This year’s NBA Christmas schedule gave fans a lot to cheer about this holiday season, as we’ve witnessed some intense basketball action.
The Pelicans and the Warriors pulled off some Christmas miracles by upsetting their top-tier counterparts even if they were not favoured in our NBA 2019 odds. The ball is really round, after all.
On the other hand, the Clippers have shown us once again as to why they are the prohibitive favourites to win this season’s championship by outlasting the Lakers down the stretch.
Without further ado, SBOBET gives you the recap of the 2019 NBA Christmas games.
Boston Celtics 118-102 Toronto Raptors
Jaylen Brown’s big night filled with NBA 2019 highlights couldn’t have come at a better time as the Celtics enjoyed their first win in Toronto since 2015.
The 23-year-old forward poured in 30 points along with five three-pointers to lead Boston to their fourth straight victory.
“I’ve never won here period, so it was great to just get one,” said Brown postgame.
Gordon Hayward was reinserted into the starting lineup after being sidelined due to a foot injury. He had 14 points in 26 minutes.
The Celtics overcame a slow start when they saw themselves trailing by 10 points early in the first period. Brad Stevens called a timeout to stop the bleeding and Boston went on to unleash a 28-9 and never looked back.
Fred VanVleet and Chris Boucher chipped in 27 and 24 points for the Raptors, who are now 2-2 since losing the likes of Marc Gasol, Norman Powell, and Pascal Siakam to injuries.
Philadelphia Sixers 121-109 Milwaukee Bucks
The Sixers got off to a strong start in the first half and they bullied their way to a decisive win over the Milwaukee Bucks as if they didn’t own the best record in the NBA.
Joel Embiid propelled Philadelphia to their 16th home win by tallying 31 points and 11 rebounds, and it also helped when they went 21-for-44 from three-point distance in this game.
“A lot of people have kind of forgotten who I am. When I’m needed, I’m going to show up,” said Embiid after the game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo got his usual numbers but struggled in his shooting efficiency as he went 8-for-27 from the floor while going 0-for-7 in threes. All in all, the Greek Freak scored 18 points and 14 rebounds.
Khris Middleton topscored for the Bucks with 31 markers in the losing effort.
Golden State Warriors 116-104 Houston Rockets
Damion Lee made the most out of his opportunity as he helped the injury-ravaged Warriors score an unlikely victory against the Rockets at the Chase Center.
The athletic swingman had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and he was supported by Draymond Green who notched 20 points and 11 rebounds.
The Warriors keyed in on James Harden for the most part on this game, even if it means giving Russell Westbrook and his other teammates opportunities to score.
Russell Westbrook may have notched 30 points and 12 rebounds, but he shot only 11-for-32 from the field. James Harden scored 24 in this game, but he only had one trip to the charity stripe. Danuel House Jr. added 18 points and five rebounds.
Along with Lee and Green, D’Angelo Russell, Glenn Robinson III, and Willie Cauley-Stein scored in double-digits for Golden State with 20, 18, and 10 respectively.
Los Angeles Clippers 111-106 Los Angeles Lakers
Some of the league’s best duos got into it once again as the Clippers and the Lakers added another chapter to their budding rivalry.
But just like in opening night, it was the Clippers who reigned supreme in LA once more.
Kawhi Leonard fueled the Clippers to a win by scoring 11 of his 35 points in the fourth period. He also added 12 rebounds and five assists for good measure.
The Steve Ballmer-bankrolled squad trailed by double digits for a huge chunk of the game. But with big plays made by their players, they went on to improve to 15-2 at Staples Center.
Kawhi Leonard and Lou Williams scored some huge baskets down the stretch, and it was all capped off by a strong defensive effort by Patrick Beverley in the end by preventing a late LeBron James three-pointer.
Kyle Kuzma led the Lakers in scoring with 25 markers. Anthony Davis and LeBron James added 24 and 23 in the losing effort.
The Lakers have already lost four consecutive games.
New Orleans Pelicans 112-100 Denver Nuggets
The Pelicans finished the Christmas day schedule by defeating the Denver Nuggets to halt their seven-game winning streak.
Despite committing 19 turnovers, New Orleans leaned on to the late-game plays by Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram especially when the Denver tried to pull in close. It did help, however, when they out-rebounded the Nuggets and even collected 14 offensive rebounds.
Brandon Ingram shined once again for the Pelicans by scoring 31 points. Jrue Holiday churned out an all-around effort by recording 20 points, eight assists, and six steals.
New Orleans are currently 2-0 against Denver this season. It can be noted that the Pelicans grabbed their first win against the Nuggets earlier this season with a blowout victory.
Nikola Jokic had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, while Jerami Grant added 17 markers off the bench.
Jamal Murray was missing in this game as he only scored eight points on 2-for-10 shooting from the field.
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