ANTETOKOUNMPO GETS CHRISTMAS TV SPOTLIGHT

Giannis Antetokounmpo had become such an attraction after just a few seasons in the league that ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy said a couple of years ago he wanted to see the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas, even if it was just a practice. The jump-out-ofthe-gym explosiveness, the ability to go end to end in just a few strides made Antetokounmpo a highlight waiting to happen. The league took notice and put the Bucks on the Dec. 25 schedule last year, their first appearance since 1977.

They’re back this year, bringing the NBA’s best record to Philadelphia powered by a much more complete MVP. The athleticism that helped Antetokounmpo score a career-best 52 points against the 76ers last March is still there, now bolstered by emerging leadership and outside shooting skills for Milwaukee (27-4).

Antetokounmpo made five 3-pointers last week when the Bucks beat the Lakers in a showdown for the NBA’s best record and is hitting 34.2% while taking more than five per game, by far the most in his career. Like Michael Jordan and LeBron James before him, he was already good enough to be one of the best even before he developed a good jumper. Once they did, they became champions and Antetokounmpo, averaging 31 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists, could be on a similar path.

Unhealthy holiday: The Lakers hope LeBron James and Anthony Davis are healthy enough to play in their Christmas night game with the Clippers. Plenty of others won’t be able to go today because of injuries. Toronto, hosting Boston,

is playing without Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell. Golden State has been without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, leaving the Warriors without firepower they’d likely need to beat high-scoring Houston at home. And New Orleans has played all season without Zion Williamson, the chief reason the Pelicans got on the Christmas schedule in the first place. They visit Denver in the nightcap.

Polls will be open: Voting for the NBA All-Star Game opens this morning. Fans can vote at NBA.com or the NBA app, as well as Google.com, the Google app or the Google assistant. Fans account for 50% of the vote, while a media panel and the vote of all current players account for 25% apiece.