The Top 5 Lakers Christmas Games
This will be the 16th year in a row the Lakers play on Christmas Day.
In tonight’s game, the Lakers will match up against the Timberwolves on TNT at 10:30 PM ET.
To celebrate another season of this, I’ve ranked the top five Laker Christmas wins within the past 16 years.
Read on below to take a trip down memory lane.
1) 2008: Lakers vs. Celtics, 92–83
49 years into their rivalry, the Lakers and Celtics came head-to-head for another anticipated matchup.
In the previous season, the Celtics walked away as the NBA champions. In the current season, the Lakers were on a 19-game win streak. Needless to say, both teams went into the game hungry for a win.
At the time, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol led the Lakers while opposite them, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce led the Celtics.
The game opened up with the Celtics commanding the first quarter by a consistent one or two points.
The Lakers picked up the second quarter, widening the lead by six, 51–45. At one point, Bryant snagged a loose ball on the Celtics end, threw it down the court to Trevor Ariza who, before stepping out of bounds, passed the ball back to Sasha Vujacic who laid it in for two.
In the third, Bryant opened the second half with a dunk off an assist from Luke Walton, pushing the Lakers lead to 53–47. The Celtics battled to stay in the game, tying at 62–62 and went on to lead by two. The Lakers, relentless to give up, quickly came back to tie at 64–64. Lamar Odom widened the gap with back-to-back threes, ending the third with a Laker lead at 71–67.
In the fourth, the Celtics, again, battled to close the gap, tying at 75–75, falling behind, catching up at 77–77, falling behind again and catching up at 79–79.
Ultimately, in the final three minutes of the game, it was Gasol’s seven points and the team’s 13–2 run which put the Lakers over the top thus ending yet another thrilling matchup at 92–83.
2) 2012: Lakers vs. Knicks, 100–94
Going into this game, were the two leading scorers in the league — Kobe Bryant of the Lakers and Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks.
The first quarter started off close, with neither team able to break a three-point lead.
The back-and-forth lead-change continued into the second quarter. Metta World Peace kept the Lakers in the game, scoring 16 points in the period.
Early in the third, Anthony put up back-to-back points. Bryant, with 26, slightly trailed Anthony, 27, in overall points at the end of this period.
Finally, the last 30 seconds of the game, with the score at 97–94 — the Lakers leading by three — Pau Gasol converted an inbound pass from Steve Nash into a huge dunk, sealing the Lakers lead and ending the game at 99–94.
3) 1999: Lakers vs. Spurs, 99–93
On this Christmas Day, the Lakers matched up against the previous season champions, the San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers led with power duo Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, while the Spurs led with their power duo, also known as the Twin Towers, Tim Duncan and David Robinson.
Throughout the entire first half, Bryant repeatedly challenged the athleticism of the Twin Towers, outmaneuvering them at every opportunity.
Lakers Robert Horry also proved essential in the first half, posting 12 points, five rebounds and contributing to the team’s overall defensive effort.
The game remained close in the third. At one point, the teams tied 52–52.
In the fourth, Bryant went in for an explosive dunk over the Spurs Jaren Jackson, simultaneously drawing a foul for an added free throw, boosting the Lakers to an 85–77 lead with more than five minutes to go.
In the end, the Lakers clenched the win, 99–93.
O’Neal led the Lakers in scoring with 32 points. Duncan led the Spurs with 28.
4) 2001: Lakers vs. Sixers, 88–82
The Sixers started off strong, leading the game throughout the first quarter. Lakers Samaki Walker and Sixers Allen Iverson dominated the period — Walker posting 10, and Iverson, 12.
The Sixers maintained their lead in the second quarter. Sixers Derrick Coleman contributed seven points while Dikembe Mutumbo posted six. On the Lakers side, Brian Shaw led the team with 10 in this period.
Midway through the fourth, the Lakers took the lead in thanks to a long three-pointer by Lindsey Hunter off an assist from Devean George.
With less than five minutes to go, the Lakers got to work on widening this lead, but failed. On the other end, the Sixers worked to keep the score within a six-point game.
With less than 15 seconds to go, Sixers Matt Harpring sank a three-point shot of his own, bringing his team within three points to tie, 82–85.
Unfortunately, due to subsequent fouls by Sixers Eric Snow and Aaron McKie on George, George’s following four free throws extended the Lakers lead by six and ended the game in the Lakers favor, 88–82.
5) 2016: Lakers vs. Clippers, 111–102
Prior to this game, the Lakers had developed a losing streak to their hometown rival, the Los Angeles Clippers (over the past three seasons) — 11 games to be exact.
On this Christmas Day matchup, the Lakers, looking for a win, started D’Angelo Russell amongst veterans Timofey Mozgov and Nick Young while the Clippers started Raymond Felton, DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Redick. (The Clippers forewent Blake Griffin and Chris Paul due to injuries.)
In the first half, the Clippers took the lead, 58–55, with Redick posting 19 points on the board and Felton on his way to a triple-double with eight points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
The Lakers took over the second half, going on a 13–0 run and converting that into an 18-point lead.
The Lakers ultimately closed out the game at 111–102.
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