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The NBA’s annual Christmas Day tradition continues tomorrow with five marquee matchups spread evenly from 12:10 p.m. EST to 10:30 p.m. EST. The slate starts with the Philadelphia 76ers (19-12, 5-7 away) visiting the New York Knicks (18-15, 8-9 home), followed by the LA Lakers (13-19, 5-11 away) vs. Dallas Mavericks (17-16, 12-5 home), Milwaukee Bucks (22-10, 8-7 away) vs. Boston Celtics (23-10, 12-5 home), Memphis Grizzlies (20-11, 7-9 away) vs Golden State Warriors (15-18, 12-2 home), and Phoenix Suns (19-14, 5-9 away) vs Denver Nuggets (20-11, 11-3 home)....

In the moments leading up to the 3:00 PM cutoff, there were so many transactions that who was going where got lost in the mix. Twitter was a constant stream of news and reactions, leading to confusion from all sides. Although the big names were set in stone, the finite details of the trades were still trickling out 30 minutes after the deadline. MORE: Jackson to the Pistons | Garnett is going back to where it began...

The Mavericks forward was ejected from Monday night’s Game 1 against the Clippers after receiving his second technical foul early in the third quarter. Porzingis took exception to Marcus Morris’ hard foul on Luka Doncic, but Clippers and Mavericks players were quickly separated before the situation escalated. NBA PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS:Series-by-series breakdowns and picks Following a review of the altercation, the officiating crew handed out technical fouls to both Morris and Porzingis, the latter of whom had received a tech in the first half for swinging his arm in disgust after earning a personal foul on a Paul George shot attempt....

The Warriors once again enter the NBA playoffs as the odds-on favorite to reach the Finals, but there are some teams ready to unseat the defending Western Conference champions. MORE: Live NBA scores, playoff schedule Parity is the name of the game in the Eastern Conference bracket. LeBron James and the Cavaliers lost their No. 1 seed to the Celtics, but the defending champs are still considered favorites to make the Finals....

Heck, by the time the Finals start on June 1, the Cavs’ postseason leisure tour could run to 12 work days out of 48. They cautioned us that their stretch-run struggles would be temporary, and with a second consecutive playoff sweep — first Indiana, now Toronto — that’s being borne out. “The fact that we play our best basketball in the postseason lets us know that we’re up for the challenge,” star forward LeBron James said....

And that was after he blocked/stole an alley-oop attempt on the other end. First, a spin move sent Lou Williams running in the wrong direction. Then, inside the top of the key, a behind-the-back move had Clint Capela running into a Steven Adams screen and taking Eric Gordon out of the picture. MORE: Russell Westbrook says his ‘friendship’ with the basketball is not a joke File a play like this under a list of things that make this season from Westbrook a special one....

It was not the best Blazers performance we have seen all year but they somehow managed to steal a much-needed win thereby preventing themselves from going 2-0 down. The Joker finished with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists, but could not do enough to secure the W at home. Let’s take a look at some key talking points from this odd encounter: #1 Denver succeed in cramping Lillard while Portland role players take over In a game where the Nuggets held Dame to 5-of-17 shooting from the floor and an uncharacteristic 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, McCollum, Kanter and Hood each contributed at least 15 points to Portland’s winning cause....

When asked about his confidence in Boston’s ability to come back from a 3-1 deficit, Irving said it was “unwavering.” “It’s unwavering. It’s the game of basketball,” Irving said. “At this point we obviously understand the X’s and O’s. It’s just going out and trying to manage the game better. We’ve tried to do that the last few games. Tonight the third and fourth quarter was where they made their money....

That was especially easy to see when he intentionally tripped 76ers center Joel Embiid after missing a layup. On the play in question, Embiid contested the layup attempt by Siakam and kept him from getting a clean shot up. Siakam clearly must have been frustrated because he stuck his leg out, tripping Embiid after the play. The 76ers center might have sold the trip a bit, but Siakam absolutely tripped him, there is zero question about it....

It is all encapsulated in a map filled with basketball details, which includes the traditional NBA greats, but also shines a light on early players, legendary coaches and stars in the parks of Brooklyn, The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Players are tied to high schools and parks with lines, headshots and blurbs, creating a web of basketball greatness. MORE: Silver won’t fine Dolan | All-time NBA scorers | Nets’ Plumlee commits party foul...

