Grading the Best and Worst 2017 NBA Christmas Day Games

The NBA released its Christmas Day schedule for the 2017–18 season Thursday, revealing which teams will square off on the regular season’s marquee day. The usual suspects—LeBron James, Stephen Curry, the Lakers—will be involved. The league also took advantage of the summer’s flurry of superstar movement, scheduling games that will include Chris Paul, Paul George and Jimmy Butler on their new teams. Let’s see how each matchup grades out.

76ers vs. Knicks, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN — B

This game has the potential to be a spectacular undercard, thanks in large part to the mouth-watering thought of Joel Embiid and Kristaps Porzingis lining up against each other. There are a few issues holding this one back from being a true Christmas classic, however. The Knicks aren’t going to be very good, and the 76ers are a completely unknown quantity thanks to their young (and frankly, injury-prone) lineup. If all are healthy, it may not be a game between two juggernauts, but watching two of the league’s youngest, most fun stars going head-to-head to tip off Christmas will be well worth planting yourself in front of the TV for.

Cavaliers vs. Warriors, 3 p.m. ET, ABC — B+

Look, the NBA has to schedule this game for the prime slot on its biggest day purely for the ratings if nothing else. But there’s a little fatigue surrounding the regular season matchups between these two teams, especially considering these games are always overshadowed by the inevitable Finals matchup. Cleveland won at home on Christmas against Golden State last year; it meant nothing come late June. The Warriors destroyed the Cavs in a regular season game two seasons ago (remember Steph stealing the ball from LeBron?), and Cleveland responded with the greatest comeback in Finals history. Also looming over this game: Kyrie Irving. Will Irving, one of the central figures in this rivalry, even be playing for Cleveland by this game? If he’s not, it certainly takes away from the intrigue.

We still get to see the three best basketball players in the world (LeBron, Curry and Kevin Durant) on the court at the same time, so there are plenty of reasons to tune in. Throw in the volatility of LeBron’s frenemy Draymond Green, there’s definitely potential for some fireworks.

Wizards vs. Celtics, 5:30 p.m. ET, ABC — A

I love this matchup. The Celtics and Wizards took their rivalry to comical heights last season, with funeral games mixed in with hard screens and some extremely flagrant fouls. Their seven-game playoff series was the best of the most recent postseason. These teams have a healthy dislike for one another, and it translates on the court. Both the Wiz and the C’s are lurking as usurpers for the throne in the East, and they would love nothing more than to tear down each other along their fight to the top. Plenty of stars will be involved as well—John Wall, Brad Beal, Isaiah Thomas and Boston newcomer Gordon Hayward to name a few. Expect both of these teams to try to make a statement on Christmas Day.

Rockets vs. Thunder, 8 p.m. ET, ABC — A+

This is the best matchup of the day. If you’re celebrating Christmas, make sure your relatives have left the house and the kids are too tired to bother you during this one. The Rockets and Thunder will both be vying for the second spot in the West next year, and both loaded up in the offseason to prepare for the Warriors. These teams will likely have to go through each other for a spot in the conference finals, so don’t be surprised if this is a playoff preview. Chris Paul vs. Russell Westbrook. James Harden vs. Paul George. This game is going to be fast, fun, and filled with offense. This is the platonic ideal of a Christmas Day game: A star-studded matchup with positional rivalries featuring two equally matched teams who fashion themselves as contenders. This game can’t come soon enough.

Timberwolves vs. Lakers, 10:30 p.m. ET, TNT — C-

You can forgive yourself if you fall asleep during this one. The Lakers are a shoo-in for Christmas Day games because of their status as a TV draw, but they still aren’t worth it from an on-court standpoint. I fully believe Lonzo Ball will become a star, but the rest of L.A.‘s roster is still lacking in excitement. The Spurs would have been a good pick here, particularly to watch the Butler vs. Kawhi Leonard matchup. The Pelicans could have also been interesting, with Kentucky stars Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins all sharing the same court.

This game will be far from unwatchable, however. Lonzo is capable of providing theatrics, and the Wolves should be much improved after their big off-season. Towns and Butler alone are worth the price of admission, and it’s possible the Lakers’ youngsters have gelled into something more cohesive by Christmas. This one could lack competitiveness, but you never know. After all, there’s a reason why they play the games.

