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Show notes:
Christmas Day games (00:34)
NYK 101, ATL 87
ATL played without Trae Young (COVID)
NYK led by Julius Randle and a resurgent Kemba Walker who posted a triple double (2nd Knick to do so on Christmas)
John Collins and Delon Wright led ATL
NYK got back bench firepower: Obi Toppin and rookie Quentin Grimes
At 15-18 NYK need to get on a run like last year
50 win formula: at least 21 road wins (slightly above .500) & 29-30 home games
Only one other team in contention in the East that has a losing home record: PHI (6-8)
Had luxury last yr of having no fans in MSG; gotta get over that and win in front of the fans
To quote Knicks game analyst & radio show host Alan Hahn it's the heaviest jersey in the NBA and it's not even close
NYK in their 75th season only have 2 championships
To win a chip in NYC would be the ultimate for whoever does it
Have an 18 game stretch where they play only 5 teams with a .500 or better record
Only 2 games out of the 6th spot in the East playoffs
MIL 117, BOS 113
Giannis Antetokounmpo returns to lineup (COVID) and had a monster game
BOS actually up by 13 points with 5 mins left
You cannot discount a team that has the heart of a champion
Folks are talking about Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, but Giannis still lurking and capable of carrying his team
BKN far from invincible; top of the Eastern Conference still up for grabs
GS 116. PHO 107
The prime matchup of the day: top 2 teams
Will be battling each other all season long; don't see LAL or LAC being in the mix
Steph Curry doing Steph Curry things albeit on a bad shooting night; Otto Porter Jr filling in admirably for Andrew Wiggins (COVID)
Chris Paul & Deandre Ayton stood out for PHO; Devin Booker held in check (much like Jru Holiday did in NBA Finals)
Draymond Green playing All Star level basketball while not scoring a lot of points
GS squad a very deep squad; played this game without Wiggins & Jordan Poole (COVID); Klay Thompson & James Wiseman not due back til Jan
BKN 122, LAL 117
A lot of stars missing: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and LaMarcus Aldridge (COVID) for BKN while LAL without Anthony Davis (MCL sprain)
LAL's Staples Center now called Crypto.com Arena
James Harden makes his return (COVID), has triple double; Patty Mills with a game for the ages
LeBron 39 points; passes Kobe for most points scored on Christmas Day and passes Kareem Abdul Jabbar as the player with the most points scored on a single day
Russell Westbrook had a triple double but struggled with his shooting (4-20 FG)
LAL did rally to tie this game up, much of it with Westbrook on the bench
LeBron publicly supporting the embattled Westbrook as well as the acting coach David Fizdale who's filling in for Frank Vogel (COVID)
Westbrook giving effort; results just aren't there yet
Sometimes when a guy goes home to playing in a place for a team he grew up rooting for, that person's bound to press a bit
This is what's happening with Westbrook; sort of like what Kemba Walker is experiencing with NYK
What lit a fire under Kemba was Coach Tom Thibodeau jettisoning him to the bench
There's not a lot of places to trade him to; not really a demand for him
LAL pretty much stuck with Westbrook; gonna have to figure it out
UTA 120, DAL 116
Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr leads 9 DAL players out for this game
Donovan Mitchell doing Donovan Mitchell type of things; Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley also had good games
DAL led by Kristaps Porzingis and Jalen Brunson
Donovan Mitchell aggravates his lower back; diagnosis to follow
UTA in the mix behind GS & PHO as top teams in the conference
Side note: NBA All Star voting started on Christmas Day
