towns scored just two points in 29 minutes against the Heat — his lowest-scoring game in more than eight years — don’t exactly help.
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Look closer, though, and you’ll see that in the second half against Miami — when the Knicks seized control, built a double-digit lead and closed out their 20th win — New York outscored the Heat by seven points in Towns’ minutes, despite him making one measly basket.
Jalen Brunson going full-on Human Torch had plenty to do with that. But so did Towns finding a way to put his fingerprints on the game even when his shot wasn’t falling.
He leveraged his reputational gravity as a knockdown shooter to lift Miami’s bigs out of the paint, creating wider driving lanes. He tapped out offensive rebounds to extend possessions, made the extra pass, and set pin-in screens to give shooters an extra half-second to let it fly. And on the defensive end, he worked hard to box out and contest without fouling, delivered timely dig-downs on drivers, and dove on the floor to finish plays:
Trading for Towns was a bet that his suite of offensive skills would complement Brunson and New York’s wing corps well enough to generate a championship-caliber attack. So far, so good: Even amid Towns’ “down” season — one in which he’s one of just 17 players averaging 22 points per game on .600 true shooting, by the way, which is a hell of a definition of “down” — the Knicks rank No. 2 in the NBA in offensive efficiency, behind only the Nuggets.
KAT doesn’t record many blocks or steals, but he’s been making his presence felt when he contests a shot. Opponents are shooting 57.4% at the rim when he’s defending this season, according to Second Spectrum, his lowest percentage in six years. Being very big and in the right places can be very valuable, especially when you’re also elite at finishing possessions; Towns ranks fourth in the NBA in defensive rebounding rate. And while Towns often got roasted last season by pull-up shooters when playing drop coverage in the pick-and-roll, he’s proven to be much more effective when new head coach Mike Brown plays him higher on the floor — guarding mobile 4s and 5s in space, trapping and blitzing ball-handlers up top, and switching onto bigger wings on the perimeter.
It’s all added up to Towns — someone most fans have long since categorized as a bad defender — sitting tied for 23rd in the NBA in defensive estimated plus-minus, by far the best mark of his career, and placing him in the 94th percentile of NBA defenders this season. Whether he can keep that up as the Knicks move through the toughest stretches of their schedule and through what they expect to be a long postseason run remains to be seen. That he’s done it at all, though, has been a major development for a Knicks team trying to find the right two-way formula to advance to the NBA Finals — and a testament to the ability of even players we treat like known quantities to surprise us.
When you watch San Antonio, and you look elsewhere, you know who tends to grab your eye? No. 5 — the dude sprinting past point-of-attack defenders, bodying up the league’s best scorers, finishing through contact on the interior, and looking like his whole skeleton is made of vibranium:
Only nine players have averaged 18 points and seven assists per game by their age-21 season: Dončić, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, LeBron James, Trae Young, Ja Morant and LaMelo Ball. Castle’s on pace to become the 10th. He’s also pulling in more than five rebounds per game. Add that filter and the peer group dwindles down to just Magic, LeBron, Luka and LaMelo.
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So: You’ve got an electric athlete with great positional size, a relentless motor, a willingness to attack the glass, a penchant for spoon-feeding his teammates easy buckets, the ability to get downhill against damn near anybody, and a scoring profile that verges on top-flight efficiency — a .606 true shooting percentage, well above the league average of .582. That would be an awfully valuable player even if that guy wasn’t an excellent defender. Castle, however, grades out as a top-15 backcourt defender, according to EPM.
To put a finer point on it: According to The BBall Index’s tracking, Castle is one of just three players in the NBA to rank in the 95th percentile or better in average matchup difficulty, perimeter isolation defense and ball screen navigation. The list includes Dyson Daniels, who made the All-Defensive First Team last season, and Ausar Thompson, who very well could be on his way to making it this season. (It also includes Utah guard Svi Mykhailiuk, which makes me think I should watch the Jazz a little more closely?)
(Yahoo Sports)
It would be inaccurate to say that a top-five pick that won Rookie of the Year is unsung or overlooked. It does feel fair to note, however, that it’s not exactly easy to find your own sliver of sunlight when you play in the context of the kind of outsized shadow cast by Wembanyama. But the recent NBA Cup knockout rounds helped illuminate just how exciting Castle is — a precocious sophomore with a veteran’s ability to play through physicality who seems to be getting better at everything, with the exception of 3-point shooting. (And even there, he’s made 40.6% of his triples since returning from a hip injury.) Coming off a pair of victories over the Thunder, another marquee matchup against SGA and the rest of OKC’s perimeter demons might help make it even clearer why the Spurs are reportedly unwilling to even consider including Castle (or ace rookie reserve Dylan Harper) in all those much-trade-machined proposals for the Greek fella up in Wisconsin, or any other superstar who might become available.
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Until Castle can curb the turnovers and more consistently knock down his jumpers, he won’t reach the upper echelon of the NBA; he’s not a superstar in his own right just yet. Considering how fast he’s become this good, though — and how quickly the Spurs became a top-three team in the West — you can hardly blame San Antonio’s brass for preferring to sit tight and wait to see if he can’t just become one.
Cooper Flagg, Mavericks
It became very clear very quickly that the Flagg-as-point-guard experiment was going to have diminishing returns for the Dallas offense. It also became very clear very quickly, though, that given how hard Flagg was trying to make it work, and how damn good he still looked while wearing a particularly ill-fitting suit, that he’d be a stunner just as soon as Jason Kidd found another — or, really, a — point guard to put next to him.
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And for the last month and a half, the 18-year-old from Maine has looked like the very heights of fashion. Straight-off-the-runway, peak Russ tunnel fit stuff. The Blue Devil wears Prada; hold the Adrian Grenier.
