This game can make the world feel smaller.

It can connect us in the most basic ways. Through joy. Passion. Feeling like you’re flying after your squad wins on a buzzer-beater, and that flattening agony of being on the other side of the shot.

Through hoops, through hustle. And, of course, through play.

• New Launch: Today, on a 5-game NBA on Christmas Day (ABC & ESPN) we’re excited to announce the launch of NBA Play, the new home for daily interactive games in the NBA App
• Tap here to get started 🎮
• Many of you, the Starting 5 fam, have written in asking for more games and trivia in these editions. Now, you’ll have a place to go each day to test your knowledge, raise your game and just hang out. You’re a gift to us. Here’s one in return.

THE LINEUP 🎄

1. 🗽  Giannis & Brunson meet in MSG
2. ⭐  Curry, Jokic & the last 2 champs
3. 🔗  Tatum & Bron, linked since Year 1
4. 💥  Maxey, Butler, Bam & breakouts
5. 🧠  KD & Luka’s scoring genius

📺 5 Games On #NBAXMas: Knicks-Bucks tips things off at 12 ET on ESPN, followed by Warriors-Nuggets (2:30, ABC/ESPN), Celtics-Lakers (5, ABC/ESPN), 76ers-Heat (8, ESPN) and Mavs-Suns (10:30, ESPN). Get cozy in our Christmas Hub

✨ Star Watch: Five of the last nine Kia NBA MVPs will take the court today – with a rising tide of young stars coming up behind them. Tap for stars to watch

🎁 #NBAXMas TLDR: Schedules. Predictions. Recipes. The usual, served up quick, so you can get back to trying to remember where you put that one gift

🎤 Best of #NBAXMas Mic’d Up: Listen in before Lillard, Curry, Murray, Tatum, Maxey, Butler and Doncic wear mics on ABC & ESPN

☑️ All-Star Voting: Today marks the first 3-for-1 voting day in All-Star Voting presented by AT&T, and every vote you cast with your NBA ID gets you another chance to win a trip to All-Star (US & Canada only)

1. BUCKS-KNICKS: GIANNIS & BRUNSON MEET IN MSG MATINEE

The Matchup: A 2-time MVP that redefined the things a 7-footer is capable of, against a rising superstar that’s only shined brighter under the lights at MSG.

• Giannis’ #NBAXMas Homecoming: Then 24, Antetokounmpo played his first-ever Christmas Day game at MSG in 2018 – Milwaukee’s first since 1977 – on the way to his first MVP. He dominated. Re-live the moment
• How About This Year? Ranked third in Michael Wright’s Kia Race to the MVP Ladder, Giannis is fifth in the league in scoring this year – and the only player in the Top 50 shooting better than 60% (at a career-best 60.4)
• Brunson’s Impact: At 25.6 ppg and 5.9 apg, he’s on pace to become the second Knick ever to average 25 & 5 in a season (Richie Guerin – 1961-62)
• Star Duos: They’re joined by Damian Lillard, playing his first #NBAXMas with the Bucks and standing at 13th in the league in scoring, and Julius Randle, who ranks 23rd

🧦 Stocking Stuffers

• 3 Key Storylines: The Bucks’ 3-0 record over the Knicks this year, including a win in a matinee on Saturday that gave Milwaukee its league-best seventh in a row, leads Steve Aschburner’s breakdown
• Jesser’s Mind, Blown: The creator/celeb was courtside in the In-Season Tournament to witness Giannis. Here’s what it felt like
• NBA History: Ever see the miracle for Hubert Davis and the Knicks in 1994?

2. WARRIORS-NUGGETS: 2 OF THE ALL-TIME BESTS IN 1 PLACE

The Matchup: The greatest 3-point shooter ever, himself a 2-time MVP, vs. another 2-time MVP widely regarded as the greatest-passing big man in history

• Nuggets Streak: Golden State defeated Denver 4-1 in the first round of the 2022 Playoffs, the first step toward winning their fourth title in eight years. Denver has not lost to Golden State since, bringing a four-game win streak into Christmas Day
• Jokic Encore: In his last Christmas Day game, Jokic (41 pts, 15 reb, 15 ast) became the third player in NBA history to post a 40-15-15 game. Not just on Christmas Day. On any day. The others: James Harden and Oscar Robertson (twice)
• Clutch Curry: Three of the last four games played between these teams have been decided by five points or less, including their most recent on Nov. 8 game (a 108-105 Nuggets win). No player has more clutch points (91) or clutch 3s (15) than Curry, who’s on track for the most clutch season of his career
• Both Teams Hot: The Nuggets (21-10) have won four in a row and sit second in the West.  The Warriors (15-14) have won five straight to get back over .500 after going 4-12 over the previous five weeks

🧦 Stocking Stuffers

• Jamal’s Favorite Memories: Two of Jamal Murray’s top Christmas Day memories are plays that came against the Lakers (one from Bron and another from D-Rose)
• Steph in the Fourth: No player has more 20+ point fourth quarters than Steph Curry (39) during the play-by-play era (since 1997-98). Can he record the first on Christmas Day?
• We Know We Had This Yesterday Too, but in case you haven’t seen this Aaron Gordon dunk from last year (or haven’t seen it in the past few hours) click here

3. CELTICS-LAKERS: TATUM & BRON, CONNECTED FROM YEAR 1

The Matchup: The most storied rivalry in NBA history adds a new chapter to its rich history – a Christmas Day matchup for the first time since 2008, and only the fifth time ever. With LeBron James vs. Jayson Tatum at the center.

