Lakers, Suns, Sixers, Wolves and Knicks celebrated on NBA Christmas Day

The wonderful and special day of Christmas of the NBA They had five very close games that were decided by 10 points or less. In the most spectacular duel, Los Angeles Lakers defeated Golden State Warriors in a new confrontation between LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

New York Knicks opened the Christmas celebration with a triumph over San Antonio Spursdespite the great performance of Victor Wembanyama; Minnesota Timberwolves surprised as a visitor Dallas Maverickswho suffered with the departure of Luka Doncic due to injury; Philadelphia 76ers also achieved another shocking victory over Boston Celtics in the Garden; Phoenix Suns closed the round of matches with its success against Denver Nuggets.

A layup by Austin Reaves with one second left gave the Los Angeles Lakers a vibrant 115-113 victory this Wednesday on their visit to the Golden State Warriors, in a Christmas game marked by an authentic show between LeBron James and Steph Curry.

Reaves sneaked into a recital between two basketball legends like LeBron and Curry, who added a spectacular new chapter, in their 53rd meeting, to a rivalry that marked the history of the NBA.

LeBron James had a double-double of 31 points and 10 assists and Curry was about to perform a miracle in the fourth quarter with a three-pointer festival that had no reward. His game ended with 38 points (8 of 15 from the arc) and 6 assists.

James, who will turn 40 next Monday, and Curry, who is 36, met for the fourth time on Christmas Day.

But in this monumental Christmas crossover the protagonist was Reaves, with a great tackle on the Lakers’ last possession. He sealed a triple-double of 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

His basket with one second left gave the Lakers their fifth win in their last five games. The Angelenos are seventh in the West with a balance of 17 wins and 13 losses.

The Warriors have only won one of their last six games and dropped to ninth place in the West (15-14).

Mikal Bridges’ 41 points gave the New York Knicks the victory (117-114) over the San Antonio Spurs, who had a brilliant Victor Wembanyama with 42 points.

It was a sensational duel at Madison Square Garden, which saw the game resolved in the final seconds after multiple alternations on the scoreboard and maximum leads of only 9 for the Spurs and 6 for the Knicks.

Jalen Brunson, up 117-114 and in possession, missed a shot with 22 seconds left, but the Knicks grabbed the offensive rebound, as well as a second rebound after OG Anunoby missed a 3-pointer with 4 seconds left, denying the Spurs the opportunity to take the game to extra time.

Mikal Bridges dressed as Santa Claus with 41 points as a result of excellent shooting. Bridges made 17 of 25 field goals (68%), including 6 of 9 (66.7%) on three-pointers.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 21 and grabbed 9 rebounds. Brunson scored 20 and dished out 9 assists. Josh Hart finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.

For the Spurs, Wembanyama had 42 points and 18 rebounds in another excellent game in which they almost won the title at Madison Square Garden. Jeremy Sochan had 21 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

The losses were the condemnation of the Spurs. The San Antonio team gave up 21 points in 15 losses, against only 7 points in 5 losses for the Knicks.

The Knicks are an NBA Christmas Day classic. Those from New York participated in 57 editions (25 wins and 32 losses), more than any other team.

For San Antonio it was their 12th participation, the first in 8 years, when they still had Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker in their ranks.

The Knicks (20-10) are third in the Eastern Conference, while the Spurs (15-15) are on the brink of the postseason in the West.

The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Dallas Mavericks 105-99, who lost Luka Doncic to injury and were about to come back from 28 points down in the fourth quarter.

Doncic left the court in pain with 2:31 left before halftime with an apparent left calf strain. Dallas (19-11) was already trailing 51-38 at that point.

For the Timberwolves (15-14), Anthony Edwards scored 26 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.

Julius Randle, born in Dallas and with his mother in the stands, scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and distributed 8 assists. Frenchman Rudy Gobert also finished with a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Irving scored 39 points in Dallas’ loss. Doncic made 14 before leaving the court and Klay Thompson made 12 with 4 triples.

Thompson became the fifth player with the most triples in NBA history (2,562), surpassing the legendary Reggie Miller.

The Philadelphia 76ers scored a blow by winning 118-114 at the TD Garden in Boston against the Celtics, current NBA champions.

For the first time this year the Celtics lost two consecutive games, after their defeat suffered on their visit to the Orlando Magic.

Tyrese Maxey stood out for the Sixers with 33 points and 12 assists, the result of 12 of 23 field goals, to confirm his great form.

Joel Embiid contributed 27 points (4 of 5 on triples) and 9 rebounds to vindicate himself after the gray game against the Spurs, when he was sent off for a double technical in the second period.

Mike Budenholzer’s team has won five of its last seven games and is pushing for a playoff spot. It occupies eleventh position in the East with a balance of 11 wins and 17 losses.

The Phoenix Suns sealed a valuable 110-100 victory at home against the Denver Nuggets to avenge the defeat suffered against this same rival just two days earlier, driven by Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, both with 27 points.

The Suns had lost by 27 points just two days earlier against the Nuggets, in that case on their visit to Denver, but this time they ended their three-game losing streak.

On Christmas night they were again without Devin Booker, absent for the third consecutive game due to groin discomfort. The Suns star was sitting on the substitute bench watching his teammates and took no risks of worsening an injury that has already sidelined him for almost a month and a half in the 2022-2023 season.

But Durant led the Suns with 27 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. He showed his face despite suffering from the triple line (0 of 7).

Bradley Beal shined with 27 points (11 of 21 from the field), 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.

The Nuggets, who came into this match in good shape after winning six of their previous eight games, fell despite 25 points and 15 rebounds from Serbian Nikola Jokic.

The triple MVP, who faced this event leading the NBA in percentage of success in triples (52%), was just 2 of 7 from the arc and only scored 8 points in the second half.

Michael Porter Jr scored 22 points and Russell Westbrook contributed 17, on a night in which Jamal Murray only scored 13.