By The Athletic NBA Staff | The Athletic, 2025-12-25 20:01:52
作者：Mike Prada, Shakeia Taylor, Jared Weiss, Jon Krawczynski, Law Murray, James L. Edwards III, William Guillory and Nick Friedell
NBA一年一度的圣诞大战盛宴，为我们呈现了丹佛上演的MVP级杰作、纽约上演的惊心动魄的逆转、洛杉矶主队的防守崩盘以及旧金山呈现的均衡得分攻势。
但当天最大的焦点发生在俄克拉荷马城，卫冕冠军如今不得不面对一个残酷的现实：一次是偶然，两次是巧合，三次就形成了规律。
在这场五场圣诞大战的焦点对决中，圣安东尼奥马刺队以117-102击败俄克拉荷马城雷霆队，送给雷霆赛季主场首败，这也是他们在13天内第三次输给圣安东尼奥。
马刺（23胜7负）在第二节还剩4分半钟时取得了两位数的领先优势，而雷霆（26胜5负）在剩余的比赛中再也未能将分差缩小到7分以内。德阿龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 为马刺砍下29分，而维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 替补出场26分钟，贡献了19分和11个篮板。马刺全队投篮命中率接近54%，在面对雷霆凶悍的防守时仅出现12次失误，并将俄克拉荷马城的投篮命中率限制在仅38.6%。
自从以25战24胜的战绩开启卫冕之路以来，雷霆队在过去的六场比赛中输掉了四场，其中三场败给了马刺。这场圣诞大战为雷霆提供了一个在主场Paycom中心向他们新生对手复仇的机会——在本年度，雷霆在这里仅输过六次。然而事与愿违，在比赛最后三节的大部分时间里，他们都处于被动，面对的这个对手现在似乎已经完全找到了克制他们的方法。
虽然这场比赛的结果可能影响最为深远，但圣诞大战的开场与收官之战都堪称即时经典。
当晚最精彩的比赛是收官战，尼古拉·约基奇 (Nikola Jokić) 拿下生涯第179次三双（也是他第二次在圣诞大战中拿到三双），带领丹佛掘金队经过加时以142-138战胜明尼苏达森林狼队。
在卡梅伦·约翰逊 (Cameron Johnson) 加入克里斯蒂安·布劳恩 (Christian Braun) 和阿隆·戈登 (Aaron Gordon) 的伤病名单后，掘金（22胜8负）已有三名首发缺阵，但他们本已胜券在握，然而明尼苏达在第四节末段发起了猛烈反扑。安东尼·爱德华兹 (Anthony Edwards)，本场比赛大部分时间都在与明显的肩伤作斗争，在常规时间还剩1.1秒时，于左侧底角深处命中一记后仰三分，将比赛拖入加时。
森林狼（20胜11负）在加时赛中一度取得9分领先，随后约基奇接管了比赛。他在比赛最后三分钟内独得18分，全场砍下56分、16个篮板和15次助攻。历史上只有另外两名球员——1984年的伯纳德·金 (Bernard King) 和1961年的威尔特·张伯伦 (Wilt Chamberlain)——曾在圣诞大战中得到比他更高的分数。而爱德华兹也贡献了44分。
大约12小时前，在一场东部两大季前热门球队的对决中，克利夫兰骑士队（17胜15负）在比赛还剩10分26秒时领先17分，似乎即将迎来一场关键胜利，为他们起伏不定的赛季注入强心剂。然而，纽约尼克斯队的替补席在乔丹·克拉克森 (Jordan Clarkson)、泰勒·科莱克 (Tyler Kolek) 和米切尔·罗宾逊 (Mitchell Robinson) 的带领下，掀起了一场逆转，让人想起了本月早些时候帮助尼克斯锁定NBA杯冠军的那次大翻盘。