• Tatum Flips the Script: Players often recall their “Welcome to the NBA” moment, when they were on the wrong side of a particular play (getting dunked on, getting crossed over) or matchup (a legend scoring 40 on them)
• In 2018, rookie Jayson Tatum turned the tables and delivered an “I’m here” moment with a poster dunk on LeBron during Game 7 of the East Finals
• Tatum on the Moment: “Game 7 my rookie year, when I dunked on LeBron and chest-bumped him. I think that’s the play people remember most, or ask me about most – especially kids. Kids always ask me ‘How does it feel to dunk on LeBron?’”
• Christmas King: LeBron is set to play on Christmas Day for the 18th time, extending his record for most games played on the holiday. The NBA’s all-time scoring leader also holds that title on Christmas Day with 460 points (27.1 ppg)
• Late Game Drama?: This is the first meeting of the season between the Celtics and Lakers after both of their matchups last season went to overtime. Boston won each by four points, as they have won four of the last five meetings overall

🧦 Stocking Stuffers

• In The Gym With LA: Go behind the scenes with Bron & the team as they prep
• Snoop’s 2008 Freestyle: Throwing it back to the legend dropping bars courtside 15 years ago
• Bron’s Epic ‘08 Chalk Toss: When the Cavs faithful joined him with confetti (putting the cleaning crew that day on the Nice List for life)
• Storytime with JT: Watch and listen as Jayson Tatum breaks down another of his favorite NBA moments – a clutch jumper against LeBron and the Lakers last season

4. SIXERS-HEAT: MAXEY, BUTLER, BAM & BREAKOUT SEASONS

The fourth-year guard had shown signs for his first few seasons.

Flashes of brilliance. Clutch moments. Consistent growth & greater & greater impact for one of the East’s best teams.

Then, in 2014-15, Jimmy Butler made his leap for Chicago.

Today, Butler’s Heat meet the 76ers in the day’s fourth game (8 ET, ESPN) – setting up a potential matchup between the six-time All-Star and the Sixers’ Tyrese Maxey, a fourth-year talent having one of the biggest breakout seasons of anyone in the NBA.

In a game that also features another rising star making a leap in 2023-24, in Bam Adebayo, check out the similarities in Maxey & Jimmy’s Year 4s.

• Maxey’s Jump: Not only is Maxey putting up career-highs (by a lot) in PTS, AST and REB his 26.4 ppg puts him on pace to become the 1st 76ers guard since Allen Iverson (05-06) to average 25+
• Nine Years Ago: Butler did something similar, breaking 20 ppg for the first time, setting then-career-highs in PTS, REB & AST, earning his first All-Star nod and taking home Most Improved Player honors
• Exceeding Expectations: Both were on GMs’ radar to start the season. Butler had gotten GM Survey votes as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders and role players. Maxey, as one of the players most likely to break out.
• This year, they’re just two spots away from each other in Player Impact Estimate (PIE), which tracks how much players impact the game for every minute they play. Maxey’s at 28th, up from 105th last year. Jimmy’s at No. 30 (min 30 mpg).
• When Jimmy Made His Leap: He climbed from 81st in PIE in 2013-14 to 35th in 2014-15 (min 30 mpg)

*Note: Butler’s listed as questionable going into Monday

🧦 Stocking Stuffers

• Speaking of Breakouts: Adebayo is having the best season of his career, at 13th in the league in PIE. That’s just above Sabonis, Towns, Donovan Mitchell and Curry, and 17 spots up from last year.
• 3 Key Storylines: Butler taking on his former team in a potential Playoff preview headlines NBA.com’s dive into this matchup. (Joel Embiid has since been ruled out with an ankle injury)
• Can Spo Stay Perfect? Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has never lost on Christmas, with Spo going 8-0 as head coach
• NBA History: Look back on when Shaq & D-Wade led Miami over the Lakers in 2004, despite 42 from Kobe

5. MAVS-SUNS: THE SCORING GENIUS OF LUKA & KD

The Matchup: One of the greatest scorers in the history of the NBA, against one of the greatest young players in the game – one who’s already rocketing up the record books at the age of 24.

• Durant vs. Doncic: The second (Luka) and third (KD) leading scorers in the NBA this year close the night in a battle of two teams saddled by injuries, but with championship aspirations
• How’s Luka Been? If you’re a Starting 5 reader, you’ve likely seen a lot of Luka this year. Averaging 36 pts, 10.6 ast & 8.9 reb in his last 10, he just moved into fourth all-time in 30-point triple-doubles. And if he’s leaving you in disbelief every night, you’re in good company: he’s doing the same to his opponents
• How About KD? After moving into the Top 10 in NBA scoring earlier this year, Durant’s in striking distance of his fifth scoring title. Only Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain have more
• How They Score: Some players can get buckets. Others affect the gravity of the game. Luka and KD live in the latter set, often looking like they can do – pretty much literally – whatever they want to do to get a bucket

🧦 Stocking Stuffers

• 3 Key Storylines: The rivalry between Luka Doncic & Devin Booker, who’s changed his game to become an elite scorer and facilitator, leads Michael C. Wright’s breakdown
• KD’s Toughest Buckets This Year: Durant just making it look easy
• Luka, Big Cookie Delivery Guy: Making spirits bright. Saying he’s Maxi Kleber. The usual