It’s the most wonderful time of the year to be an NBA fan.
The annual Christmas Day slate routinely features some of the NBA’s biggest and brightest stars, and this year is no different.
To kick things off, the Knicks made easy work of the Hawks at Madison Square Garden, securing a 101-87 win.
That game is followed by the return of Giannis Antetokounmpo for the Bucks against the Boston Celtics.
As the day progresses, the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors take the court at 5 p.m. ET in a battle between the teams with the two best records currently in the NBA.
In the prime time slot, the Lakers are hosting the Eastern Conference-leading Nets, and the night closes out with the Mavericks traveling to Utah to face the Jazz.
Here are the top moments.
New York Knicks 101, Atlanta Hawks 87
The Knicks started off red-hot against the Hawks, making their first seven shots from the field, to take an early double-digit lead.
They continued to ride that early wave of momentum into the second quarter, with highlight plays being provided by the likes of Obi Toppin.
But Cam Reddish made his presence felt in the second quarter, scoring in bunches to keep the Hawks within arms reach.
But Evan Fournier’s hot-hand led the Knicks to a 61-51 halftime lead.
When the third quarter started, the Knicks continued their onslaught of the Hawks, with contributions from Taj Gibson and Toppin to get the crowd behind them.
Kemba Walker also continued his good stretch of play for the Knicks, recording a triple-double on the way to a big win. It was his first triple-double since 2014.
In the end, the Knicks were buoyed by five players scoring double-digits, led by Walker’s all-around game and Julis Randle’s 25 points.
To cap it all off, Toppin provided the home crowd with one more highlight dunk to put a bow on the game.
Still to come
Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks, 2:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Stay tuned for more updates!
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