The San Antonio Spurs were absent from the 2017 NBA Christmas Day schedule, a somewhat unique instance for them, given their prominent place in the league. It opened the door for other teams to play, but, for 2018, there seemed to be a scenario that would allow them back in.
Christmas Day games usually feature flashy matchups, including NBA Finals rematches and head-to-heads of the league’s best players; these usually feature LeBron James’ team.
On Tuesday, the 2018 Christmas Day schedule began to go public, and the Spurs were nowhere to be found. Marc Stein of The New York Times and ESPN’s Chris Haynes and Tim MacMahon reported the following matchups for Dec.