NBA Christmas Day schedule reveals why Damian Lillard should've stayed in Portland

Four key stretches of the NBA regular season are must-watch for fans: the season opener, the NBA In-Season Tournament, the end-of-season playoff race, and Christmas Day. The NBA's biggest superstars and marquee teams take center stage on December 25, making for one of the most exciting days of regular season games.

2024 Christmas Day schedule released

The NBA's Christmas Day schedule for the 2024-25 season was recently released by NBA Insider Shams Charania. As expected, it features many household names and former championship teams. Here is the five-game slate:

• San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks

• Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks

• Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics

• Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors

• Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns

Surprising additions and omissions

The team that seems out of place is the San Antonio Spurs. Admittedly, it will be fantastic to see Victor Wembanyama play at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day. It's understandable why the NBA included the Spurs, but surprising nonetheless, as they finished with a 22-60 record last season.

Some may complain about the Lakers-Warriors narrative being forced since neither had a great season in 2023-24, but there are only so many times left we get to watch two of the greatest players of all time go head-to-head.

One team that didn't make it but had a strong case is the Oklahoma City Thunder. They finished tied for the best record in the West at 57-25, have their own superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and should be even better next season. It would have been great to see how they fared against another top-tier team.

Why Lillard's Bucks missed the Christmas Day spotlight

The other team left off the slate is the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks fit the criteria for what the NBA values when deciding who gets to be featured on Christmas Day. They are a recent NBA champion in 2021 with two superstars, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, to spotlight. They did have a Christmas Day game last season, losing to the New York Knicks 129-122. But the dust has settled regarding the excitement surrounding their new-look team after their blockbuster move to acquire Lillard last summer.

Oklahoma City and Milwaukee markets certainly played a role in the NBA deciding to leave them off the schedule. But the Bucks also seem in disarray, finishing last season with a 49-33 record capped off by a first-round playoff exit. Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr. are much-needed additions to give them more depth. But the other teams in the East, specifically the 76ers with Paul George and the Knicks with Mikal Bridges, got significantly better.

At best, the Bucks are the fourth-best team in the East. And, to make matters worse, they have a 36-year-old center in Brook Lopez with no up-and-coming player to fill that inevitable void.

The Bucks have been disappointing relative to expectations when they first acquired Lillard; his trade request doesn't seem to have been worth the inconvenience of leaving what he established in Portland as arguably the franchise's best player of all time.