In the 23 games since the Mavs started putting a point guard in the starting lineup and sliding the galloping 6-foot-9 gazelle off the ball to more frequently serve as a finisher than an initiator, Flagg has averaged 20.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game on 51% shooting. Just for reference, 20-6-4-1-1 while making half your shots isn’t, like, “good for a rookie.” It’s a stat line that only 16 players have managed for a full season since the NBA started tracking blocks and steals in 1973. Twelve of them are Hall of Famers; the four that aren’t are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid. So, y’know: Pretty decent company.
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Granted, doing that for a quarter of the season isn’t the same as doing it for a full campaign. It’s worth noting, though, that the arrow just keeps pointing upward. Since Kidd decided that the point guard starting shouldn’t be D’Angelo Russell, Flagg’s up to 21.8 points per game on 52% shooting. And since Kidd tossed rookie Ryan Nembhard the keys (and Davis got healthy), Flagg’s up to 24.1 points and 4.8 assists per game on 53% shooting, including 58% on 2-pointers.
As Flagg’s workload increases, so does his production and efficiency. Over the last 12 games, he’s posting a .608 true shooting percentage while finishing nearly 26% of Dallas’ offensive possessions with a shot attempt, foul drawn or turnover. That’s star-caliber stuff from a kid who wasn’t even alive when the PlayStation 3 came out.
Flagg hasn’t looked much like a kid in close-and-late situations. In fact, he’s been Dallas’ go-to guy when crunch time rolls around.
Still: 51% inside the arc in crunch time, primarily on self-created buckets where he’s putting his head down and bulldozing through tough defenders in isolation … 83% from the foul line on clutch free throws … with just three turnovers in 96 minutes while toting a 25.5% clutch usage rate? Not bad at all for a just-turned-19-year-old only beginning to learn the league in the midst of rampant organizational upheaval and a raft of injuries to the supposedly load-bearing core pieces around him.
There’s still plenty of work ahead: in developing a jumper threatening enough to dissuade defenders from going under on his ball screens and daring him to either shoot or beat them to the spot; in building the kind of functional strength that’ll keep burlier forwards from playing bully-ball against him on the block, like Saddiq Bey did in Dallas’ loss to the Pelicans on Monday; in braiding together the strands of two-way brilliance he’s shown into the consistency that makes an All-Star. As we look toward what Flagg will be, though, it’s worth appreciating what he is: a friggin’ monster who really has no business being this good this young, and who’s already an absolute joy to watch, night in and night out.
LeBron James, Lakers
For years — decades, even — James has traveled in rarefied air, soaring through the record books and historical ranks in pursuit of what will be one of the most elevated and prominent spots in the NBA’s all-time constellation of superstars. Which is why it arched a few eyebrows when he spent part of his 23rd media day session talking about “moving into space.”
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“I spent a lot of time [this offseason] on my catch-and-shoot 3-pointers […] understanding how I can make the most of when I don’t have the ball — you know, moving into space,” James told reporters back in September. “Obviously, Luka and [Austin Reaves are] gonna do a lot of time handling the ball. […] So how can I still be effective on a team where I don’t have to handle the ball as much?”
What sounded at the time like it might’ve been just a savvy vet saying all the right things has actually borne out. Since returning from the sciatica injury that cost him the first 14 games of the season, a period during which a newly svelte Luka got off to an MVP-caliber start and Reaves put himself in the All-Star conversation, LeBron really has more determinedly gotten off the ball.
James is posting the lowest usage rate of his career and attempting fewer field goal attempts per 100 possessions than ever, with 52.2% of his buckets coming via an assist from a teammate — the first time the King has ever more than half of his makes fed to him rather than creating ’em himself. According to NBA RAPM, his on-ball percentage — literally the share of the game he’s got the ball in his hands, which had hovered between 30% and 40% for most of the last dozen years — is down to 18.4%, which slots the leading scorer in NBA history right in between Ayo Dosunmu and Drake Powell.
With Luka and Reaves shouldering the lion’s share of the ball-handling and playmaking responsibilities, LeBron has dramatically reoriented his offensive play style. As ESPN’s Zach Kram recently noted, James is driving, attacking in isolation and running pick-and-roll less frequently than ever. The bulk of the offensive possessions he’s finished have come in transition, where he’s still a freight train once he gets a head of steam, shooting 63.6% and averaging 1.27 points per possession, or as a spot-up threat, where he’s struggled a bit, shooting 8-for-25 from 3-point land off the catch, according to Synergy.
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One area in which LeBron has still lorded over the proceedings? Operating from the post, where he can orchestrate a matchup he likes — maybe by setting a screen with a Laker guard to trigger a switch, maybe by having one of them set a pick for him with an empty corner to land him alone on the block against a smaller defender — and put to use all those lessons he learned from Hakeem Olajuwon way back in the day.
Whether it leads to James pressuring the rim himself or drawing help to sling passes to cutters or spot-up targets, the post-up remains an excellent vehicle for big men with great vision to create great looks. LeBron, even as he nears his 41st birthday, is still one of the best in the world at doing just that: Including plays where he passes to a Laker teammate who shoots, his post-ups are generating a sparkling 1.226 points per possession this season, according to Synergy — the 10th-highest rate among 64 players who’ve finished at least 30 such plays this season, and on pace for the highest mark of his career.
As neatly and productively as James has slotted into a tertiary role, though, the Lakers may well need more from him on Christmas Day, with Dončić and Reaves battling injuries. He’s still capable of cranking up his scoring when necessary, as he showed in averaging 30 across a three-game road trip last week. He also, however, hasn’t had to stay cranked up for long — at least, not alone: Just 62 of his 400 minutes this season have come without at least one of Dončić or Reaves on the floor, according to PBP Stats.