这为上赛季的年度关键球员杰伦·布伦森 (Jalen Brunson) 最终终结比赛打开了大门。他在第四节得到了自己全场34分中的13分，包括在比赛还剩一分钟时命中一记急停跳投三分，帮助纽约（21胜9负）取得了决定性的领先优势。
在其他赛场，休斯顿火箭队以一场119-96的统治级胜利搅乱了勒布朗·詹姆斯 (LeBron James) 的第20次圣诞大战之旅；而金州勇士队则克服了斯蒂芬·库里 (Steph Curry) 的投篮失常，以及库珀·弗拉格 (Cooper Flagg) 在其圣诞大战首秀中砍下27分的出色表现，最终以126-116击败达拉斯独行侠队。两支失利的球队都遭遇了关键球员的伤病，达拉斯的安东尼·戴维斯 (Anthony Davis) 腹股沟受伤，而洛杉矶的奥斯汀·里夫斯 (Austin Reaves) 则因小腿受伤在半场退出比赛。
休斯顿的运动能力在攻防两端都压倒了湖人队。三年级前锋阿门·汤普森 (Amen Thompson) 为火箭（18胜10负）贡献了27分、7个篮板和5次助攻，而凯文·杜兰特 (Kevin Durant) 在他代表火箭的首次圣诞大战中得到25分和9次助攻。詹姆斯为湖人（19胜10负）得到18分，他们已经遭遇三连败，并且眼看着冉冉升起的新星奥斯汀·里夫斯因小腿受伤离场。
以下是我们从这些比赛中得到的启示。
雷霆遇上了大麻烦
就在一周前，一切还都风平浪静。
许多人认为俄克拉荷马城雷霆队是不可战胜的，他们将轻松卫冕总冠军。但在不到一周的时间里，维克托·文班亚马——在有限的上场时间内——和圣安东尼奥马刺队彻底打破了这一设想。卫冕联盟MVP谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 周四延续了他连续得分20+的记录，但雷霆在第一节就早早落后，圣安东尼奥此后便再未让出领先优势。
休斯顿火箭和丹佛掘金早已是西部能将雷霆拉下马的有力竞争者，但马刺向其他球队表明，雷霆并非无敌。事实证明，吉尔杰斯-亚历山大不会总是因为球队领先20分而提前打卡下班。
在这场雷霆需要所有首发球员都拿出最佳表现的比赛中，他们的投篮就是不进。除了吉尔杰斯-亚历山大，没有其他球员得分超过13分。
过去几场比赛应该为雷霆敲响警钟。他们需要尽快解决这个非常棘手的“圣安东尼奥难题”。—Shakeia Taylor，NBA专栏作家
丹佛拥有世界最佳球员
在超过13个小时的篮球盛宴中，NBA出色地在其标志性的比赛日展示了各式各样的球队和球员。这里有库里、詹姆斯和凯文·杜兰特这样的老将们。我们也看到了下一代中最有前途的一些球员，比如弗拉格、文班亚马和阿门·汤普森。此外，还有像吉尔杰斯-亚历山大、爱德华兹和布伦森这样的当今风云人物。
当这一天结束时，有一件事变得前所未有的清晰。尼古拉·约基奇是他们所有人中最出色的，而且差距相当明显。
丹佛掘金队因伤缺少了三名首发，面对的是联盟中状态最火热的球队之一，但这都无关紧要，因为约基奇就是那么强得离谱。他在第一节得到18分，第三节中段就拿到了三双，并在丹佛142-138的胜利中，于加时赛砍下了他全场56分中的18分。他还贡献了16个篮板和15次助攻。
约基奇在NBA的助攻和篮板榜上均处于领先地位。进入本场比赛前，他的投篮命中率超过60%，三分命中率43%，罚球命中率84%。他是联盟中最不可阻挡的力量，也是有史以来最伟大的进攻球员之一。
“能看他打球是一种荣幸，”查尔斯·巴克利 (Charles Barkley) 在中场休息时说。
这正是所有人的感受。 —Jon Krawczynski，森林狼资深记者
马刺是新的冠军热门吗？
上一次NBA的实力格局被如此迅速地重塑是什么时候？
通常，需要一次灾难性的伤病才能如此突然地改写联盟的剧本。但在两周内连续三次战胜雷霆后，马刺毫无疑问是总冠军的有力争夺者。对于一支赛季初目标只是附加赛区域的球队来说，这是一个令人震惊的发现。但到了这个阶段，结果已不容置疑。
