The NBA’s annual Christmas Day slate is a holiday in itself, and many still view it as the unofficial start of the season.
The Boston Celtics had a tough day at the office on Christmas Day.
The Celtics committed 12 turnovers to the 76ers’ six as Philadelphia won 118-114 at TD Garden
Despite outrebounding Philadelphia 51-39 and shooting 40.8% (20-of-49) from 3, Boston got to the free-throw line just 13 times, making eight, and struggled to contain Tyrese Maxey, who finished with 33 points on 12-of-23 shooting and had 12 assists and three steals.
Joel Embiid had 27 points (8-of-15 shooting) and nine rebounds in 30 minutes, and Caleb Martin had 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting (7-of-9 from 3) for the 76ers, who were 10.5-point underdogs at BetMGM.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for eight turnovers as the Celtics just couldn’t find their rhythm, and the dynamic duo went long stretches without having a great impact. The pair combined for 55 points, 22 rebounds and eight assists but were definitely missing the contributions of Jrue Holiday, who was out with a shoulder injury.
The Celtics did post an 11-0 run over a two-minute span that cut the 76ers’ lead to 108-105 with 2:25 left after some sloppy play from Philadelphia. But the 76ers hung on and hit their free throws to put the game away.
Wemby puts on a show
All the talk before the Christmas Day leadoff game was Victor Wembanyama taking Manhattan.
And the second-year sensation certainly delivered.
Wembanyama scored 42 points to come close to breaking the Christmas Day debut scoring record of 45 set by a rookie Wilt Chamberlain in 1959, but the Knicks persevered down the stretch to win 117-114 on Wednesday.
Mikal Bridges had his best game of the season, scoring 41 on 17-of-25 shooting with six 3s to power the Knicks, and Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns combined for 41 points.
Wembanyama added 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks for San Antonio.
The Knicks, who were 9.5-point favorites at BetMGM, improved to 20-10, while San Antonio dropped to 15-15.
Christmas day games are in full swing, and the first of five did NOT disappoint 🍿👀
Mikal led the Knicks to a holiday W in The Garden 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QvG4F5TuDz
— NBA TV (@NBATV) December 25, 2024
Timberwolves top Mavericks
Well, not every game can be great.
After Victor Wembanyama put on a show, Luka Dončić strained his left calf in the second quarter and didn’t return as the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 105-99 victory.
The Timberwolves were in control throughout, but took their foot off gas late as the Mavericks outscored them 31-15 in the fourth quarter.
Still, the Mavs came up short as Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle combined for 49 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists.
Kyrie Irving led Dallas with 39 points on 14-of-27 shooting (five 3s), and Dončić had 14 points, five rebounds and two assists when he departed.
Full results
Knicks 117, Spurs 114
Timberwolves 105, Mavericks 99
76ers-Celtics, 5 p.m. ET: The champs are the champs.
Lakers-Warriors, 8 p.m. ET: Let’s enjoy LeBron vs. Steph while we still can.
Nuggets-Suns, 10:30 p.m. ET: Nikola Jokić is the best player on Earth, and Kevin Durant is still getting it done.
