The Hawks won’t play on Christmas Day — big surprise.
The NBA’s longest Christmas Day game drought belongs to the Atlanta Hawks, dating back 30 years.
Though Trae Young (as a rookie) promised the time is coming ... soon.
The Hawks haven’t been part of the NBA’s Christmas Day lineup since Spud Webb, Dominique Wilkins, Moses Malone and Kevin Willis suited up for Atlanta. On that day in 1989, Atlanta outscored Cleveland 115-104 before 13,000 fans at the Omni.
The NBA's Christmas five-game slate includes:
Celtics at Raptors @ Noon (ESPN)
Bucks at 76ers @ 2:30 p.m. (ABC)
Rockets at Warriors @ 5 p.m. (ABC)
Clippers at Lakers @ 8 p.m. (ESPN)
Pelicans at Nuggets @ 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
But this Christmas stocking will be a little lacking thanks to injuries.
The Lakers are hoping LeBron James (muscle strain) and Anthony Davis (knee) are healthy enough to play.
Toronto, hosting Boston in its first Christmas home game, is playing without Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell. Golden State, the team the Raptors beat for the NBA title, has been going without Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, leaving the Warriors without much of their firepower — which they will likely need to beat high-scoring Houston at home.
And of course, New Orleans has played all season without No. 1 pick Zion Williamson, the chief reason the Pelicans got on the Christmas schedule in the first place.
Giannis is coming to town
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Milwaukee — owners of the NBA's best record — play Friday in Atlanta. The NBA scoring leaders, averaging better than 120 points, against a dismal Hawks defense that ranks near the bottom, allowing more than 118 per game.
Cast your votes
Voting for the NBA All-Star Game opens Christmas morning before the games begin. Fans can vote at NBA.com or the NBA app, as well as Google.com, the Google app or the Google assistant.
Fans will account for 50 percent of the vote, while a media panel and the vote of all current players will account for 25 percent apiece.
Voting concludes on Jan. 20. The All-Star Game is Feb. 16 in Chicago.
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