马刺正在证明自己是NBA最好的球队。他们的建队思路是围绕维克托·文班亚马实现阵容深度和灵活性的最大化，以至于在整场比赛的进程中，他甚至已不再是球队进攻中至关重要的一环。如何让他融入球队体系，在现阶段更像是一种锦上添花，而非必需。
周四，马刺之所以能在上半场拉开比分，是因为文班亚马在防守端放空了底角的亚历克斯·卡鲁索 (Alex Caruso)，导致这位雷霆后卫前九次三分出手全部偏出。尽管俄克拉荷马城错失了太多足以缩小分差的空位三分，但他们的整体表现仍然足够出色，表明若放在一个七场系列赛中，这仍将是一场势均力敌的较量。但在这次我们难得一见的、类似季后赛模拟的赛程中（NBA的常规赛程很少这样安排），马刺已经用三连胜在理论上将雷霆推到了被淘汰的边缘。
圣安东尼奥以如此稳定地方式击败了卫冕冠军，你无法忽视这样一个事实：眼下，马刺是更强的那支球队。考虑到两周前全世界对雷霆的高度评价，这意味着马刺可以说是目前NBA最好的球队。
而不知何故，他们才刚刚开始找到感觉。 —Jared Weiss，马刺专栏作家
湖人的问题开始暴露无遗
还记得十一月吗？洛杉矶湖人队当时势头正盛，在13场比赛中赢了11场。他们最终以15胜5负的开局建立起了不错的胜场优势，同时让勒布朗·詹姆斯逐步适应比赛节奏。
如今到了圣诞夜，湖人队正经历着本赛季的首次连败，而且还是三场惨败。火箭队，就像洛杉矶快船和菲尼克斯太阳一样，比赛节奏排在联盟后十位，更喜欢在半场阵地战中展开攻势。但湖人缺乏角色球员的支持，这给他们的明星球员在进攻端带来了巨大压力，并且一旦出现失误或投篮不中，就会在场上被对手打得落花流水。
更糟糕的是，当湖人三位最佳球员同时在场时，他们也防不住。进入圣诞大战前，当詹姆斯、卢卡·东契奇 (Luka Dončić) 和奥斯汀·里夫斯同时在场时，湖人每百回合失分高达117.0分。作为参照，如果这个阵容打满每场比赛的每一分钟，他们的防守效率将排在NBA第23位。而这支湖人的诡异之处在于，即使这些球员不在一起时，他们也同样防不住。
圣诞节这天，休斯顿很乐意痛击两种版本的湖人队。尽管火箭的三分球只有24投8中，但他们仍然以53.3%的投篮命中率得到119分，这得益于68分的内线得分和他们标志性的17个进攻篮板。
在过去一周，湖人队先后输给了一支西部垫底的球队（快船）、一支分区中游的球队（太阳），以及现在这支更接近顶部的球队。他们的防守很糟糕，而且问题不仅仅出在明星球员身上。但湖人也变得更容易被防守了，他们的角色球员并未能放大球队阵容的优势。 —Law Murray，NBA专栏作家
这支尼克斯靠深度取胜
尼克斯的火力点太多了，这一点在圣诞大战逆转战胜骑士的比赛中体现得淋漓尽致。
纽约开局就以3-18落后。尼克斯第一节输了15分。紧接着，他们在第二节以17分优势赢回了骑士，这得益于克拉克森上半场贡献的14分。
纽约带着领先优势进入半场，但他们在第三节的表现和开局时一样糟糕。骑士在第三节赢了尼克斯14分。
然而，凭借罗宾逊在第四节抢下的无数个进攻篮板（这些篮板全都转化为了尼克斯的得分），以及科莱克和布伦森的三分球，尼克斯在看似败局已定的情况下成功翻盘。圣诞节过后，尼克斯的战绩为21胜9负，比去年同期的战绩还要好一场。
像罗宾逊、克拉克森、科莱克、兰德里·沙梅特 (Landry Shamet) 和迈尔斯·麦克布莱德 (Miles McBride) 这样的替补球员的贡献，是纽约能位居东部第二的一大关键因素。所有这些球员本赛季都曾凭借出色的个人表现为尼克斯赢下一两场比赛。
纽约看起来已经不再是一支头重脚轻的球队。他们拥有能以多种方式赢球的阵容深度。 —James L. Edwards III，尼克斯资深记者
凯文·杜兰特提前收到了他的圣诞礼物
