Christmas Day for basketball fans is the unofficial start of the “real season,” when contenders begin to separate themselves from the pretenders.

Seven of the top 10 teams and seven of the 10 best players in the NBA are playing on Christmas Day. There’s no shortage of star power when ABC starts its live marathon live coverage at noon ET.

But this year there’s major competition.

The NFL has a three-game slate on Dec. 25. Aaron Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers take on the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m. ET followed by the Denver Broncos-L.A. Rams at 4:30 p.m. ET. The prime-time game at 8:20 p.m. ET features Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Arizona Cardinals.

Football is king when it comes to TV ratings, so the NBA will have to compete for viewers on a day when it usually owns the viewing audience. To help solve this viewing dilemma, OneManFastBreak.net has tagged three must-see NBA games. The other two games, well, let’s just say you’re fee to switch channel to the NFL games.

Must-see games
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks (noon ET, ABC/ESPN) — The Knicks enter Christmas Day as one of the hottest teams in the league. They’ve won eight in a row and now currently sit among the top six teams in the Eastern Conference. The offseason acquisition of point guard Jalen Brunson has solidified New York’s once shaky backcourt. Brunson is the perfect tough-as-nails leader head coach Tom Thibodeau has been seeking since his days with the Chicago Bulls. Brunson takes the pressure of forward Julius Randle and knows how to win close ballgames, which was a big problem last season. The Sixers have been coasting so far, but they still have MVP candidate Joel Embiid. When Embiid decides to take over a game, there are few people on planet Earth who can slow him down. Madison Square Garden will be rocking for this sexy matchup.

Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks (5 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) — This could very well be a preview of the East finals. Both teams enter the colossal showdown with their full compliment of players. Khris Middleton, who missed last year’s playoff series with a knee injury, is starting to get back into shape. Middleton is the Robin to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Batman. The Celtics welcome back center Robert Williams, who was vital to their run to the NBA Finals last season. Jayson Tatum is enjoying an MVP season and his running mate, Jaylen Brown, is making a strong case to make the All-NBA squad. Celtics had owned the league’s best record until a rocky West Coast trip tripped them up and allowed the Bucks to gain ground in the standings. The Bucks’ game in Milwaukee starts at 5 p.m. ET, well after the kickoff for Packers-Dolphins game. Wisconsin fans will be able to watch their Packers and their Bucks on Christmas Day.

Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets (10:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) — The Suns-Nuggets game is the last NBA game on the Christmas Day schedule. The first quarter of Suns-Nuggets might be a skip since most of us will be watching the end of the Buccaneers-Cardinals game when Brady leads the Bucs to victory over a depleted Cards squad. Once the NFL prime-time game is over, you can tune in to Suns-Nuggets. Both teams don’t like each other. During the 2021 playoffs, the Suns swept the Nuggets and Nikola Jokic was ejected in the clincher for a hard foul on Cameron Payne. Jokic and Devin Booker had to be separated after a heated exchange. Jokic’s brothers got involved in the bruhaha when they yelled at Booker from the stands. We could see fireworks again.

Skip these games
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Golden State Warriors (8 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) — A once promising matchup turned into a sour showdown after reigning Finals MVP Steph Curry injured his left shoulder and will be sidelined for a few weeks. Without Curry, the Warriors are a shell of themselves. There’s some bad blood between the Grizzlies and Warriors, so this could have been spicy. The Dubs-Griz game will be going head-to-head with Bucs-Cards, and we all know America will always choose football over basketball. It’s OK. This game could get ugly, anyways.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) — Not even LeBron James and Luka Doncic can save this awful matchup. The Lakers won’t have All-Star Anthony Davis and the Mavericks are struggling to find four other guys to play with Doncic. If LeBron was playing Luka one-on-one, then this game actually be interesting. But as currently constructed, it’s a battle of two teams closer to the bottom of the conference.

Wins and losses are all that matter in the NBA. However, on Christmas Day, the Los Angeles Lakers managed to give the defending champion Miami Heat a battle before ultimately losing, 101-95, at Staples Center.

“The last two games we were just getting murdered, getting killed,” Nick Young told the L.A. Times. “To come back and fight like that today is a step forward, I think, for us.”

L.A. was playing without their franchise player in Kobe Bryant, who was out with a fractured bone in his left knee. Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade each scored 23 points to lead the Heat.

