Lakers-Nets highlights Christmas showcase
Due to injuries and pandemic-related disruptions, LeBron James and Kevin Durant haven’t faced off on the court since Dec. 25, 2018, marking the longest gap in a rivalry that began in 2008.
But the superstar forwards and their megamarket superteams are set to headline the NBA’s annual Christmas Day showcase this season: Durant’s Brooklyn Nets will visit James’ Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. Preseason oddsmakers have pegged the Nets and Lakers as the 2022 title favorites.
The contest will mark the fifth Christmas showdown between James and Durant, but the storylines extend far past the two centerpieces: James will play Kyrie Irving, his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate; Durant will face Russell Westbrook, his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate; and James Harden will face Westbrook, following their shared stints with the Thunder and Rockets.
The long-anticipated holiday clash highlighted Tuesday’s partial release of the NBA’s 2021-22 schedule, which will return to its standard length of 82 games following a delayed and shortened 2020-21 season.
The NBA will release its full schedule Friday, although it announced Tuesday that the regular season will begin Oct. 19 and conclude April 10. A play-in tournament, which again will feature the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th seeds in each conference, will run from April 12-15 before the playoffs begin April 16. The All-Star Game is set for Feb. 20 in Cleveland.
As usual, Christmas will feature a nationally televised quintuple-header.
As usual, Christmas will feature a nationally televised quintuple-header. Trae Young’s Atlanta Hawks will visit the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in a rematch of a tense first-round series at 11 a.m. on ESPN. The Boston Celtics will visit Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, the reigning NBA champions, at 1:30 p.m. on ABC.
The Golden State Warriors will visit the Phoenix Suns, the defending Western Conference champions, at 4 p.m. before the Lakers host the Nets at 7 p.m., with both games airing on ABC. And, in the nightcap, the Utah Jazz will host the Dallas Mavericks at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Four teams that played on Christmas last year will not return this year: the New Orleans Pelicans, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets. Of the four, the Heat looms as the biggest snub, given its active offseason, which included the addition Kyle Lowry.
The NBA apparently couldn’t find room for television darling Zion Williamson, who has yet to reach the playoffs in his two seasons in New Orleans, or reigning MVP Nikola Jokic. Meanwhile, the Clippers will open the season without Kawhi Leonard, who recently had surgery to address a partially torn ACL.
The Lakers and Nets will feature prominently on TNT’s opening night slate as well. The Bucks will host the Nets, whom they beat in a seven-game secondround series, for their ring night Oct. 19. Later that evening, James and the Lakers will host Stephen Curry and the Warriors after the Pacific Division powers squared off in the 2021 playin round.