NBA: Ranking the Christmas Day games by entertainment value

1. Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are the quintessential Christmas Day team. They have the league’s largest profile, the league’s biggest star in LeBron James, and just won the title. They generate news daily, have an elite co-star in Anthony Davis, and will draw millions of eyes for their holiday showdown.

It’s fitting that their opponent will be the Dallas Mavericks. No domestic player has been able to come out of the gate with the popularity and on-court dominance of LeBron James since he made his debut in 2003. Luka Dončić has set a new bar for international players, leading the Mavericks to the playoffs and finishing fourth in MVP voting as a sophomore last year. Dončić finished with 6.1 million All-Star votes, second only to James.

While James has given no signs of slowing down, eventually he will hand off the baton of most popular and dominant star. Even while players such as Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo have passed around MVP trophies, LeBron James has held the NBA throne. When he has to step down, it’s absolutely possible Dončić will be ready to take his place.

For now, he will have to try and unseat James and the Lakers without his own costar, as Kristaps Porzingis will miss the start of the season rehabbing from injury. He will do so with some new help, including Josh Richardson and rookies Josh Green and Tyrell Terry. The Lakers have surrounded David and James with a completely new center rotation of Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell, and Dennis Schröder running the point.

These are two high-powered offenses that will give us some Christmas fireworks. Dončić is a threat to drop 50 anytime, and perhaps only James is more likely to offer a yuletide triple double. Who on the Mavericks will guard James and Davis, let alone stop them from scoring at will? It should be a fast-paced contest in the primetime slot, so settle in to enjoy some holiday hoops as you digest a delicious dinner.

All five of the games look to be worth the watch, and hopefully you and the NBA fans in your life get to enjoy as many as possible. After the most depressing year in recent memory, we all are hopeful for a Christmas Day of fun and good cheer.