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Leaning hard on LeBron to consistently create for lineups full of more complementary pieces clearly isn’t the way Lakers head coach JJ Redick would prefer to run things. If that’s what the game calls for, though, don’t be surprised if James presses pause on his stylistic change-up and shifts back to what he’s long done best.
“There’s not one team, not one club, in the world that I cannot fit in and play for,” James said last month. “I can do everything on the floor. So whatever this team needs me to do, I can do it when I’m back to myself.”
I’ve written it anumberoftimesbefore: While Nikola Jokić can drag Denver to a top-five offense, a high-40s/low-50s win total and a puncher’s chance in the postseason, the Nuggets really only become the Nuggets when Murray is healthy, in shape, locked in and dealing. And man, has Murray been all four of those things this season.
Throughout his NBA career, the Canadian guard has developed a reputation as a slow starter — a player who needs some time in the late fall and early winter to find the rhythm on his jumper and get his game all the way thawed out before hitting his stride midway through the season. This helps explain why, despite being one of just six NBA players to average at least 20 points and six assists per game with an effective field goal percentage (which accounts for 3-pointers being worth more than 2-pointers) of .550 over the past six years — a list that includes four league MVPs and Luka — Murray has yet to earn a single All-Star selection.
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Your mileage may vary as to whether the 28-year-old is the best active player not to make an All-Star team; CJ McCollum, Nicolas Batum, Derrick White and Murray’s teammates Aaron Gordon and Jonas Valančiūnas, among others, all have arguments in their favor. Considering he was the starting point guard on an NBA champion, though, he’s got a decent case.
Whatever you think of the merits of that case, it might soon become a moot point. Murray’s been playing at an All-Star level since the opening tip, dispensing with the thawing-out period and just getting off to the best start of his career, averaging 25.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game — all career highs — while knocking on the door of the 50/40/90 club. (And, in fact, flirting with joining Stephen Curry, Steve Nash and Steve Kerr in the 50/45/90 club. Three Steves and a Jamal. Pretty good gang.)
Ratcheting up his 3-point volume and accuracy, while also drilling a scorching 48% of his long midrange Js, has resulted in the most efficient shooting of Murray’s career: 1.29 points per shot attempt, the 12th-best mark of any player using at least 20% of his team’s offensive possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass, just behind Curry and Kevin Durant. He’s been lethal firing out of the pick-and-roll: Among players finishing at least five plays per game as a ball-handler in the two-man game, only SGA’s averaging more points per possession on those actions than Murray, according to Synergy’s tracking.
When Murray’s at his best, though, he’s pairing the threat of his three-level scoring — the ability to touch the paint, finish in traffic and get to the free-throw line; to weave his way into pockets of space in the midrange; and to pull up from well beyond the 3-point arc — with great court vision and steady playmaking. He’ll never be the primary facilitator in Denver with Jokić at the controls, but he’s notched the assist on 28.8% of his teammates’ baskets during his time on the floor while turning it over on just 10.2% of the Nuggets’ offensive possessions. That’s an elite combination of table-setting and temperance, matched this season only by Gilgeous-Alexander, Brunson and Maxey — All-Star, All-NBA-caliber company on the ball.
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Add it up, and Murray’s been one of the very best offensive performers in the league this season — top 10 in offensive estimated plus minus and top-five in offensive win shares, among other metrics — and a vital, source of consistency for a Nuggets team that’s had to navigate extended injury absences for starters Gordon and Christian Braun. Denver’s been able to do so on the strength of its offense, which not only leads the NBA in points per possession this season, but is running hot on the heels of the Dirk-and-Nash-led 2003-04 Dallas Mavericks for the best offense since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, according to Jared Dubin’s era-adjusted efficiency numbers at Last Night in Basketball.
Jokić, as ever, is the driver of that historic output. Without Murray to serve as his counterpoint, though — his inverted screen-setter, his eternal dance partner, forever a threat to drop a nuke on a defense that tilts too heavily toward the big fella — the Nuggets wouldn’t have nearly as much fire as they put opponents on ice.
“The way he’s playing, he [scores] 52 and you think you’re gonna come out and shoot 25 times — why not?” Nuggets head coach David Adelman told reporters earlier this month. “He goes 8-for-16 instead and gets 23 [points] and 12 [assists] and just kind of takes whatever the game is giving him. … He’s playing as good as anybody right now.”
It’s possible that by Week 18, there’s no real intrigue left in the NFL’s playoff picture.
With two games left, the field is mostly set other than figuring out the AFC North and NFC South champions. Both of those divisions could be clinched this week. The only two wild-card contenders who are still mathematically alive but aren’t currently in the field are the Colts and Lions. They have a 4% and 6% chance, respectively, to make the playoffs, according to NFL.com. The NFL has to fill Saturday slots and a Sunday night slot in Week 18, and there might not be any great options.
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What could save the NFL’s scheduling staff are the races for the No. 1 seeds. There should be a little more clarity about that after Sunday night’s game between two 11-4 teams.
The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers are both alive for the very important top seed in the NFC. The loser of this game is likely eliminated from the race. The Bears probably will win the NFC North regardless of Sunday night’s result, but the 49ers’ path to a division title and the No. 1 seed is predicated on winning out. With two more wins against the Bears and Seahawks in Week 18, San Francisco would be the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
The Seahawks still have the inside track for the top seed in the NFC, but Sunday night’s result should streamline the race.
