Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat

Sportacular Sports

Oklahoma City Thunder (21-5) vs. Miami Heat (18-6)

The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to Miami to face the Heat in a rematch of last years NBA Finals. After winning an MVP and NBA title last season LeBron has returned this season on the same mission. Win an NBA title. Oklahoma City has showed no sign of slowing down even after the James Harden trade. Kevin Durant has been a superstar and Russel Westbrook's shot selection has been good enough. Owning the top record in the league, Oklahoma City faces a tough test on Christmas Day.

Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder come into this matchup winning 4 out of their last 5. Their recent
10+ game winning streak just ended but their are no signs of slowing down. Russel Westbrook is having his best career season averaging 9 assists and 2 steals a game. The Thunder look to end their 9 game road losing streak on Christmas Day.

Miami Heat
LeBron James said this week, "It's not my job to lead the league in scoring." He included he believes he could indeed but prefers being a team player. In mentioning that, James has scored 20+ points in all 24 games this season. In addition, LeBron hasn't committed a foul in 6 games. Whether or not that is favoritism from some referees, James has been on a tear this season. As I said earlier, LeBron is looking to be back in the NBA Finals again this season.

Prediction;
The two top players in the league will be going at it back and forth. The one element that separates the two is LeBron's defensive presence. That factor combined with home court advantage will lead to a Heat victory.

Final Score:
Heat-106 Thunder-100

New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers- Christmas Day Special

New York Knicks (20-7) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (13-14)

The New York Knicks travel to the Staples Center on Christmas Day on ESPN at 3 pm as part of a Christmas Day buffet of NBA games. The Knicks are having a superb season so far as Carmelo Anthony is 2nd in the league in scoring to counterpart Kobe Bryant. The Lakers have underperformed thus far but the return of Steve Nash should get them back on track.

New York Knicks
The Knicks are one of the deepest teams in the NBA with talent still to return. They have options like J.R. Smith, Marcus Camby, and Steve Novak coming off the bench including an injured Rasheed Wallace. To add onto that, New York has top defensive Point Guard Iman Shumpert and all-star Amar'e Stoudamire set to return within the next month or so. The Knicks definitely appear that they can compete and today will be an excellent test to survey where they are. Look for Carmelo to have a great game.

Los Angeles Lakers
L.A. Got off to a slow start but have shown improvement of late. The return of Steve Nash two nights ago resulted in a win over a surprisingly good Golden State team. Dwight Howard has been quietly amazing this season averaging 18 ppg, 12 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. Kobe Bryant currently leads the league in scoring with 29.7 ppg and is still playing at a high level even at age 34. The Lakers need a significant win to please the fans and I anticipate they will.

Prediction:
The Knicks will play the Lakers tough and the back and forth between Melo and Kobe will be great but I predict Kobe hits the last shot and pushes L.A. to a win.

Final Score:
Lakers-102 Knicks-99

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Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets-Sportacular Sports

Boston Celtics (13-13) vs. Brooklyn Nets (14-12)

On Christmas Day, the Boston Celtics travel to the Big Apple to face the new look Nets. Offseason addition Joe Johnson has meshed nicely with superstar Deron Williams. The older Celtics are still getting quality play from the Truth, Paul Pierce and the top pure Point Guard in the league, Rajon Rondo.

Brooklyn Nets
Moving to Brooklyn this season, the Nets got off to a hot start feeding off of the excitement. Their early season success included a win over their cross town rival, the New York Knicks. After that win, things began to decline including losses in 3 out of the past 4 games.

Boston Celtics
Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce have been excellent of recent but the supporting cast has been lacking. Losing 4 of their past 5, the Celtics are also looking to rebound on Christmas Day. The Celtics are currently 8th in the East but the question is not are they going to make the playoffs yet it is are they able to contend? To that, I say no. Rondo is a superb player but KG's and Paul Pierce's time is up and unless they make a major deal at the trade deadline, the Heat will remain as Eastern Conference Champions.

Prediction
Boston usually gets up for big time games like this but the Nets are a team that plays purely off of hype and excitement. On Christmas Day, the Barclays center will be rocking and that is why I predict a Nets win.

Final Score:
Brooklyn-92 Boston-88