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• Today marks the 72nd edition of the NBA on Christmas Day. The NBA began playing games on Christmas Day in 1947 during the league’s second season. • The NBA will have five Christmas Day games for the 12th year in a row. • ESPN and ABC will combine to televise all five games. Both networks will air the matchup between the LA Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. • ESPN Radio will broadcast two games: Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors and LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers. • Four of the five games will be first-time matchups on Christmas Day. The exception is LA Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers; this will be the fourth meeting between the teams on Christmas Day. • The Toronto Raptors will host a Christmas Day game for the first time and play on the holiday for the second time. Their previous appearance came in 2001 at the New York Knicks. • The Philadelphia 76ers will host a Christmas Day game for the first time since 1988. • The Denver Nuggets will host a Christmas Day game for the first time since 1994. • The Los Angeles Lakers (23-22) have the most wins on Christmas Day. • The Los Angeles Lakers will play on Christmas Day for the 21st consecutive year. • Christmas Day rosters feature 28 players who have been NBA All-Stars. They have combined for 109 All-Star selections. • Three 2019 NBA All-Stars are set to make their Christmas Day debuts this year: the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokić, the Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry and the Boston Celtics’ Kemba Walker. • The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James will play his 14th game on Christmas Day, moving into sole possession of second place in NBA history. Kobe Bryant holds the record for Christmas Day appearances with 16. • LeBron James ranks third on the career Christmas Day scoring list with 338 points, behind No. 1 Kobe Bryant (395) and No. 2 Oscar Robertson (377). James is second in assists with 87, behind Robertson (145). • Dwyane Wade is the all-time leader with 10 victories on Christmas Day, one more than LeBron James. • This year will mark the 35th anniversary of Bernard King’s Christmas Day-record 60-point performance for the New York Knicks against the New Jersey Nets in 1984. • Bernard King is one of three players to score at least 50 points in a Christmas Day game. The other two are the Philadelphia Warriors’ Wilt Chamberlain (59 points at the New York Knicks in 1961) and the San Francisco Warriors’ Rick Barry (50 points at the Cincinnati Royals in 1966). • Six players have recorded a triple-double in a game on Christmas Day: Draymond Green (2017), Russell Westbrook (2013), LeBron James (2010), Billy Cunningham (1970), John Havlicek (1967) and Oscar Robertson (1960, 1961, 1963, 1967). • The Houston Rockets’ Eric Gordon celebrates his 31st birthday on Christmas Day. • Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady averaged 43.3 points in three Christmas Day games, the highest average for any play
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