Here are the other Week 17 games that will have the biggest impact on the playoff picture:
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Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers
Among the Week 17 games, the meeting with the most direct impact on the AFC playoff picture is probably the Houston Texans visiting the Los Angeles Chargers. A Texans loss would give the Jaguars a chance to clinch the AFC South title with one more win in their final two games. Jacksonville plays at Indianapolis on Sunday and finishes by hosting the Titans. The Chargers are the lurker in the AFC race. While we’ve been talking about the Broncos and Patriots vying for the top seed for a few weeks, the Chargers can steal the AFC West and have a shot at the No. 1 seed by winning out. That would mean beating a tough Texans team and then beating the Broncos in Denver to close the season. NFL executives are hoping for a Chargers-Broncos AFC West title showdown to end the season because that would make for an easy Sunday night flex option.
Baltimore Ravens at Green Bay Packers
This Saturday night game should have been more impactful, but the Packers’ loss to the Bears last week gives Chicago the inside track to the NFC North title and the Ravens’ loss to the Patriots last week means the Steelers can clinch the AFC North with a win at Cleveland on Sunday. Or the Steelers can clinch on Saturday night if the Ravens lose. That would allow Pittsburgh to perhaps rest players for its final two games. If the Ravens win and the Browns upset the Steelers on Sunday, a Ravens-Steelers game in Week 18 would decide the division championship.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Miami Dolphins
The Buccaneers are flailing with six losses in seven games. But they can still take the NFC South title by winning out. If the Buccaneers beat the Dolphins on Sunday, a Week 18 game against the Panthers would be for the NFC South title, regardless of whether the Panthers win in Week 17. If the Buccaneers lose and the Panthers win on Sunday, Carolina would clinch the division and the Week 18 game would be meaningless for both teams. The NFL will be rooting for the Bucs on Sunday, with its Week 18 scheduling in mind.
Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers
The Rams will be paying close attention to this game. The Rams need to win out and have the 49ers and Seahawks each lose a game to win the NFC West. Because the 49ers and Seahawks play each other in Week 18, the Rams can’t win the division if San Francisco and Seattle both win this week. For the No. 1 seed, the Rams need the 49ers, Seahawks and Bears to each lose one game. Seattle simply needs to win out for the No. 1 seed.
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The Panthers need to win in case the Buccaneers lose in Miami. Both games kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday. If the Panthers win and Tampa Bay loses, Carolina is the NFC South champion. But if Tampa Bay wins at Miami then the Panthers’ result doesn’t matter; the Panthers and Bucs will play in Week 18 for the NFC South title. But the Panthers won’t know that result ahead of time.
The 2025-26 NFL season hasn’t exactly gone according to plan for the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only did their nine-year streak of winning the AFC West get snapped, but last week they were eliminated from the postseason for the first time since the 2014-15 season.
A team that had made the previous three Super Bowls saw its starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes tear his ACL in a Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers — and then on Sunday at the Tennessee Titans, backup QB Gardner Minshew got injured in an ugly 26-9 loss. That left third-string QB Chris Oladokun to play for the rest of the game — and be in line to start on Christmas Day against the Denver Broncos.
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Oladokun will have a tall task on Christmas, as the Chiefs are currently 13-point home underdogs against the Broncos at BetMGM — the most points Kansas City has been an underdog in nearly 50 years.
The Chiefs were last a 13-point underdog at home on Oct. 3, 1977 against the Raiders, and lost the game — but did cover — 37-28 en route to a 2-12 season overall.
The lookahead line at sportsbooks for this game was Broncos -5.5 when it was believed that Minshew would be the starter, but a combination of how Kansas City looked in Tennessee, Denver’s ferocious defense and Oladokun’s inexperience has made the line balloon.
The Chiefs are 6-9 overall and 5-9-1 against the spread this season. They have clinched the under on their preseason win total of 11.5 and currently own the 12th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
The Las Vegas Raiders will reportedly place tight end Brock Bowers on injured reserve on Wednesday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The move will end the 23-year-old’s season.
Bowers has been dealing with a knee injury all season that forced him out of the lineup for four weeks in October and limited him to 12 games this season.
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The 2024 first-round draft pick was an All-Pro last season and has made two Pro Bowls in his first two NFL seasons. After recording 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, the injury affected his output this season as he’ll finish with 680 receiving yards, with 64 receptions and seven touchdowns.
Bowers will miss the Raiders’ final two games against the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs. This week’s game against the Giants has draft implications with both teams sitting at 2-13 as they vie for the No. 1 overall selection in April’s NFL draft.
The San Antonio Spurs are being overly cautious with Victor Wembanyama, who’s returning from a calf strain, but that has not hindered their upward trajectory.
Over the past five games (not including the loss in the NBA Cup Final), the Spurs have kept the Frenchman to 20.8 minutes per game as the franchise has gone undefeated.
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Overall, the team has won seven consecutive games, not including the NBA Cup Finals, and on Christmas Day it faces a dominant Oklahoma City Thunder squad the Spurs have defeated twice in the past two weeks.
But what’s the ceiling for Wembanyama? And what does that mean for the Spurs and the rest of the league?
Let’s break it all down.
Victor Wembanyama dunks in the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Dec. 21, 2025, in Washington. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
(Greg Fiume via Getty Images)
Victor Wembanyama is dominating in his limited playing time
He’s averaging 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and two blocks per contest.
Those are near All-Star numbers, all while playing under 21 minutes per game.
The 21-year-old is slowly becoming one of the league’s best rebounders, on top of already being the league’s best defender.
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He’s grabbing 13.9 boards per 36 minutes, and is at 11.8 per game for the season, while playing 30.6 minutes.
These aren’t just gimmes, either. The 7-foot-5 center is outworking opponents, gathering inside position, reading angles on how the ball pops off the rim and positioning himself to optimize his own chances of grabbing the ball.
It’s another step in what has been a ridiculous evolution as he’s becoming the league’s most dominant two-way force.
Wembanyama is winning, too. Including the NBA Cup Finals loss, he’s lost just five total games this season, while helming the Spurs to 13 wins in the regular season.
