Warriors-Suns featured on NBA Christmas Day schedule for 2021
Aug 17, 2021, 11:59 AM | Updated: 12:56 pm
(AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
The Phoenix Suns will host the Golden State Warriors at Footprint Center on Christmas Day 2021.
Tip is set for 3 p.m. MST on ABC.
The Suns last played on Christmas in 2009, winning 124-93 against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Phoenix is coming off an NBA Finals appearance, and their star backcourt of Devin Booker and Chris Paul could face off against arguably another top guard twosome in the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Curry pushed Golden State to a 39-33 record last year that earned his team a play-in game — a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers kept the Warriors from facing the Suns in the first round of the 2021 postseason.
Thompson hasn’t played since the 2019 Finals due to ACL and Achilles injuries.
The Suns-Warriors matchup also features three gold medal winners from the Tokyo Olympics: Phoenix’s Booker and JaVale McGee, plus Golden State forward Draymond Green.
This Dec. 25, which falls on a Saturday, will be a busy sports day in the Valley, as the Arizona Cardinals will host the Indianapolis Colts with kickoff at State Farm Stadium at 6:15 p.m.
The rest of the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule features two star-laden powerhouses from each conference playing one another.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who added Russell Westbrook to the core of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, will host the Brooklyn Nets, who are led by their own trio of stars: Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. That game follows the Suns game at 6 p.m. MST on ABC.
To begin the five-game set at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks will face the Atlanta Hawks on ESPN at 10 a.m. MST.
New York has upgraded its roster around All-Star Julius Randle, having added Bronx native Kemba Walker and wing Evan Fournier to its perimeter. The matchup against Atlanta puts Hawks star Trae Young back in hostile territory after he averaged 29 points and 9.8 assists per game against the Knicks in his first career playoff series.
The Boston Celtics will additionally face the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks at 12:30 p.m. on ABC, while the final game of the evening will feature Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks visiting the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. The night-cap starts at 8:30 p.m. MST and the game will air on ESPN.