This archive report was first published on 26 December 2019.
Clippers, 76ers Deliver Christmas Upsets in NBA ¶
On Christmas Day, the NBA delivered a thrilling slate of games, with the Los Angeles Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers handing their respective opponents a reality check.
The Clippers, led by Kawhi Leonard's 35 points, rallied to beat the Lakers 111-106 in an all-Los Angeles showdown. The Lakers, who were led by LeBron James' 23 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists, suffered their fourth straight defeat.
Meanwhile, the 76ers dominated the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks, winning 121-109 behind Joel Embiid's 31 points and 11 rebounds. Embiid played a key role in neutralizing Bucks' star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 24 points.
"The whole season I've been humble, but I want to be defensive player of the year, and I feel like tonight showed it," Embiid said.
"We had to go through this today," Antetokounmpo said. "We had to have our character tested today because the only way you get better is when you face adversity."
In other games, the Golden State Warriors shocked the Houston Rockets 116-104 in San Francisco, while the New Orleans Pelicans toppled the Denver Nuggets 112-100. The Boston Celtics also won their Christmas Day game, defeating the Toronto Raptors 118-102.
"This game meant a lot to us, and you can see it in the way our players approached it," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
"It's a lot of these guys' first time playing on Christmas," Green said. "That's a huge stage, and to come out and execute like we did and to actually get a win like we did against a very good team, it definitely feels good."