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Fortunately, the organization won when he was sidelined too, going 9-3 in the 12 games he missed, in large part due to the play of De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, Keldon Johnson and Harrison Barnes.
The Spurs are currently second in the Western Conference, behind only the Thunder.
What’s next for Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs?
Given the success they’ve had this season, and given the fact that Wembanyama will be extension-eligible after this season, it’s becoming increasingly clear the Spurs must consider making a move sooner than later.
When Wembanyama’s inevitable extension triggers in 2027-28, that’s going to take up, presumably, 30% of the salary cap if he qualifies for the Derrick Rose Rule.
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That means San Antonio is working with a very set window, to the point where you might be inclined to say they have a deadline of July 1, 2027.
With the organization still in possession of numerous draft selections, a plethora of young players, and even expiring contracts, the Spurs have virtually everything to make a push for another star.
They seem set at guard, with Fox, Castle and rookie Dylan Harper all playing well.
They’re somewhat short on the wing and could use a genuine 3&D threat who is on the right side of 6-8 and can play both forward spots.
There’s also the question of whether it makes sense to upgrade the two-guard spot.
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(While Devin Vassell has played fairly well, it’s fair to ask questions about his long-term fit and role with the franchise, especially considering he’s earning almost $27 million per season.)
This isn’t to say the Spurs should in any way panic and make a move just for the hell of it. That’d be poor judgment, and it’d be poor process.
However, they must be aware of the timeline, and that means taking calls, as well as placing them, in an effort to find the right recipe of players to put alongside Wembanyama for the years to come.
The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers being 11-4 this late in the season is surprising, in different ways.
The Bears are one of the breakout teams of 2025. They are very likely to win the NFC North after a thrilling Week 16 overtime win against the Packers. The Bears built their record in the first half of the season with a lot of close wins against bad teams, but they have played better over the past month. And they still have a shot at the No. 1 seed.
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The 49ers were expected to be good before the season started, but a multitude of injuries should have pushed them well out of the playoff race. But coach Kyle Shanahan has done a great job and the 49ers are also alive for the No. 1 seed. Given how many star players have missed time, the 49ers having a shot at the top seed is remarkable.
The only argument against the legitimacy of the 49ers is the same one the Bears faced a month ago. They have mostly fattened up on bad teams. Since a Week 5 win against the Rams, the 49ers have won seven games and two came against teams currently above .500. Those two wins were against the 8-7 and inconsistent Panthers, and the 8-7 Colts who are a shell of themselves since starting 7-1 and then losing quarterback Daniel Jones. The 49ers have won despite injuries, but the injuries still factor into their season: The defense, which has not been great without Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, will have trouble against better teams. That doesn’t take away from them winning 11 games already, but it’s also hard to ignore.
Motivation won’t be a problem with both teams still alive for the No. 1 seed. The Bears are a 3-point underdog, and that is the pick for Sunday night. The 49ers could simply outscore Chicago with a red-hot offense, but the Bears are playing very well too. Chicago should at least keep it close. It’s one of the rare good games on the Week 17 schedule.
Jauan Jennings and the San Francisco 49ers won their fifth game in a row on Monday night in Indianapolis. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Here are the rest of the picks for Week 17 in the NFL, with odds from BetMGM:
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Cowboys (-7.5) over Commanders
The Commanders are down to Josh Johnson at quarterback with Marcus Mariota being ruled out. Johnson is a fun story, a 39-year-old who has played for seemingly every NFL team and many teams in other leagues too. But his team has won only one of his nine starts since he entered the NFL in 2009. His career passer rating is 69.5. At least we know the Cowboys will generate some offense.
Vikings (+7.5) over Lions
Undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer will start again for the Vikings. In his first start he threw four interceptions and had a 32.8 passer rating. So why take the Vikings? They have been very competitive around the quarterback position lately. And perhaps the Lions have a big letdown after a crushing loss last week to the Steelers that all but killed their playoff dreams. It’s not comfortable backing Brosmer, but here we are.
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Broncos (-13) over Chiefs
Last week, I thought the Chiefs would at least compete even though their playoff hopes were over. They lost 26-9 to a putrid Titans team. Losing Gardner Minshew II to a knee injury right away didn’t help, but that’s the situation they’re in again. Chris Oladokun, who played his first significant snaps in the NFL last week, gets the start against a very good Broncos defense that will be motivated to rebound from last week’s loss to the Jaguars.
Chargers (-2) over Texans
The Chargers were somehow underdogs last week against a Cowboys team that had already been eliminated from the playoffs and hasn’t been very good all season. The Chargers won 34-17. This week they’re barely favored at home against Houston. The betting market has been strangely lukewarm to a Chargers team that is 11-4 and could still take the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Texans are good, particularly on defense. Their pass rush will give the Chargers problems. But it’s time to give the Chargers their respect.
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Ravens (+3) over Packers
Will Lamar Jackson play? Will Jordan Love play? Both quarterbacks left their Week 16 games with injuries. With so much uncertainty at this point in the week, just take the points.
Bengals (-7) over Cardinals
The Cardinals’ injury report is treacherous. Arizona might be able to put up some points on a bad Bengals defense, but there’s no question Cincinnati will score plenty.
Steelers (-3) over Browns
There’s one key piece that we don’t know the answer to yet. If the Ravens lose Saturday, the Steelers clinch the AFC North and would have practically nothing to play for. There’s little chance they could move up from the No. 4 seed to the No. 3 seed. But if the Ravens beat the Packers, the Steelers have to win to clinch the division (if the Ravens win and the Steelers lose, a Ravens-Steelers game in Week 18 would be for the division title), and the Browns would love to play spoiler against their rival in that scenario.
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Saints (-2.5) over Titans
The Titans deserve credit for continuing to play hard. They are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games. But the Saints are playing hard too. They’ve covered the spread four games in a row. And New Orleans is the better team.
