The NBA’s five-game Christmas schedule is in the books, and it finished with a bang as the Denver Nuggets needed overtime to outlast the visiting Phoenix Suns, 128-125.
In the day’s opener, the 76ers dominated the second half to defeat the Knicks, 119-112, which was followed by the Mavericks taking out the Lakers, 124-115, behind a 51-point third quarter. The Boston Celtics ran away from the Milwaukee Bucks with a 139-118 win, and the depleted Golden State Warriors made a statement with a 123-109 victory over the full-strength Memphis Grizzlies.
Below are the top Christmas Day performances.
Nikola Jokic: 41 points, 15 assists, 15 rebounds
Jokic is out here putting up Wilt numbers. For the second time in a week he posts a 40-point triple-double. (And in that other game, against Charlotte, he had 27 rebounds.) He shot 64 percent from the field against Phoenix, including 2 of 4 from beyond the arc and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line. The Nuggets have won seven of their past eight, are now in sole possession of the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed, and Jokic has to be the MVP frontrunner.
Jayson Tatum: 41 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
When there’s a primetime matchup, you can pretty much count on Tatum going off these days, and going head to head with Giannis Antetokounmpo certainly qualifies.
Tatum was lethal from all three levels on Sunday, hitting 3 of 7 from deep, 3 of 4 from the midrange and 8 of 11 in the paint. He went 10 for 10 from the free-throw line, where he’s posting a career high 8.5 attempts per game this season.
Jordan Poole: 32 points in 29 minutes
Poole entered Christmas averaging 28 points in games Stephen Curry hasn’t played, and he continued that trend on Sunday with 32 points in just 29 minutes. Poole was clearly in cook mode early, jitterbugging all over to create shots and moving without the ball for catch-and-shoots. He had a shot at 40 but was ejected for picking up a second technical foul midway through the fourth quarter.
Luka Doncic: 32 points, 9 assists, 9 rebounds
Doncic was measured in his…
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