The NBA on Tuesday announced the competitors for its annual All-Star Saturday Night Slam Dunk Contest, and casual fans likely know little about them. Nets center Mason Plumlee, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Timberwolves guard Zach LaVine and Magic guard Victor Oladipo will battle for the title at Barclays Center (Plumlee’s home arena) in Brooklyn on Feb. 14. MORE: All-Star uniform | Curry, Korver top 3-point field | Christina Aguilera, Rockettes to peform at ASG...

The Celtics are currently 5th in the Conference and are just one game behind the Pacers. They have a 44-31 record, but will look to get back into form before the start of the playoffs. Kyrie Irving is having one of the best individual seasons of his career for the Celtics. But his individual brilliance hasn’t translated into wins for his side. In fact, the Celtics have a far better record with him out of the lineup....

But who should be officially included in these rankings and mocks? We’re keeping track of all the top prospects who have declared for the NBA Draft with the early-entry list below. You can see the full early-entry list here. The 2017 NBA Draft class is one of the deepest in recent memory. Washington guard Markelle Fultz is the popular choice for the No. 1 overall selection, but there’s plenty of talent behind him for NBA franchises in rebuild mode....

The trick is trying to figure out who that someone will be. Drafting is already a complicated process, and things don’t get easier as the pick number gets higher. But, if you’re an NBA team, your draft board can’t end at pick No. 30, so you’ve got to take a shot. MOCK DRAFT: Luka Doncic leads way in first-round projection Below, we’ll take a shot at finding some of those sleepers....

Headlined by Duke’s Zion Williamson who is undoubtedly the most hyped talent in basketball since LeBron James, the 2019 draft class has lots to offer for everybody. Other notable draft prospects include Ja Morant, RJ Barrett, Darius Garland and so on. The top three picks are held by the New Orleans Pelicans, Memphis Grizzlies, and New York Knicks respectively. With the stage all but set for youngsters to take the fore in a bid to establish their respective legacies in the greatest basketball league on the planet, here’s all that you need to know about NBA Draft 2019....

Jaden Ivey was drafted fifth overall in Thursday night’s NBA draft by the Pistons, and it certainly isn’t the first time an Ivey will be playing professional sports in Detroit. Jaden Ivey’s mother, Niele, is a former WNBA player herself who had stints with the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury and …. the Detroit Shock. In a recent interview with The Spun, Jaden Ivey expressed interest in playing for the Pistons due to the connection they have with his mother....

The projected first-round pick broke the ring finger of his non-shooting hand during a workout with the Nuggets on Monday. The good news is the fracture is a clean break, so it won’t require surgery. The bad news is Payne will sit out for three weeks as a precaution. MORE: Pangos hopes to join Canada’s NBA revolution | Latest NBA Mock Draft “Cam continued to work out even after suffering the injury in Denver, and he could probably play in a meaningful game tomorrow if he needed to,” his agent Travis King told DraftExpress....

But with Heat down three games to one in the NBA Finals against the Spurs, the criticism toward James was coming in hot and heavy. MORE: Live scoreboard | NBA Finals photos | Chalmers benched | Bosh confident It didn't him very long in Game 5 to show the masses why he is, in fact, the best player on the planet and why he can single-handedly carry the Heat to a third consecutive NBA championship....

Nearly 18 million viewers tuned in to watch the Spurs clinch in Game 5 on Sunday night. That's a 10 percent increase from Game 5 between the same teams last year. Nielsen says viewership peaked at 22.4 million in the last half hour of the Spurs' 104-87 win. MORE: Spurs win fifth title | Leonard is Finals MVP | Spurs gear | Finals photos The 10.3 national rating on ABC was up from 9....

The third deal is partially guaranteed, according to multiple reports. The 37-year-old Carter was a vital bench player for the Mavericks last season despite shooting a career-low 40.7 percent from the field. He averaged 11.9 points in 24.4 minutes. ESPN’s Marc Stein reported that Dallas was looking to re-sign Carter. MORE: Free-agent tracker ESPN Dallas’ Tim McMahon reports the Mavs were done in partly by their offer sheet to Rockets unrestricted free agent Chandler Parsons....