Jaguars (-6.5) over Colts
Philip Rivers has been a compelling story, but the Colts are falling apart around him. The defense was ravaged by the 49ers on Monday night. And Rivers will face a much tougher defense this week. The Jaguars are one of the NFL’s hottest teams, and if Houston loses on Saturday, a win on Sunday would clinch the AFC South title.
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Dolphins (+5.5) over Buccaneers
The Bucs still have plenty to play for — a win Sunday ensures they will play the Panthers in Week 18 with the NFC South title on the line — but does it matter? The Buccaneers have been bad lately, losing six of seven. The Dolphins are no prize themselves, especially with Quinn Ewers at quarterback, but the Buccaneers shouldn’t be this much of a favorite.
Patriots (-13.5) over Jets
It’s generally not a great idea to take 13.5-point road favorites in the NFL. But have you seen the Jets lately? They’ve lost five of six, and the losses have been by 13, 13, 24, 28 and 23 points.
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Panthers (+7) over Seahawks
The Panthers are in a weird spot. It’s possible the outcome of their game means nothing, or it results in them winning the NFC South. If the Buccaneers beat Miami, they force a division title showdown against the Panthers in Week 18. If the Bucs lose and the Panthers win, Carolina wins the NFC South. Both games kick off at 1 p.m. Eastern time Sunday. The Panthers have to play to win, and as the Rams found out a few weeks ago, an early start in Charlotte won’t be the easiest task for Seattle.
Giants (+1) over Raiders
Strangely, this is one of the most intriguing games of the week. These are the only two remaining 2-13 teams, and the loser will be close to locking up the first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft. While you hear a lot about tanking, players and coaches don’t really care about draft positioning (Maxx Crosby made that clear on Wednesday). Giants interim coach Mike Kafka probably won’t even be around after the next few weeks, and Raiders coach Pete Carroll might be on his way out too. So don’t assume the teams will play to lose. They’re just bad. And the Raiders are worse.
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Bills (-1) over Eagles
This game, strangely, has little on the line. The Eagles have clinched the NFC East and are very likely to get the No. 3 seed in the NFC. The Bills do have a 19% shot to win the AFC East, via DVOA, but that gets worse if the Patriots win as 13.5-point favorites in the early window Sunday. These teams could conceivably meet in the Super Bowl, but the stakes for this one aren’t very high. We still haven’t seen the Eagles play well against a good team in a while.
Falcons (+8) over Rams
If the 49ers and Seahawks win on Sunday, the Rams will be eliminated from the NFC West race. As is, they need some breaks to take the division and get the No. 1 seed. Not much went right for them in Week 16. The Rams are clearly the better team, but the Falcons might have a little extra juice playing on Monday night.
We’ve finally hit Championship Week for the fantasy football season, so let’s run down a few strategy tips. Most of this will be review, and stuff we’ve written and talked about in years past. Some of these things are specific to December; other tips are more universal. As usual, many of these tips are common sense — common sense is the most important club in your bag.
It all boils down to good decisions. That’s what probably led you to this point, and that’s the key to giving yourself the best chance in the next few weeks. Keep making those good decisions, amigos.
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Here’s what you need to know and consider as you work on securing that title.
Audit Team Motivations
All 32 NFL teams are in play this week, but motivation varies. You need to spend some time scouting who cares about this result versus who might not care so much.
Some of this stuff is easy. The Bears and Packers are fighting for the NFC North title — they care. The Lions, Ravens and Colts are all long shots to make the playoffs, but still alive — they care. The Panthers and Buccaneers need to win as the NFC South is up for grabs.
And some of this stuff is tricky. This next paragraph is critical, gamers.
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The Seahawks and 49ers will be all-out to win Sunday, trying to win the NFC West. But if both those teams win, the Rams would enter their Monday game knowing they cannot win the NFC West. This doesn’t mean the Rams would automatically mail in Monday’s game — they’d like to see Matthew Stafford secure the MVP, and the No. 5 seed in the NFC is extra important this year because it draws a favorable matchup at the NFC South winner. But be very careful with the Rams this week, and be ready with Monday pivots, as needed.
Three of the AFC divisions are hotly contested, so all of their teams remain fully motivated. That includes the Patriots, Bills, Jaguars, Texans, Broncos and Chargers.
The Eagles are in the playoffs but probably locked into the NFC’s No. 3 seed. There’s no inclination that they’ll hold out starters, but an early shutdown in a blowout game wouldn’t surprise me — see what they did two weeks ago against the Raiders.
The Steelers need a win (or tie) or a Baltimore loss (or tie) to clinch the AFC North. If Baltimore doesn’t beat Green Bay on Saturday, the Steelers would not need the Cleveland game on Sunday. It’s almost impossible for Pittsburgh to move off the AFC’s No. 4 seed, assuming it wins the division.
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Teams eliminated from the playoffs include: the Cowboys, Commanders, Giants, Vikings, Falcons, Saints, Cardinals, Jets, Dolphins, Bengals, Browns, Titans, Chiefs and Raiders. It’s not that these clubs can’t play well in Week 17, but they don’t have the cleanest motivation. Consider that before you commit to a lineup.
Think Like a DFS Player
Keep in mind your head-to-head game and your starting lineup are constantly evolving entities, both before the games start and while the games are in action. If you find yourself shifting from clear favorite to obvious underdog after a few results filter in, it might make sense to embrace volatility in the later part of the slate.
Optimum decision-making is a dynamic process; like a card counter at the blackjack table, the variables are constantly in flux. Don’t throw common sense out the window as your game progresses, but at least consider how the picture is changing, and if you need to take a different strategy as your winning odds are improving or decreasing.