“Those guys are the best the league has to offer,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni told The Times. “You see some plays that you just don’t normally see. LeBron’s so strong and Wade, they come at you. It’s impressive.”

With the game tied at 81, Norris Cole scored seven points during an 11-2 run to give the Heat a 92-83 lead with a little over five minutes to play.

Young led the Lakers with 20 points (7-for-20 shooting) and continued his stellar play, replacing Bryant’s scoring production. He’s averaging 18.3 points per games the last 14 games.

Jodie Meeks scored 17 points, Xavier Henry pumped in 14 points, Pau Gasol scored 13 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Jordan Farmar returned from an injured left hamstring to give L.A. a true point guard to run the offense after Steve Nash and Steve Blake all sustained injuries. However, Farmar wasn’t in game shape. He managed just three points and two assists in 32 minutes.

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @djroxalot.

You know you pulled off something amazing when Earvin “Magic” Johnson called it one of the greatest plays he has ever seen.

Miami Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have been serving up spectacular alley-oop dunks since they joined forces in 2010, but their latest collaboration had an extra twist to it. LeBron’s off-the-glass rim shaker on Christmas Day against the L.A. Lakers had Staples Center buzzing and the sports world shaking its head.

Check out Magic’s tweet:

Even though his dominant hand is his left, LeBron prefers to throw it down with his right hand. When Wade’s pass off the glass sailed a little bit to the left, LeBron had to adjust in midair and jammed it home with his non-shooting hand. James was up so high he had to duck his head to avoid the rim. On the way back up the court, cameras caught James smiling and admiring his handy work. Even the Staples Center crowd took time off from their steady stream of selfies and Instagrams to give LeBron some oohs and aahs.

ABC commentator Jeff Gundy was just as entertained as the rest of us, saying “We should stop the game and let everyone watch the replay. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Watch and marvel at the work of Wade and LeBron on what may be the best dunk of the season. If anything, it’s a candidate for dunk of the year:

This wasn’t how the NBA schedule-makers envisioned Christmas Day.

When they pitted the Lakers and Heat, they had visions of LeBron James going head-to-head with Kobe Bryant at Staples Center. Instead, they’ll likely get LeBron versus. . . . Wesley Johnson?

When they pitted the Bulls and the Nets, they had visions of Derrick Rose crossing over Deron Williams at Barclays Center. Instead, they’ll settle for Williams versus. . . . D.J. Augustin?

When they pitted the Spurs and the Rockets, they had visions of James Harden pulling the Euro step on Euro step king Manu Ginobili. Instead, Ginobili could be Eurostepping . . . Francisco Garcia?

And when pitted the Thunder against the Knicks, they had visions of a scoring duel between Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. Instead, the crowd at Madison Square Garden could see Durant versus . . . Iman Shumpert?

Bah, hambug!

Unfortunately for the league, injuries are playing tricks on them. The injury bug bit Rose (torn meniscus, out for the season) and Kobe (knee fracture, out six weeks) hard, while Harden and Anthony are game-time decisions because of  sprained ankles. That’s two former league MVPs definitely out, and possibly the reigning scoring champion and former sixth man of the year missing from the NBA Christmas showcase.

The Knicks star left Monday night’s win against the Orlando Magic, and Mike Woodson told ESPN radio that the team will closely monitor his status.

“We got to weigh it out,” Woodson said. “He came in and got treatment today and he’ll get treatment through probably the evening and then tomorrow when he wakes up and comes in we’ll have to assess it at that time.”

The Lakers may have the worst luck when it comes to injuries. Aside from Kobe’s broken bone in his kneecap, Steve Nash has only appeared in a handful of games due to nerve damage to his neck. His two backups, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar, are also out. Blake is dealing with a torn ligament in his elbow, while Farmar has a bad hamstring.

Mike D’Antoni is so fed up with the injuries he told Lakers Nation to follow another ballclub. He later apologized for that temporary lapse in judgment.

The sprained ankle monster nearly swallowed LeBron. But league honchos David Stern and Adam Silver can rest easy because The King isn’t expected to miss the Heat’s game in L.A. If LeBron were to miss the Christmas Day game, the NBA might was well cancel the rest of the schedule.

