The Mavericks and Suns will close out the NBA on Christmas Day slate (10:30 ET, ESPN).
The Mavericks started the week with losses to Denver and the LA Clippers and face a Phoenix squad on Christmas (10:30 ET, ESPN) still working to find its way due to injuries. Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal have played just two games together this season, while Dallas guard Kyrie Irving (heel bruise) has missed six consecutive contests.
3 key storylines
- Doncic vs Booker: This battle caught fire during the 2022 Western Conference semifinals, and we should expect more when these dynamic scorers clash again. “We’ve got some smoke,” Booker said last season of this head-to-head matchup. The Suns guard owns the advantage, having posted a total record of 12-6 against Doncic.
- Offensive fireworks: That’s to be expected if Durant, Booker, Doncic and Irving all play in this one. When the teams last faced off back in March, all four reeled off 30-point games. The matchup featured six lead changes and six ties in the fourth quarter alone.
- History in the making: Durant moved into the Top 20 in career field goals made with a 40-point night Tuesday and is making a push to win his fifth scoring title. If Durant accomplishes that feat, he’ll be just the third player behind Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan to do so.
All-time Christmas Day records
The Mavericks are 3-3 entering this year’s Christmas Day matchup. The Suns are 12-8.
Picks
- Mavericks – Steve Aschburner
- Suns – Brian Martin
- Mavericks – Shaun Powell
- Suns – John Schuhmann
- Mavericks – Michael C. Wright
Full 2023 NBA Christmas Day schedule
- Bucks vs. Knicks (Noon ET, ESPN)
- Warriors vs. Nuggets (2:30 ET, ABC/ESPN)
- Celtics vs. Lakers (5 ET, ABC/ESPN)
- 76ers vs. Heat (8 ET, ESPN)
- Mavericks vs. Suns (10:30 ET, ESPN)
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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