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A key hack that ties into this — realize what your flex spots are for. If you’re going to play anyone in the early games, make sure they’re occupying a static position (RB, WR, etc.) rather than a flex spot.
Also consider the flow of championship week this year. We have three games on Thursday, Christmas Day. We have two more games on Saturday. Then the week finishes with the usual cadences, a slate of games on Sunday and the Monday capper. There are several points in the week where you can reevaluate your projected outcome and decide if you need to change anything to reflect the new reality.
Consider All You Respect, but Make Your Own Decisions
You’re the CEO, the general manager, the marketing director. You win, you get the spoils. I don’t blame you for seeking out information and other opinions — I’m going to do the same thing — but at the end of the day, you want to be responsible for your choices. You know your league better than we ever could.
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There are no shortcuts or golden tickets, even as we want to believe in those things sometimes. This would be a rather boring game if the answers were easy. No analyst is worth your blind devotion, nor is anyone so dense that they’re worth an automatic fade (that would be just as valuable as the omniscient analyst, but neither exists). Consider the reasonable opinions you normally seek out, but condense everything down to your own sound decision-making process.
Don’t Play For Friendliest Loss
This note isn’t for everyone, because I understand that many managers want simple rules of thumb to follow as they struggle with the Paradox of Choice. “Always Start Your Stars” has always struck me as a crutch, not an answer to anything — because the definition of a star is too fluid. Is Justin Jefferson still a fantasy star? Is Travis Kelce unplayable now that the Chiefs are down to their third-string quarterback? What about an injured star, or a player coming off a multi-game layoff? Do they fit this dated “start your stars” maxim?
Most coaches in professional sports still manage by the book (though that’s starting to change), and often they flush expected value in the process. It’s understandable that they’re pushed in this direction — they need to keep their jobs, answer to the media and the public, keep favor in the locker room. Very few decision-makers are tenured in a way that they can do unorthodox things without significant risk.
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But fantasy managers don’t have that invisible hand guiding us. We don’t have to please ownership, or win the media or placate the players. We just want our best chance of winning.
I am not going to pick my starting lineups by name-brand value, or by August ADP or by how I viewed my depth chart a month ago. I will try to make all of my key decisions with the sole objective of scoring the most points. I do not care which potential losing scenario would hurt the least (that’s why it’s so hard for some to bench a name player; it’s human nature to try to cushion the blow before it even comes).
Never forget, it’s a game about numbers, not a game about names.
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Quick Hits
This article could be a non-stop entity; eventually, we have to hit publish. A few other bite-sized thoughts:
— Weather is worth considering but as a low-end priority; heavy wind is generally the only thing to be proactive about.
— If you can get an indoor or warm-weather kicker, that’s nice, though mostly I just want a kicker tied to a team expected to win.
— The skill of fantasy football is what you do over the long run, the balance of the season. See the playoffs for what they are: a tournament. We all get bitten by variance sometimes.
— Take as much time as possible before you commit to decisions. The walk-up days are for collecting information.
With fantasy football championship week here, a lot of managers are just now turning their attention to the NBA. If you haven’t been tuned in since Opening Night, don’t worry. Christmas marks a clean checkpoint in the fantasy basketball season. Here’s a quick catch up on what you’ve missed so far — and what you should know if you’re jumping into a fantasy hoops league now.
Roles are real now — and that helps late entrants
We’re a third of the way through the season and things are finally starting to make sense. The early-season experiments are mostly over and most rotations have settled (well, except if you’re Steve Kerr). That matters for fantasy basketball, because you’re no longer drafting off hope or hype — you’re reacting to how teams are actually operating. For managers jumping in now, that clarity is an advantage, not a drawback.
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Of course, there will be the inevitable late-season tanks from bottom-feeding teams that’ll influence player minutes and usage come playoff time, but that’s nothing that new players need to wrestle with around Christmas.
The young star and rookie waves arrived earlier than expected
The usual tried-and-true first-round vets have shifted to the next crop of young, emerging talent like Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Johnson and Alperen Şengün. Building balanced rosters with a healthy mix of youth and experience is the right strategy, especially with the scheduling demands and the dizzying pace at which the NBA is played in 2025.
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At the very top, the elite tier of fantasy assets has remained intact. Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Dončić continue to define the ceiling across all formats. Victor Wembanyama would be right there too if it weren’t for injuries.
Now, I’m not usually a rookie guy, but No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg is the real deal. What’s more surprising is the impact of fellow rookies Kon Knueppel, Derik Queen, VJ Edgecombe, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Cedric Coward, who all rank in the top 150 in 9-cat leagues through Wednesday. And that class doesn’t stop there, as I anticipate Dylan Harper, Maxine Raynaud, Ace Bailey and a few others becoming rosterable guys in 12-team leagues as the season progresses.
Still can’t turn injuries off …
One of the defining fantasy storylines this season has been the rise of calf injuries to star players. The season began without Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton and Damian Lillard, who all went down with Achilles tears last year, leaving teams extra cautious around any lower-extremity injury. There’s been a reported 40% increase in calf strains through December. Fortunately, these strains haven’t led to mass shutdowns; they have caused short absences, maintenance days and minute restrictions for players like Evan Mobley, Austin Reaves, Anthony Davis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, Jrue Holiday, Karl-Anthony Towns and more. Missing those players for any number of games is a challenge that has forced fantasy managers to utilize their depth more than ever.
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If I’m drafting now, I’d do some simple math to determine which players have played in at least 80% of the games this year. Most teams have played 30 games, so I’d be targeting the guys who’ve played at least 24, since availability matters. Insulate your stars with depth and flexibility so your roster can absorb short-term volatility.
Some draft mistakes have repeated themselves
The pitfalls have been consistent for a few years now, yet some of us can’t quit. Oft-injured players like LaMelo Ball, Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson, Joel Embiid and Kristaps Porziņģis have once again tested managers’ patience.
