NBA Christmas Day is shaping up to be a really exciting stretch of basketball for fans.
Already, several of the night’s games have been announced, including a matchup between the Warriors and Grizzlies and a showdown between the Lakers and Mavericks.
Today’s update also revealed that the Nuggets will host the Suns for a game.
The Denver Nuggets are set to host the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day.
(via @msinger) pic.twitter.com/ksC5G7JsMi
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 14, 2022
After years in the Western Conference bunker, the Suns have climbed back into relevancy thanks to the combined powers of Chris Paul and Devin Booker. Together, the tandem has made Phoenix a real threat to win the title, and they will be looking for revenge after losing to Dallas in the second round this year.
While the Suns’ foes are expected to improve next season, Phoenix might regress. Deandre Ayton appears to be as good as gone, and he’ll be difficult to replace. Chris Paul finally looked his age during the playoffs and JaVale McGee and Bismack Biyombo, two critical backup big men, could also look for a bigger payday than Phoenix is willing to give them.
Devin Booker could make the leap toward the league MVP, and Mikal Bridges could increase his playmaking skills, but it’s hard to see the Suns improving upon their 64-win regular season in 2022-23.
The Nuggets didn’t have a particularly successful run in 2022, but they will have Jamal Murray back for the first time in over a year. If he stays healthy and returns to his pre-injury form, the Nuggets could make some noise. At the very least, they should make for a good matchup against the Suns on Christmas.
It will be interesting to see how these teams perform next season, with a summer of growth and health finally on their side. Regardless of how far they go, Adam Silver did well by including them in the annual Christmas game lineup.