On a much, much, much smaller scope, J.J. Redick will miss the Clippers-Warriors matchup. Had to throw that in there to keep the theme going. Good news is, the Splash Brothers, Chris and Cliff Paul, Blake Griffin and the Griffin Force are all healthy so the nightcap could live up to the hype.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Last June the Oklahoma City Thunder watched the Miami Heat celebrate an NBA championship. Six months later, the Thunder met the Heat again.

The marquee matchup between LeBron James and Kevin Durant lived up to the hype. James, the reigning regular season and Finals MVP, nearly had a triple-double as he finished with 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Dwyane Wade backed up James with 21 points, as the Heat survived a frantic finish to beat the Thunder 103-97 on Tuesday.

”Felt a little bit like a different month,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told The Associated Press. ”Regardless of what your script is coming into the game, when you play this team, it’s not going to go according to script. They’re too good.”

But on this night, much like last June, the Heat were better.

Durant dropped a game-high 33 points and Westbrook netted 21 for Oklahoma City, but both Thunder stars missed potential game-tying 3-point attempts in the final seconds. Westbrook thought he was fouled on his 3-point attempt and slammed the scorers’ table in frustration when no foul was called.

”It was a great game. I can’t complain,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. ”We could have done a better job of not turning the ball over in the first half. All in all, it was a great game to play and a great game to coach. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out with the win.”

Here are the rest of the Christmas Day results:

L.A. LAKERS 100, NEW YORK KNICKS 94
Playing in his record 15th Christmas Day game, Kobe Bryant engineered a second-half comeback to lead the Lakers to their fifth straight win and 2-0 since Steve Nash returned to the starting lineup. Bryant scored 34 points in his NBA-record 15th Christmas Day game and Metta World Peace added 20 points and seven rebounds while defending Carmelo Anthony, whose 34 points led the Knicks.

Bryant, the league’s leading scorer, has topped 30 or more points in nine straight games.

”If you’re going to play on Christmas, it’s always better to win. Makes it all worthwhile,” Bryant told AP. ”It’s so early in the season to have turned a corner. We have everybody in the lineup and we’re starting to see how we want to play.”

The Lakers improved to 14-14 – 9-9 under new coach Mike D’Antoni – and upped their holiday record to 21-18, including 13-9 at home. They returned to .500 for the first time since they were 8-8 on Nov. 30.

L.A. CLIPPERS 112, DENVER NUGGETS 100
The Clippers remain the hottest team in the NBA, pushing their winning streak to 14 straight which is a franchise record. Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes had 22 and 20 points, respectively, to spearhead a strong game from the Clippers bench.

Chris Paul had 14 points, eight assists, and three steals while Blake Griffin finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and six assists in just 25 minutes of action. The Clippers blew the game open with a 42-point outburst in the second quarter that propelled L.A. to a 67-48 halftime advantage.

HOUSTON ROCKETS 120, CHICAGO BULLS 97
Omer Asik returned to the United Center and had a double-double with 20 points and 18 rebounds.

”Omer is a big-time player in the middle,” Rockets coach Kevin McHale told AP. ”Tonight he was blocking shots, getting rebounds, and outletting the ball for us. He’s got a big body and sets wide picks for us. This was a very good game for him.”

James Harden scored 26 points and Jeremy Lin added 20 points and 11 assists for Houston, which had all five starters score in double figures. Chandler Parsons scored 23 points and Marcus Morris had 10. Houston has won six of seven.

BOSTON CELTICS 93, BROOKLYN NETS 76
The last time Celtics guard Rajon Rondo played against the Nets, he got into it with forward Kris Humphries and was thrown out of the game to stop his double-digit assist streak. It was redemption for Rondo on Christmas as he scored 19 points in his first full game against the Nets this season to help orchestrate a very impressive road win for Boston.

Rookie Jared Sullinger tied a career high with 16 points and Jeff Green had 15 for the Celtics, who was challenged by their head coach Doc Rivers after their “soft” performance in the previous meeting with Brooklyn. Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez each scored 15 for the Nets, who have lost four of five. The Nets’ high-priced backcourt of Deron Williams (10 points) and Joe Johnson (12 points) were a combined 7-for-21 from the field.

The L.A. Lakers, quite simply, were Ho-Ho-Ho-rrible against the Miami Heat on Christmas Day. The two-time defending NBA champions left an awful stench at Staples Center after a 96-80 loss to the traveling circus from South Beach.

