Yesterday, 99% of that “they are those who are and there are those who are” was fulfilled.
Only the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors were left with their street clothes on in a day where basketball was played all over the map.
Come on, all the NBA franchises played except for two in an absolutely mammoth evening. 14 games, 28 teams. And as you well know, it is impossible to cover them all.
So, as a Christmas Eve gift, here are a couple of lines about each one.
Washington Wizards 109 – 126 Charlotte Hornets
Of the most difficult matches to watch in terms of classification, the nougat was eaten by “who should.”
The Hornets, who have won three of their last five games, swept the final quarter with a run of 19-34, with a good LaMelo Ball (23 points and 9 assists) and Moussa Diabate who signed a wonderful double-double of 12 points and 18 rebounds, eight of them offensive.
Scoring twice as many triples as their rival (20 to 10) determined the winner of the match.
Brooklyn Nets 114 – 106 Philadelphia 76ers
Will Michael Porter Jr. be an All-Star? We don’t know, but what we cannot deny is that he is offering what he promised us. The second/third sword of the Nuggets has emerged as the offensive leader of the Nets without disfiguring himself into the label that many feared: that of a ‘tangerine shooter’.
He forward He scores more than 25 points per night, bordering on the desired 50-40 efficiency in field goal percentages and three-pointers. Joel Embiid’s 76ers (27 points and a scare in 31 minutes from the Cameroonian) scored 28 points to finish as the top scorer of the evening, well supported by Nic Claxton (16 points, 10 rebounds), Egor Demin (20 points, 5 assists) and what continues to be one of the most in-form defenses of the moment.
Balance of 6-4 for Brooklyn in its last ten games.
Chicago Bulls 126 – 123 Atlanta Hawks
The collapse of the Atlanta Hawks is beginning to be as real as the resurrection of the Chicago Bulls. And they had everything under control (they won by eighteen) until a disastrous last round (18-34).
With yesterday’s comeback – to sweep the Georgia team 3-0 in their private RS series – the Illinois team are only one game away from overtaking them again in the standings.
Two fans of the triple-double on the court: Josh Giddey did it and also in record time (19 points, 11 rebounds, 15 assists) while Jalen Johnson was just shy of it (24 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists).
The return of Trae Young (22 points, 15 assists) has not brought Christmas to Georgia.
A triple-double in just 20:02 of action 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/NmF3ajL4Ir
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) December 24, 2025
New Orleans Pelicans 118 – 141 Cleveland Cavaliers
So far, another of the most unusual streaks with which to close the year. And thank goodness (for the Cavs) because if they have lost again, it is better not to show up tomorrow at the Christmas Day. But they saved the furniture before NOLA and they did it in a forceful way.
Zion ‘sixth man’ Williamson’s plan worked again, contributing 26 points in 21 minutes from the bench, but this time his emergence was inert in the face of the outside bombardment of the Cavs whose bet on the triple (they shot 49 to the New Orleans’ 26) turned out well.
The return of Jarrett Allen and two wins against lower rivals (Hornets and NOLA) gives Kenny Atkinson a break and keeps the vultures at bay.
Milwaukee Bucks 114 – 94 Indiana Pacers
In the absence of Giannis Anteotokounmpo, Kevin Porter Jr. (24 points) and the fifth in contention for the MIP, Ryan Rollins (23 points off the bench) commanded the victory against the Pacers who are sinking hopelessly into the depths of the well, adding only one more victory than the Washington Wizards.
It is very sad to see some runners-up like this who, even without Haliburton or Turner, keep the rest of the core on track (Siakam, Nembhard, McConnell, Mathurin), which made them have an unforgettable campaign.
Toronto Raptors 112 – 91 Miami Heat
Second victory in less than ten days that the Raptors beat the Heat, both also playing at home. Repeating at the Kaseya Center is of little use if you stay at 40% in field goals and 27% in triples.