这份礼物在六月就送达了，当时他被交易到休斯顿火箭队，这支球队拥有那种能让NBA历史上最伟大的得分手之一打得更轻松的身材和运动能力。
火箭队本月经历了一些惨痛的失利，因为他们仍在摸索如何将这个非传统阵容中的所有拼图融合在一起。但在周四大胜湖人的比赛中，休斯顿迎来了本赛季最健康的阵容，并向人们展示了，到了季后赛，任何被迫与他们交手的球队都将面临多么艰难的对决。
除了拥有杜兰特、阿尔佩伦·申京 (Alperen Şengün)、小贾巴里·史密斯 (Jabari Smith Jr.) 和史蒂文·亚当斯 (Steven Adams) 的超大尺寸前场外，火箭的前锋塔里·伊森 (Tari Eason) 和多里安·芬尼-史密斯 (Dorian Finney-Smith) 也同时保持健康，这是本赛季的第一次，为这支在主教练伊梅·乌度卡 (Ime Udoka) 麾下比以往任何时候都更强调这些特质的球队增添了更多的多功能性和坚韧性。22岁的汤普森在周四晚上的表现也极具冲击力，他能随心所欲地攻击篮筐，并在防守端极具破坏性。
到目前为止，我们已经零星看到了休斯顿组建这套阵容并将杜兰特作为这棵圣诞树顶端的明星时的愿景。但这次在Crypto.com球馆的圣诞大战大捷，充分展示了一支由杜兰特领衔的球队，当他拥有所有这些多才多艺的侧翼和大体型中锋时，能有多么恐怖。 —William Guillory，NBA专栏作家
阿门和KD在圣诞大战闪耀全场
阿门：26分, 7篮板, 5助攻
KD：25分, 4篮板, 8助攻, 2盖帽, 4记三分火箭在洛杉矶赢下#NBAXmas
pic.twitter.com/VIqxU0dNqv
— NBA (@ NBA) December 26, 2025
勇士需要那个版本的艾尔·霍福德
艾尔·霍福德 (Al Horford) 在参加周四对阵达拉斯独行侠的比赛前，一个月内只打了一场球。这位39岁老将加盟勇士的第一个赛季，对于这位自豪的老将来说，进展并不如他所愿。他表现起伏不定，还受了伤。然而，对霍福德来说最艰难的是，在周四之前的13场比赛里，他的表现就是不够好。
这个情况在本赛季第一次有了改变。一直受坐骨神经痛困扰的霍福德，在自12月14日以来的首场比赛中于第一节替补登场，并命中了四记三分，点燃了勇士队。他全场比赛得到14分，7投5中，并在11分钟内贡献了4个篮板和2次助攻。
对于霍福德来说，这是在他堪称被遗忘的前半个赛季中，迈出的坚实一步。 —Nick Friedell，勇士资深记者
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：What we learned from NBA Christmas: Spurs are Thunder's kryptonite, Nikola Jokić is unstoppable
What we learned from NBA Christmas: Spurs are Thunder’s kryptonite, Nikola Jokić is unstoppable
By Mike Prada, Shakeia Taylor, Jared Weiss, Jon Krawczynski, Law Murray, James L. Edwards III, William Guillory and Nick Friedell
The NBA’s annual Christmas Day showcase featured an MVP masterpiece in Denver, a stirring rally in New York, a defensive letdown by the home team in Los Angeles and a balanced scoring effort in San Francisco.
