Mattie T’s Preview for all 5 Christmas Day NBA games…

Good afternoon & Merry Christmas Eve to everyone!

Tomorrow’s NBA coverage will span from 11am to midnight, so it’s time to break down all 5 games & offer some predicitions on who will win!

Game 1: New Orleans Hornets @ Orlando Magic from Amway Arena in Orlando, FL. (Tip-off 11am CST on ESPN.)

This game will feature two of the NBA’s brightest young players at their positions, with Hornets’ point guard Chris Paul (leads NBA with 11.7 assists per game) & Magic center Dwight Howard (leads NBA with 13.9 rebounds per game).

Christmas Day history: The Magic have won each of their last 2 Christmas Day Games (’02 against Detroit & ’03 against Cleveland), while this will be the Hornets’ first Xmas Day game in franchise history.

Player to watch: Magic guard Jameer Nelson.

Nelson has improved in each month of the season & is averaging 21.0 points per game with 6 assists while shooting a red-hot 58% from the field in 9 December games.

Mattie T’s Prediction:

The Magic are one of the hottest teams in the league right now with only 4 losses since November 1st. New Orleans will make this a close game, but Orlando will pull away late to improve to 13-3 at Amway Arena.

Magic 94, Hornets 87.

Game 2: San Antonio Spurs @ Phoenix Suns from US Airways Center in Phoenix, AZ. (tip-off 1:30 pm CST on ABC.)

These two teams have seemed to create one of the better rivalries in the NBA, as San Antonio has eliminated Phoenix from the playoffs in 4 of the last 6 years. The Suns once again boast one of the NBA’s top-scoring teams, but are having trouble defensively even under new head coach Terry Porter.

Christmas Day history: The Spurs will be looking for their first Christmas Day win since ’95 (105-100 W over Phoenix), while the Suns will search for their first Christmas Day win since ’93 (111-91 W over Houston).

Player to watch:  Suns center Shaquille O’ Neal.

O’Neal has actually gotten better with his scoring AND (surprise!) free-throw shooting over the course of the season. Earlier this month against Milwaukee, Shaq  scored a season-high 35 points which was his first 30-point game since March of ’07.

Mattie T’s Prediction:

Phoenix has been a bit shaky this month with a 5-4 record, but is a perfect 5-0 at home. San Antonio has been hot of late & have won 9 of their last 11 games.  I think the Spurs find a way to win on the road in an OT thriller.

Spurs 110, Suns 106 in OT.

Game 3: Boston Celtics @ Los Angeles Lakers from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (tip-off 4pm CST on ABC.)

This looks to be the marquee game of the day, as the Celtics will put their 19-game win streak on the line against a Laker team that is 14-1 at home this season.

Christmas Day history: The Lakers will be involved in their 10th straight Christmas Day game, which dates back to 1999. (Beat San Antonio 99-93). The Celtics will make their first Christmas Day apperance since 2002 (lost 117-81 to New Jersey) & will be seeking their first Xmas Day win since 1980 (117-108 win over New York).

Player to watch: Lakers center Pau Gasol.

In his first full season with LA, Gasol is currently averaging 18.3 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game & is shooting 59.6% from the field in 12 December games. He should play a key role on Thursday & is the team’s 2nd leading scorer behind Kobe Bryant.

Mattie T’s Prediction:

Offensively, Paul Pierce & Kobe Bryant could very well match each other point-for-point in this game. However, the Lakers recently received a huge blow as backup point guard Jordan Farmar will miss the next 8 weeks of action with a knee injury that will require surgery. This means that 34-year old Derek Fisher will receive more playing time as the Lakers have yet to sign a backup to fill Farmar’s roster spot. This is something that i think Boston’s Rajon Rondo will take advantage of, as the 3rd year point guard from Kentucky seems to be getting better each season.

Celtics 103, Lakers 97.

Game 4: Washington Wizards @ Cleveland Cavaliers from Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH. (tip-off 7pm CST on TNT.)

This is clearly a huge mismatch as the Cavaliers (NBA’s 2nd best record at 24-4) will be facing a Wizards team that looks to be lottery bound & is off to a horrendous 4-22 start.

Christmas Day history: Cleveland will appear in its’ 2nd straight Christmas Day game after beating Miami 96-82 last season, while Washington will appear on Christmas Day for the first time since 1988. (Lost 125-110 to Philadelphia…their team name then were the “Bullets”)

Player to watch: Wizards forward Caron Butler.

Despite Washington’s terrible record, Butler remains a consistent scoring option as he is averaging 21.5 points per game this month & is shooting 49.2% from the field.

Mattie T’s Prediction:  This one will be over at halftime, but i’m anxious to see what LeBron’s new “chalk” shoe from Nike will look like. It was inspired from the following commercial:

Nike Chalk Commercial

Cavaliers 95, Wizards 73.

Game 5: Dallas Mavericks @ Portland Trail Blazers from Rose Garden in Portland, OR. (tip-off 9:30 pm CST on TNT.)

Good matchup here, as these two teams currently hold down the #6 & #7 seeds in the NBA’s Western Conference.

Christmas Day history: The Mavericks’ only other Christmas Day apperance was in 2003, when they beat Sacramento 111-103. Portland will appear in its’ 2nd straight Christmas Day game after beating the now-defunct Seattle Sonics 89-79.

Player to watch: Blazers guard Brandon Roy.

Roy is starting to catch fire, as he dropped a career-high 52 points on December 19th against the Suns & is averaging 25.1 points per game this month.

Mattie T’s Prediction:

Portland has protected their homecourt well recently with wins over Phoenix & New Orleans. They almost held on to beat Orlando earlier this month, but were victim to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Hedo Turkoglu. Look for these young & rising Blazers to knock off the Mavs on Thursday.

Trail Blazers 107, Mavericks 99.

Merry Christmas to everyone!!!