The NBA’s Christmas Day showcase delivered big time with five high-quality games, four of which went down the wire. The New York Knicks’ 117-114 triumph over the San Antonio Spurs started things off, while the Phoenix Suns’ 110-100 victory over the Denver Nuggets ended the showcase.
The middle three games were special, as this recap will show:
Mavs Rip Suns in Tense, Fight-Marred Showcase
The Dallas Mavericks (20-11) posted a wire-to-wire 98-89 victory over the Phoenix Suns (15-15) at Footprint Center in their first game without the injured Luka Doncic.
Kyrie Irving led a balanced attack for the Mavs with 20 points and 5 dimes, while Maxi Kleber and Spencer Dinwiddie added 15 apiece off the bench. Daniel Gafford added 16 points and 5 boards and was fouled hard by the Suns’ Jusuf Nurkic at the nine-minute mark of the third quarter.
The hard foul escalated into a tussle, where Nurkic and the Mavs’ Naji Marshall both swung at each other. PJ Washington also got involved, shoving Nurkic during the commotion. The Bosnian big had 3 points and 5 boards for the Suns, who got 35 markers from Kevin Durant.
(Up next: Mavs vs. Portland Trail Blazers, Suns vs. Golden State Warriors on December 28)
Wolves Edge Rockets Behind Game-Winner from Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards capped off a 15-2 closing run to help the Minnesota Timberwolves (16-14) complete a fourth-quarter comeback and stun the Houston Rockets (21-10), 113-112, at Toyota Center.
With the Rockets clinging to a 112-110 lead, Edwards got the ball on the left wing, faked the drive, and stepped back for the game-winning triple. The Rockets had been ahead, 110-98, with just three minutes left when the Wolves uncorked their big run.
Edwards finished with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Julius Randle had 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with a game-high 38 points on top of 12 boards but went 2-for-4 from the charity stripe in the last minute. Amen Thompson added 20 points and 11 boards.
(Up next: Wolves vs. San Antonio Spurs, Rockets vs. Miami Heat on December 30)
Celtics Top Pacers, Snap Two-Game Skid Behind Jaylen Brown’s 44
Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 44 points to help the Boston Celtics (23-8) to a 142-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers (15-17) at TD Garden.
Brown added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals for the Celtics, who also got 22 points and 13 rebounds from Jayson Tatum and 18 points and 10 assists from Payton Pritchard off the bench. Tyrese Haliburton had 19 points and 9 assists for Indiana, while Benedict Mathurin added 18 points and 6 boards.
(Up next: Celtics vs Pacers on December 30)