But the biggest story of the day happened in Oklahoma City, where the defending champions now face an uncomfortable truth: While once might be a fluke and twice could be coincidence, three times is a pattern.
In the marquee matchup of the five-game Christmas slate, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-102, handing the Thunder their first home defeat of the season and their third loss to San Antonio in 13 days.
The Spurs (23-7) took a double-digit lead with four and a half minutes left in the second quarter, and the Thunder (26-5) never got closer than seven points the rest of the way. De’Aaron Fox led the Spurs with 29 points, while Victor Wembanyama tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes off the bench. The Spurs shot nearly 54 percent from the field, committed just 12 turnovers against the Thunder’s ferocious defense and held Oklahoma City to just 38.6 percent shooting.
Since opening their defense of last season’s championship with 24 wins in their first 25 games, the Thunder have lost four of six, including three defeats to the Spurs. The Christmas matchup offered a chance for the Thunder to redeem themselves against their budding rivals at Paycom Center, where the Thunder had lost just six times this calendar year. Instead, they were on the back foot for the majority of the final three quarters against an opponent that is now appears to have their number.
While that result may have the greatest implications, the Christmas slate began and ended with instant classics.
The best game of the night was the finale, where Nikola Jokić’s 179th career triple double (and second on Christmas) led the Denver Nuggets to a 142-138 overtime victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Down three starters after Cameron Johnson joined Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon on the injury list, the Nuggets (22-8) were on the verge of a comfortable victory before Minnesota stormed back late in the fourth quarter. Anthony Edwards, who spent much of the game battling an apparent shoulder injury, sent the contest into overtime with a fadeaway 3 deep in the left corner with 1.1 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Timberwolves (20-11) took a nine-point lead in the extra frame before Jokić took over. He scored 18 points in the final three minutes of the game, finishing with 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists. Only two other players — Bernard King in 1984 and Wilt Chamberlain in 1961 — have scored more points on the holiday. Edwards, for his part, finished with 44 points.
Nearly 12 hours earlier, in a matchup between the East’s two preseason favorites. the Cleveland Cavaliers (17-15) led by 17 points with 10:26 remaining and appeared to be on the verge of a pivotal victory to jumpstart their uneven season. Instead, the New York Knicks’ bench, led by Jordan Clarkson, Tyler Kolek and Mitchell Robinson spurred a comeback reminiscent of the one that secured the Knicks’ NBA Cup championship earlier this month.
That opened the door for Jalen Brunson, last season’s Clutch Player of the Year, to close things out. He scored 13 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, including a pull-up 3 with a minute left that gave New York (21-9) the lead for good.
Elsewhere, the Houston Rockets spoiled LeBron James’ 20th Christmas appearance with a dominating 119-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, while the Golden State Warriors overcame an off shooting afternoon from Steph Curry and a standout 27-point Christmas debut from Cooper Flagg to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 126-116. The two losing teams suffered critical injuries, as Anthony Davis hurt his groin for Dallas and Austin Reaves exited at halftime for Los Angeles with a calf injury.
Houston’s athleticism overwhelmed the Lakers on both ends of the floor. Third-year forward Amen Thompson led the way for the Rockets (18-10) with 27 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Kevin Durant added 25 points and nine assists in his first Christmas appearance with the Rockets. James scored 18 points for the Lakers (19-10), who have lost three straight games and saw rising star Austin Reaves leave the game with a calf injury.
Here’s what we learned from the action.
The Thunder have a big problem
It was all good just a week ago.
Many thought the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t be beaten and would cruise their way to another championship. But in less than a week’s time, Victor Wembanyama — on limited minutes — and the San Antonio Spurs have dismantled the idea. Reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued his 20-point game streak Thursday, but the Thunder got down early in the first quarter and San Antonio never relinquished the lead.
The Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets were already strong contenders to dethrone the Thunder out West, but the Spurs have shown other teams that OKC isn’t invincible. It turns out Gilgeous-Alexander won’t always sit out fourth quarters because the Thunder are up by 20.
In a game where the Thunder needed all of their starters to be as good as possible, shots just weren’t falling. No one other than Gilgeous-Alexander scored more than 13 points.
The last couple of games should serve as a wake up call for the Thunder. They’re going to need to figure out their very big San Antonio problem. —Shakeia Taylor, NBA staff writer
Denver is home to the best player in the world
Over 13 hours of hoops, the NBA did an excellent job of putting all manner of team and player on its signature day. There was the old guard of Curry, James and Kevin Durant. We saw some of the most promising players of the next generation as well, like Flagg, Wembanyama and Amen Thompson. Then, there were the men of the moment like Gilgeous-Alexander, Edwards and Brunson.
When the day was done, one thing was as clear as it has ever been. Nikola Jokić is the best of them all, and it’s not particularly close.
The Denver Nuggets were missing three starters due to injury and facing one of the hottest teams in the league, but it didn’t matter because Jokić is that damn good. He scored 18 points in the first quarter, had a triple-double midway through the third and added 18 of his 56 points in overtime in Denver’s 142-138 victory. He also had 16 rebounds and 15 assists.
Jokić is leading the NBA in assists and rebounds. He entered the night shooting better than 60 percent from the field, 43 percent from 3-point range and 84 percent from the free throw line. He is the most unstoppable force in the league and one of the best offensive players to ever play the game. Full stop.
“It’s an honor to watch him play basketball,” Charles Barkley said at halftime.
That is exactly what it feels like. —Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves senior writer
Are the Spurs the new team to beat?
When was the last time the balance of power in the NBA was reconfigured so swiftly like this?
Usually, it takes a catastrophic injury to rewrite the league’s story so suddenly. But after three consecutive wins over the Thunder in two weeks, the Spurs are unquestionably a title contender. It’s a shocking revelation for a team that was aiming for somewhere around the Play-In entering the season. But the results at this point are undeniable.
The Spurs are making a case for the best team in the NBA. They are designed for maximum depth and flexibility around Victor Wembanyama, to the point that he is no longer vital to their offense over the course of the game. Figuring out how he fits into their system is more of a luxury than a necessity at this point.
San Antonio was able to open a lead in the first half Thursday because Wembanyama abandoned Alex Caruso in the corner as the Thunder guard missed his first nine 3s. While Oklahoma City missed too many wide-open 3s to close the gap, it played well enough overall to show this would remain an even matchup over the course of a seven-game series. But in what has been effectively a playoff series simulation — something we rarely get to see with the way the NBA schedule works — the Spurs have pushed the Thunder to the brink of theoretical elimination with three straight wins.
San Antonio has beaten the defending champions with such consistency that you cannot ignore the fact that, right now, the Spurs are the better team. Considering the high esteem the world was holding the Thunder in just two weeks ago, that means the Spurs are arguably the best team in the NBA right now.
Somehow, they are only just beginning to figure things out. —Jared Weiss, Spurs staff writer
Lakers’ warts are starting to show
Remember November? The Los Angeles Lakers were rolling, winning 11 out of 13 games. They eventually built a nice cushion of wins with a 15-5 start while easing LeBron James back into the lineup.
Now it’s Christmas night, and the Lakers are on their first losing streak of the season, with three blowout defeats to boot. The Rockets, like the LA Clippers and Phoenix Suns, are in the bottom-10 in pace and prefer to operate in the half court. But the Lakers’ lack of a supporting cast stresses their stars offensively and gets run off the floor whenever there are turnovers or missed shots.