Absolute dominance of Darko Rajakovic’s men, with Scottie Barnes leading the attack (27 points), and with the Heat’s interior duo (Adebayo – Ware) without a sniff throughout the entire match. Also highlighting the double-double of the lottery pick, Collin Murray-Boyles, with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Denver Nuggets 130 – 131 Dallas Mavericks
In an appetizer of what he anticipates will be his next decade in the NBA, Cooper Flagg had what may be his most complete night to date against a top rival like the Joker franchise.
We believe that not even they themselves know whether to tank or fight. Whether to fight or let go. But when you have two players on the court like Davis and Flagg, and with Kyrie Irving getting closer to returning every day, it’s hard not to rush the path of competitiveness.
New York Knicks 104 – 115 Minnesota Timberwolves
With work and good writing, the T-Wolves are now back to being the same as we saw a few months ago. They have known how to persevere and not despair, to place fifth in the West with the second best winning streak in ten games, after the Spurs.
Edwards (38) also responded to Towns’ great game (40 points), while Bones Hyland asked for a little attention in the desperate search for a point guard: best +/- of the match, with a +24 in 25 minutes on the court.
Oklahoma City Thunder 110 – 130 San Antonio Spurs
The Thunder already have their 2025/26 kryptonite.
Fourth defeat of the season for the reigning NBA champions, half of it at the hands of the Spurs, who are proving to be more than just “the Wemby team.”
Los Angeles Lakers 108 – 132 Phoenix Suns
For years and years, LeBron James was a sufficient argument on his own to add one victory after another. Not anymore. Now he is a phenomenal squire of an aspiring locker room. And these Lakers are Doncic’s Lakers, not James’ Lakers.
Without the Slovenian, and with Austin Reaves still recovering and coming out of reserve, the Angelenos were a toy in the hands of the Suns whose entire starting quintet was in double digits in scoring, with Dillon Brooks really having a great time while Jordan Ott’s team held up as one of the great positive surprises of the first quarter.
Memphis Grizzlies 137 – 128 Utah Jazz
If Santi Aldama does well, at NBAManiacs we are happy.
Yesterday the Canary Islander did great again with his sixth start of the course (this year he usually starts as a substitute), with a boxscore sensational of 37 points and 7 assistsfeeling from the first hour ‘the itch’ from the triple (7 of 13).
Taylor Hendricks (on whom the Jazz have high hopes now that he is back) scored his best score as a professional (21 points), but the duel was won by the Tennessee team who resisted in the play-in zone, surviving the worst version (absent last night) of Ja Morant.
Orlando Magic 110 – 106 Portland Trail Blazers
It is still not Paolo Banchero’s team, but even with its faded version (12 points and only eight field goals) the Magic beat the Blazers with Desmond Bane and Anthony Black exceeding twenty points and a Tyus Jones also solvent as a starter in the absence of Jalen Suggs.
Portland (without Robert Williams, Thybulle and Grant) fought until the end, but they go as far as they go.
Detroit Pistons 136 – 127 Sacramento Kings
When the spine performs as expected (Cunningham, Duren, Ausar, Tobias), it is very difficult for these Pistons to puncture. And even less so against some Kings who give one lime for every ten sand.
With the duel on track in the first three quarters (24 maximum points), the Motor Town team slowed down in the final stretch while DeMar DeRozan did his numbers (37 points).
Nothing will prevent the Pistons from closing 2025 as the leaders of the East… and the Kings, it seems, as bottom of the West.
Houston Rockets 108 – 128 L.A. Clippers
Have we sold the bear’s skin before we have killed it?
The patient not only breathes but also recovers a certain heart rate. And he does it with the help of Kawhi Leonard vintage: 41 points from the once most decisive two-way on the basketball planet.
Two consecutive wins and not against any two: Lakers and Rockets. January will tell us if it was a mirage or the beginning of a comeback which we had almost completely ruled out.
(Cover photo by Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)
