NBA Christmas Update:
The NBA has gotten off to one of the most exciting starts this season. With the Thunder dominating in historic fashion, a huge increase in scoring, and multiple teams rising up the ranks while others have fallen down. Here are breakdowns of some of the biggest story lines throughout this season.
Can the Thunder break the Warriors 73-9 record?
As of this writing, the Thunder are sitting at 24-2. This is a historic pace, as they are on track to win 76 games. Many teams who have started off that hot have not been able to keep up with the pace. Even the 2015-16 Warriors weren’t able to hold their 24-0 record that they started with. The defending champs have responded even better than they were last year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten even better after winning MVP, and has averaged 32.4 ppg despite playing in only 33.6 mpg.
Even without all-star Jalen Williams for most of the early part of the season, the Thunder were still unstoppable. Shai has only played in 12 out of their 26 fourth quarters, as the Thunder have been so dominant they haven’t needed him. The Thunder continue to be one of the deepest teams in the league, and their defense is by far the best in the league. They only allow 106.3 ppg, the best in the NBA, and have the best defensive rating in the NBA. I don’t see the Thunder keeping up this pace for the rest of the year, which would require perfect health and the ability to continue record level play for a full 82 games. However beating their 68 win 2024-25 season is much more attainable. I’d project the Thunder to finish at 70 wins by the end of the year.
Emergence of New Stars
The NBA has seen multiple new stars step into all-star level play this year. These four have been the most improved so far.
Deni Advija: In 2024-25, the Trail Blazers showed all the potential to become a playoff team. They had an elite defense, talented role players, and young pieces to build around. The only thing they were missing was an all-star to lead the ship. Advija stepped into that role in 2026, and is looking like a lock for an all-star appearance come February. His scoring has increased from 16.9 ppg to 25.5 ppg within just the past year.
Austin Reaves: With Lebron taking a step back in scoring due to father time, Reaves has stepped up as the clear number two option behind Luka. Reaves saw his ppg increase from 20.2 to 27.8 in just this past year, and is averaging career highs in rebounds and assists. Reaves has helped the Lakers hold a strong top four spot this year, and like Avdija, will make his first all star team in February.
Tyrese Maxey: Maxey could end up being the first NBA player ever to win MVP twice. Despite the 76ers being a dumpster fire within the past couple of years, Maxey has proven to be a bright spot, and is the sole reason for the 76ers holding a playoff spot right now. Maxey this season has emerged as one of the best scorers in the entire NBA. Maxey is averaging a career high in threes with 3.7 per game, and has been very efficient making them at a 39.1% clip.
Jalen Duren: Lots of questions surrounded Duren last year as to whether he would be able to be a starting center on a contending team. His defense was a big question mark, and his offensive production was extremely low. This year, Duren is scoring a career high 18.0 points per game, up from 11.8 last year. He has been a great compliment to Cade Cunningham, helping the Pistons hold firm the first spot in the Eastern Conference.
Here is the NBA Christmas Schedule, make sure to tune in as games will be played throughout the day.
Cavaliers @ Knicks 12:00 ET
Spurs @ Thunder 2:30 ET
Mavericks @ Warriors 5:00 ET
Rockets @ Lakers 8:00 ET
Timberwolves @ Nuggets 10:30 ET