It doesn’t help that the Lakers can’t guard with their three best players on the court. Entering Christmas, the Lakers allowed 117.0 points per 100 possessions with James, Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves on the floor. For context, that would rank 23rd in the NBA if that unit played every minute of every game. The twist with these Lakers is they can’t guard when those players aren’t together either.
Houston was happy to beat on both versions of the Lakers on Christmas. While the Rockets made only 8-of-24 from 3, they still found 119 points on 53.3 percent shooting from the field, bolstered by 68 paint points and their customary 17 offensive rebounds.
In the last week, the Lakers have lost to a team at the bottom of the West (Clippers), one in the middle of the conference (Suns) and now one closer to the top of it. Their defense is bad, and it’s not just because of the stars. But the Lakers are easier to defend as well, and the supporting cast isn’t augmenting the strength of their roster. —Law Murray, NBA staff writer
These Knicks win with depth
The Knicks have too many weapons, as made evident in the Christmas Day comeback victory over the Cavaliers.
New York found itself down 18-3 to start the game. The Knicks were outscored by 15 in the first quarter. They followed that up by outscoring the Cavaliers by 17 in the second quarter behind 14 first-half points from Clarkson.
New York took a lead into halftime but was equally as bad in the third quarter as it was to open the game. The Cavaliers outscored the Knicks by 14 in the third quarter.
However, behind a billion offensive rebounds from Robinson in the fourth quarter, all of which led to Knicks baskets, and the 3-point shooting of Kolek and Brunson, the Knicks were able to pull out the win when they looked dead in the water. The Knicks are 21-9 through Christmas Day, which is one game better than they were this time last year.
The contributions of bench players like Robinson, Clarkson, Kolek, Landry Shamet and Miles McBride have been a huge factor as to why New York finds itself with the No. 2 seed in the East. All of those players have won a game or two for the Knicks this season with big performances.
New York appears to be more than a top-heavy team. It has the depth to win multiple ways. —James L. Edwards III, Knicks senior writer
Kevin Durant got his Christmas present early this year
It came in June when he was traded to a Houston Rockets team that boasts the kind of size and athleticism that make life much easier for one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
The Rockets have suffered some rough losses this month as they figure out how all the pieces on this unorthodox roster fit together. But Houston was the healthiest it’s been all season in Thursday’s blowout win over the Lakers, and it put on display just how difficult a matchup they will be for anyone forced to deal with them come playoff time.
Along with the supersized frontcourt that features Durant, Alperen Şengün, Jabari Smith Jr. and Steven Adams, the Rockets also had forwards Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith both healthy for the first time all season, adding even more versatility and tenacity to a group that has emphasized those traits more than ever under head coach Ime Udoka. The 22-year-old Thompson was also a force on Thursday night, getting to the rim at will and being disruptive on defense.
Up to this point, we’ve seen glimpses of the vision Houston had when it put this roster together and added Durant as the star atop the tree. But this Christmas Day rout in Crypto.com Arena showed just how scary a Durant-led team can still be when he has all these versatile wings and big-body centers at his disposal. —William Guillory, NBA staff writer
AMEN & KD SHOW OUT ON CHRISTMAS DAY
Amen: 26 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST
KD: 25 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST, 2 BLK, 4 3PMRockets win in LA for #NBAXmas
— NBA (@ NBA) December 26, 2025
Warriors need that version of Al Horford
Al Horford came into Thursday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks having played one game in a month. The 39-year-old’s first season with the Warriors has not played out the way the proud veteran had hoped. He’s been inconsistent. He’s been hurt. Yet the toughest part for Horford is that he just hasn’t been very good in the 13 games he played before Thursday.
For one of the first times all season, that changed. Horford, who has been dealing with a sciatica issue, came off the bench in the first quarter in his first game since Dec. 14 and knocked down four 3s to spark the Warriors. He finished the game with 14 points, going 5-of-7 from the field along with four rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes.
It was a solid step back for Horford in what has otherwise been a forgettable first half of the season. —Nick Friedell, Warriors senior writer
By The Athletic NBA Staff, via The Athletic