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This isn’t about just fading these type of players — it’s about pricing in the risk. Cost matters. When these guys play, they still move the needle, but you have to have contingency plans ready to go. By this point in the season, you know exactly which stars require some coverage and which ones don’t.
The trade window is open, and fantasy value could swing
The NBA trade window is officially open at this point, and several struggling teams could reshape the fantasy landscape. The Bucks, Mavericks, Wizards, Grizzlies, Kings and Jazz are all teams to monitor, as movement could unlock new roles — or completely reset them.
Fantasy managers should keep an eye on potential headliners like Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, Ja Morant, Lauri Markkanen and Tyler Herro. Even rumors alone can shift usage trends, minutes and fantasy outlooks as teams might showcase their stars ahead of the deadline.
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You might’ve also missed Yahoo’s newest fantasy hoops format
One of the most significant developments this season has been High Score, Yahoo’s newest fantasy basketball format. High Score offers the cleanest entry point into fantasy basketball thanks to its simple scoring, flexible lineups and emphasis on total production over daily micromanagement.
Like fantasy football, the goal is to maximize your weekly total score to beat your opponent. In High Score, each of your six starter’s single-highest point total of the week counts toward your overall score. If you want a low-maintenance way to try out or get back into back fantasy hoops, High Score makes it easy. If you’re ready for more depth, 9-category and standard points leagues still reward managers willing to grind.
Christmas Day delivers an NBA feast, with five marquee matchups featuring playoff implications, star power and plenty of fantasy basketball intrigue. From a bruising Eastern Conference showdown at Madison Square Garden to a heavyweight clash between San Antonio and Oklahoma City, this slate offers no shortage of storylines.
Injuries loom large across several games, creating potential value swings and unexpected rotation changes. Superstars like Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards and Donovan Mitchell headline the action, while emerging contributors could swing outcomes. Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of what to watch as the NBA takes center stage on Christmas.
Cleveland Cavaliers (17-14) at New York Knicks (20-9)
New York leads this season series 1-0. It’s 7-3 over its past 10 games and it is 14-2 at home. Cleveland is 5-5 over its past 10 and is 6-6 on the road.
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Like many of the games on this Christmas Day slate, there’s a notable injury report. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby are both questionable, while Evan Mobley remains sidelined. Potential absences to Brunson and Anunoby could lead to more minutes for Tyler Kolek and Jordan Clarkson, plus Mitchell Robinson and wing players like Ariel Hukporti.
For the Cavs, Dean Wade has been starting in place of Evan Mobley, and Sam Merrill is coming off a great performance and will help with the team’s offensive punch. Jaylon Tyson and Jarrett Allen should also continue seeing expanded roles. Donovan Mitchell has been Cleveland’s best performer, averaging 31.9 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals this month.
Brunson has been New York’s best player, but know for sure that Karl-Anthony Towns will be available. In December, he’s producing 23.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals.
San Antonio Spurs (22-7) at Oklahoma City Thunder (26-4)
The Spurs lead this season series 2-0. They’re 9-1 over their past 10, winning seven straight and are 10-5 on the road. OKC is 7-3 over its past 10 and is undefeated at home.
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This game has a much cleaner injury report than Cavs/Knicks, though Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell are notably questionable. Their potential absences could create more opportunities for Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and others. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to produce at an MVP level, averaging 32.4 points, 6.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks in December.
For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama has come off the bench for five straight games and produced 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 blocks in 20.6 minutes. It’s unclear if he’ll rejoin the starting five and see a minutes increase for Christmas Day.
Dallas Mavericks (12-19) at Golden State Warriors (15-15)
This is the first time these teams have faced off this season. The Mavericks are 3-9 on the road but are 6-4 overall across the past 10 games. Golden State is 9-4 at home and 5-5 across the past 10 games.
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Dallas has a handful of role players questionable for this game, and one starter in PJ Washington. Cooper Flagg is coming off an excellent performance, with 33 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 1 block against the Nuggets. Anthony Davis has rounded back into form as well, averaging 26.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks across his past six games.
For the Warriors, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler continue to be the team’s go-to options offensively. Curry is averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals over his past five. During that same stretch, Butler is averaging 21.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals.
Houston Rockets (17-10) at Los Angeles Lakers (19-9)
This is the first matchup of the season for these squads. Houston is 9-8 on the road and 4-6 across the past 10. The Lakers are 7-4 at home and 5-5 over the past 10.
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Luka Dončić and Rui Hachimura are questionable for this one, as is Jaxson Hayes. That means we could see expanded roles from Austin Reaves and LeBron James as the Lakers’ primary creators, while Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart could see extra run. Reaves played 22 minutes in his return from a calf strain on Tuesday but should be at full strength for Christmas. In his prior 10 games, he averaged 27.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Over LeBron’s past six games, he’s putting up 26.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.0 steals. The Rockets are being led by Alperen Şengün, who is having a career year with 23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks.
Minnesota Timberwolves (20-10) at Denver Nuggets (21-8)
Denver leads this season series 2-0. It’s 9-5 at home and 7-3 across the team’s past 10 games. Minnesota is 8-5 on the road and is 8-2 over the past 10 with a three-game win streak.
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For Minnesota, Jaden McDaniels is questionable. His potential absence could lead to more minutes for Jaylen Clark and Terrence Shannon. Anthony Edwards continues to lead the way with averages of 28.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals.
Denver could be even more shorthanded than usual as Cam Johnson suffered a knee sprain Tuesday against the Mavericks. Assuming he is sidelined, more minutes should be in store for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Spencer Jones. Nikola Jokić is putting up MVP numbers with 28.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 1.4 steals in December.
