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Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Winners and losers from the NBA's Christmas games

By Sean Keane | Last updated 12/26/23

The NBA celebrated Christmas with five big games, all of them enjoyable, close matchups between quality teams. Here are the winners and losers from the NBA's Christmas games - or, as Santa Claus would put it, who was on the nice and the naughty list Monday?

Winners

1. Luka Doncic
Doncic scored the third-most points in a Christmas game in NBA history, hanging 50 points on the Phoenix Suns as the Dallas Mavericks won 128-114. Not only did he score 50, Doncic added 15 assists, leading to 32 additional Mavericks points. He scored and assisted on 64 percent of his team's points - and they weren't cheap ones either. Nine of Luka's dimes led to dunks or layups, and two more were shots from within six feet. Oh, and he also scored his 10,000th NBA point.

Only Rick Barry (50), Wilt Chamberlain (59 points in double OT) and Bernard King (60) have scored 50 points or more on Christmas. None of them had more than four assists - Wilt the Stilt had zero. Arguably Doncic delivered the most impressive and complete offensive performance the NBA has ever seen on December 25.
2. Immanuel Quickley
While Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 38 points in their win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Quickley was the difference-maker off the bench. The reserve guard had 20 points on just 10 shots, and the Knicks outscored Milwaukee by 14 points in his 23 minutes. Quickley finished second in the Sixth Man of the Year voting last season, and he might be even better this year. On Christmas, a national audience got to see him shine.

3. Kristaps Porzingis
Boston's big man had 28 points and 11 rebounds as the Celtics beat the Lakers, 126-115. Even with Anthony Davis coming through with a 40-point effort, Porzingis gave the Celtics a post presence that even the oversized Lakers had trouble dealing with, especially with some impressively athletic dunks.

Kristaps Porzingis, oh my pic.twitter.com/u0Nti80gQs
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 26, 2023

The Celtics may not be getting much outside of their starting five and Al Horford, but the contributions of Porzingis and Derrick White, both in scoring and shot-blocking have made this team even deadlier than last year.

Losers

1. Fourth Quarter Suns
Phoenix has a roster full of dynamic, All-Star scorers. So why are they the NBA's lowest-scoring team in the 4th quarter? Dallas outscored Phoenix 37-22 in the final period, as Phoenix shot 1-for-8 from three-point range and turned the ball over six times. Kevin Durant had five points, all in the first minute of the fourth, and three turnovers. Eric Gordon managed two points despite playing all but the last 29 seconds. Phoenix scored only 12 points in the final 9:19 of the game, a confounding performance from a team that's supposed to be winning with its offensive star power.

2. Lakers role players
Los Angeles starters Jarred Vanderbilt and Cam Reddish combined to score only 11 points. Rui Hachimura shot 4-for-15, and Jaxson Hayes gave the Lakers nothing but a single board in his nine minutes. With point guard Gabe Vincent sidelined 6-8 weeks after knee surgery, the pressure on the Lakers to make a deal - perhaps for Zach LaVine - is going to mount. The pressure on these role players to get it done is going to increase as well.

3. Tyrese Maxey
With Joel Embiid out, his young star teammate had a chance to shine for a national TV audience. Maybe it was the pressure, maybe it was the absence of his center, but Maxey shot only 4-for-20 against the Heat, a stat line that only appeals to stoners. His poor shooting extended to every part of his game, going 1-for-8 from three-point range and only 3-for-6 at the foul line. In an eminently winnable game, Maxey's 12-point effort helped Philly squander huge games from Tobias Harris (27 points) and Kelly Oubre (25 points).

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