It got so bad for the Lakers that coach Phil Jackson joked he developed hemorrhoids sitting on the bench. During his postgame presser, Kobe Bryant broke his silence with the media and promised to “beat” the message of accountability into his teammates when they return to practice. Now, you don’t want to be on Kobe’s bad side. Anyone who challenges his authoritarian position they either get traded (Shaq O’Neal) or forced into retirement (Karl Malone).

Bryant and the Lakers were embarrassed on Christmas by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade – his two buddies from the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. Bryant is not a very good loser so getting punked by two guys, who are considered his chief competition for BPITG (Best Player in the Game), really put the Kobester in a very salty mood.

“I’m going to kick some [butt] in practice,” said the man who wore Grinch-like shoes on Christmas. “It’s going to get through. I’ll beat it in their head until it gets through.”

Bryant had a feeling the Lakers weren’t going to play well coming into their much-hyped game against the Heat on Christmas Day. The Lakers are 4-8 on Christmas Day since 1999 and last year LeBron and his former team, the Cleveland Brons, ruined the holidays by destroying the Lakers by 15 points and turning the normally docile L.A. crowd at Staples Center into a dog pound, tossing their foam fingers onto the court.

“We always [stink] on Christmas,” Bryant said. “I don’t think we’re mean enough to be able to show up on Christmas Day and play. They should just take us off this day.

“I think these games mean more to our opponents than they do to us. I think we need to get that straight. We need to play with more focus and put more importance on these games. I don’t like it.”

Bryant is one of those rare superstars who is never completely satisfied. He knows how hard it is to three-peat, and he is concerned that this year’s team is not as hungry and may have either gotten fat (Andrew Bynum), burned out (Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol) or unfocused (Ron Artest).

Bryant plays to win championships, and anything else is a major disappointment. You won’t see any division championship banners hanging at Staples Center. It’s all about the gold ball. Bryant plans to play in June each and every year. And even though he already has five chips, Kobe is ALL IN each and every season.

Fisher told ESPN News’ Sara Walsh on Friday, “I’m going to be real. Other than just going out and playing against a good team, it’s not necessarily personal. Of course, I want a win against the Heat on Christmas Day. That’s the best gift I can give myself.”

Things just got more interesting in the budding rivalry between the Lakers and the Heat.

Fisher is one of the more politically correct people in the league, so he’s not going to drag this brewing issue to the media. However, don’t be surprised if Fisher sends LeBron a little message in the form of a forearm to the chest. Remember the Luis Scola play? Things could get a little testy. Here’s a look at the matchups:

GUARDS: Other than Dwyane Wade, the Heat really don’t have much while the Lakers have a wealth of experience in the backcourt with Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake and Shannon Brown. The only way this position matchup evens out is if Carlos Arroyo or Mario Chalmers has a career game – which is probably not going to happen. It will be interesting to see if Wade guards Kobe for the majority of the game. If he does, Wade’s offense will suffer a little bit because he’ll have to waste a lot of energy on defense. If he doesn’t, then his buddy LeBron will likely draw the assignment, but that would mean Wade would have to guard Ron Artest which is no walk in the park either. EDGE: LAKERS

FORWARDS: LeBron James will likely face Ron Artest in a head-to-head showdown worth the price of admission. Artest may be the only player in the league who can dislodge LeBron off the box, and the Lakers don’t have to send an extra defender toward LeBron because Artest can play him straight up. The Chris Bosh-Lamar Odom matchup is an interesting one. Both are lefties and both are streak shooters. Against any other team, Artest and Odom should prevail. But against a Heat squad with two All-Star forwards, the Lakers will have their hands full. EDGE: HEAT

CENTER: The Heat may have The Big Three but the Lakers have The Hollywood Hills in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Gasol will start the game, but expect Andrew Bynum to have a major impact in the game off the bench. Outside of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Heat don’t have another 7-footer who can bother The Hills. Gasol and Bynum are matchup nightmares for 29 teams in the league, and the Lakers are nearly unbeatable when both are healthy. The Heat will be at a severe disadvantage. EDGE: LAKERS

COACHING: Erik Spoelstra is one of young, bright coaches in the league but, let’s get real, he’s facing a living legend in Lakers mastermind Phil Jackson. End of story. EDGE: LAKERS

PREDICTION: LeBron and D-Wade need to be extra special for the Heat to have a chance, while the Lakers just need to play their normal game to take control of the game. Lakers win, 99-93.