The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers will be part of the 2019 NBA Christmas Day schedule for the upcoming season.
The two squads each added more star power in the offseason making for an intriguing matchup.
That’s just one of the 2019 NBA Christmas Day games on the schedule, with several others providing the gift of high-profile basketball stars in action.
Lakers vs. Clippers among featured Christmas Day games
The league unveiled the latest slate for December 25 games to give fans an early tease of what to expect.
The Lakers vs. Clippers matchup alone is enough to have many basketball fans salivating. It will feature LeBron James and Anthony Davis on one side against Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the other.
Announced by ESPN:
Lakers/Clippers on Christmas Day #BattleOfLA 🔥 pic.twitter.com/28daLLVVr0— LeBron James Fans (@LeBronTeam) August 2, 2019
The Lakers also added other key personnel including Avery Bradley, Danny Green, and DeMarcus Cousins to create a rebooted roster.
After failing to make the playoffs last season, it’s clear this could be a nice bounce back season for King James.
Meanwhile, Kawhi Leonard will try to lead a third team to an NBA title in his All-Star career. Paul George will hope to win his first, and they’ll use their Staples Center rivals as a measuring stick for success.
In their own words.@kawhileonard and @Yg_Trece on the opportunity in front of them. pic.twitter.com/Yue2gxZhJg
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) July 25, 2019
Fans are already trying to decide which of these two teams will enjoy more success in the 2019-20 NBA season.
The odds initially were in favor of the LA Clippers to win the title, but bettors put enough money onto the Lakers to push them into the lead for title favorites.
Who else plays on 2019 NBA Christmas Day schedule?
There will be a total of five games on the Christmas Day slate. In another interesting matchup, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and the Houston Rockets take on the defending Western Conference Champion Golden State Warriors.
The NBA’s top rookie will also be in action as Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans take the court against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center.
Williamson is taking over as the Pelicans’ new superstar with the departure of Anthony Davis. The Nuggets were the top team in the Western Conference up until the postseason.
Zion Williamson is set to make his Christmas Day debut as a rookie.
Over the last 40 years only 4 rookies have scored 30 points in their Christmas Day debut:
LeBron James (2003), Patrick Ewing (1985), Bill Cartwright (1979) and Kyle Kuzma (2017). pic.twitter.com/PVDTrXPzy7— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 2, 2019
There are also two Eastern Conference games on the Christmas Day schedule. In one game, the Toronto Raptors host the Boston Celtics.
Toronto are the defending champs, minus Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. The Celtics brought in new All-Star guard Kemba Walker while losing Kyrie Irving and Al Horford.
The final game on the Dec. 25 slate will feature the Milwaukee Bucks at the Philadelphia 76ers. These two teams are expected to be amongst the top contenders in the East for the coming season.
So far the television details including channels and times have yet to be revealed.
However, in the past games have been telecast on ABC, ESPN, and TNT throughout the day starting at approximately noon Eastern Time and concluding with a 10 p.m. ET game.