Giannis and Celtics, the highlight of Christmas NBA

Christmas is still for the NBA, with five games scheduled against the NFL’s three. What is expected of this Christmas tradition is the clash between the two highest ranked teams in the East, so it could easily end up being the highlight of the Christmas Day game list.

Also on the undercard, the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden open the door to welcome Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. They will follow LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in Texas, to face Luka Doncic and his Mavericks. Later Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies meet the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors. And, to end the night, there will be a rematch of a controversial 2021 playoff matchup between Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns and Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets.

However, the Bucks-Celtics game has the main schedule (at noon) with one of the best versions of Giannis Antetokounmpo. He’s quick and coordinated, something that took the first six years of his career (which included three All-Star Games and the 2019 MVP) to accomplish. Before, he had a tendency to not use his speed and strength well. The Bucks enter the game with the highest record in the NBA at 22-9, and Giannis is doing his job with an MVP performance (31.6 points per game, 11.2 boards).

The Bucks have been a coordinated team with the usual brilliance of Antetokounmpo, guard Jrue Holiday, the resurgent Brook Lopez and typical team depth. One season stat shows that 326 NBA players have made fewer than 96 field goals so far. Field goal means all baskets scored from anywhere on the court. NBA specialists have said that a player like Stephen Curry has a 42 percent success rate “when he scores from the field.” Giannis Antetokounmpo has converted 96 field goals in transition opportunities.

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