Howdy, Hardwood Knocksers!

Get ready to cover some serious ground in advance of the NBA’s robust Christmas Day slate. We have picks for every game, plus a mailbag, and then, yes, some LeBron James rumors to tackle!

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Who will win the battle of the unicorns, between Kristaps Porzingis and Joel Embiid/Ben Simmons, when the New York Knicks meet the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day? Neither Stephen Curry nor Isaiah Thomas will be ready to rock for Monday’s NBA Finals rematch, but can the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers still view this game as a barometer?

The Oklahoma City Thunder are getting frisky. They have the league’s best defense, Paul George is shooting a little better, and their offense doesn’t stink all the time. Can they stand up to the NBA-best Houston Rockets on Christmas?

Do you know what the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns have in common? They both have a better defensive rating than the Boston Celtics over the past 10 games. Can the boys in green steady their rickety, rockety ship while squaring off against the Wizards?

Watching the Los Angeles Lakers is fun. Watching the Minnesota Timberwolves is not—unless, of course, Jimmy Butler is going to work in crunch time. Who wins their late-night Christmas Day showdown?

Andy and Dan wrap things up with a mailbag the covers Brett Brown’s future in Philly, Hassan Whiteside’s injury, Dennis Schroder’s trade value, the hoplessness of the Charlotte Hornets’ situation and so much more.

But first thing’s first: The Rockets plan to make a play for LeBron James this summer, according to ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe. Is this for real or just a bunch of gobbledygook?