NBA on Christmas

The tradition continues this year with some great NBA basketball on Christmas Day. Here are the must-watch games you need to see.

2 PM ET: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks (ABC/ESPN):

Out in the East, we have a clash of two titans from last year. Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks. The Knicks recently leapfrogged the Raptors to take 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, while a diminishing Cavaliers team is being willed into the 8th seed by Donovan Mitchell. Between Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikail Bridges, and an incredibly deep roster, the Knicks should come out on top in this game; however, be on alert in case Mitchell and the Cavs make this one interesting.

2:30 PM ET: San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder (ABC/ESPN)

The next matchup of the day is a great clash in the West. Victory Wembanyama and the new-look San Antonio Spurs take on the incumbent champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are currently a league-leading 22-1, and on pace to break the 73-win record of the 2016 Golden State Warriors. SGA has been playing on another planet after his MVP season; however, he has to face "The Alien" in Wemby. The Spurs have fought their way into 5th in the West; however, with a 6-5 record on the road, the Thunder should make quick work of their Western foe.

5 PM ET: Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors (ABC/ESPN)

The two lowest teams in this year's slot of Christmas Day games, the Dallas Mavericks head to the Bay to take on Golden State. While Cooper Flagg has greatly elevated his level of play since the start of the year, the team around him still needs work. With Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving being in and out of the roster on a consistent basis, there has been great instability with the team. All of this doesn't even mention the internal firings in light of last year's bombshell Luka Doncic trade. With Golden State also struggling thanks to an ageing core and the addition of Jimmy Butler, this should be a close game, but I still have the Warriors pulling through with the victory.

8 PM ET: Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers (ABC/ESPN)

Speaking of Luka Doncic, the Lakers will host the Rockets in a Western Conference throwdown. With the teams being 2nd and 4th in the West, respectively, this will serve as a great test to see which of these two teams can hang on to a top spot in the West. KD has been a standout addition to the Rockets, and he faces a well-rounded Lakers team with championship aspirations. This game is going to be a thrilling tossup that could go either way and it well deserves its primetime time slot.

10:30 PM ET: Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets (ABC/ESPN) 

Lastly, we close our holiday season with another incredible matchup. The 6th place Timberwolves and 3rd place Nuggets are set to put on a Western show to close out the day. Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic have continued to lead the Nuggets on a path to get their second championship in franchise history, while Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves are hoping that this is the year they finally break through and make the NBA Finals after coming up short last year. This is going to be my personal pick for the best game of the night, and its a fitting conclusion for this Christmas