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Mallett does enough to help Ravens beat Redskins 23-3

BALTIMORE (AP) — Ryan Mallett struggled in place of injured quarterback Joe Flacco, throwing for only 58 yards while playing the entire first half, and the Baltimore Ravens beat the Washington Redskins 23-3 on Thursday night in a sloppy preseason opener.

The Ravens scored 13 points while Mallett was in the game, including a 2-yard touchdown run by Terrance West following two costly penalties by the Redskins: pass interference for 23 yards on a third-and-8 and an illegal formation on a field goal try that hit the left upright.

Flacco has yet to take a snap this summer because of a bad back. That left Mallett to run the first-team offense; he went 9 for 18 and was sacked once.

“I thought we ran the ball well, but there are a few plays I would like to have back,” Mallett said.

Asked to assess the quarterback’s performance, coach John Harbaugh was succinct.

“I thought he played winning football. He played good football,” Harbaugh said. “Just what we asked him to do.”

In his defense, Mallett was operating behind a makeshift line and without his top three receivers.

But he didn’t give the Ravens any reason to lose interest in adding free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

The Redskins had even less success moving the ball. Starting quarterback Kirk Cousins went three-and-out on his two possessions, completing 1 of 2 passes.

“It was a good wake-up call for us. We need to play better,” Cousins said.

Washington managed only 47 yards on 27 plays while falling behind 13-0 at halftime.

“We didn’t play very well, obviously,” coach Jay Gruden said. “We had two drives with our 1s and two three-and-outs. It wasn’t good enough.”

Though Baltimore’s offense sputtered, its upgraded defense proved to be as good as advertised. Free agent defensive backs Tony Jefferson and Brandon Carr teamed with Jimmy Smith and Eric Weddle to seal the back end.

The biggest play of the first half was the last one: Justin Tucker kicked a 59-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead.

Washington took a loss, but hopes it didn’t lose a key player — starting strong safety Su’a Cravens hurt his knee and will have an MRI.

ROOKIE WATCH

Redskins: First-round draft pick Jonathan Allen sacked Mallett in the second quarter while playing with the second-team defense. … RB Samaje Perine fumbled and dropped a wide-open pass on consecutive plays in the second quarter. … Seventh-round draft pick Joshua Holsey was called for a 23-yard pass interference penalty in the first quarter and broke up a long pass attempt by Mallett in the end zone in the second.

Ravens: Second-round draft pick Tyus Bowser had three tackles and a “quarterback hurry” in the first half. … Rookie free agent Quincy Adeboyejo was targeted three times and had one catch for 10 yards.

INJURY UPDATE

Redskins: TE Jordan Reed (toe), WR Jamison Crowder (hamstring), WR Josh Doctson (hamstring) and LB Junior Galette (hamstring) all sat out. Reed is on the physically unable to perform list and hasn’t practiced all training camp. … LB Trent Murphy sprained his left knee in the first quarter and did not return. He was also scheduled to have an MRI.

Ravens: The offense was without OLs Marshal Yanda, Alex Lewis and Austin Howard; WRs Jeremy Maclin, Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman; TE Benjamin Watson; and RB Danny Woodhead. The defense was missing top draft pick Marlon Humphrey, who participated in pregame agility drills but did not dress.

POSITION BATTLES

Redskins: LB Zach Brown, signed to a one-year deal after a Pro Bowl season with Buffalo, had a tackle for loss and was one of the best defenders early. Brown is behind Will Compton and Mason Foster at inside linebacker.

Ravens: WR/KR Tim White returned one punt for 9 yards, ran for 8 yards on an end-around and caught a TD pass in the third quarter. The rookie free agent is in competition with second-year pro Keenan Reynolds, whose 46-yard punt return in the third quarter set up White’s touchdown.

QUOTABLE

Redskins: Redskins cornerback Josh Norman on the starters not playing much: “You get set up for that cake you think you’re about to eat and then you can’t devour it.”

Ravens: Jefferson, on Baltimore’s defense starting the game with three straight three-and-outs: “It was fire. We went out there and set the tone.”

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