Orlando Magic’s Paolo Banchero fouls Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, in Milwaukee. The Bucks won 118-114. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
MILWAUKEE. Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis says he didn’t even bother buying a Christmas tree for his house this year.
There was no need. He and his teammates will make a long vacation visit to New York.
NBA players are already used to working away from home on Christmas Day. But no team has ever had an offseason like the one the Bucks are going through.
“Obviously, I’m not going to be able to open the presents under my tree,” Portis said earlier this week, noting that the team leaves on Friday. “After Christmas, they sat by the manger under the Christmas tree for five or six days.”
The Bucks play back-to-back games against the New York Knicks on Saturday and again on Christmas Day before visiting the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the second time an NBA team has played three consecutive games in the New York metropolitan area, and the first time it coincides with Christmas.
The Washington Wizards played in Brooklyn, followed by two games against the Knicks in March 2021. The Atlanta Hawks will become the third team to play consecutive road games in the Big Apple when they share games in Brooklyn. on February 29 and March 2 before facing the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 5.
After going undefeated in a six-game home streak, the Bucks are looking to make the most of this unusual road trip.
“There’s no place like New York for Christmas but home, right?” Bucks guard Pat Connaughton said. “I know a lot of people love New York for Christmas, so we’re lucky to be able to spend it there.”
Many Bucks were joined by family members.
Bucks guard Malik Beasley plans to buy an artificial tree to put in his hotel room. Freshman Andre Jackson Jr., who grew up in Amsterdam, New York, and attended Albany Academy, hopes to take a trip upstate to see his grandmother. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo says his family will rally around him.
“Everyone will be there,” Antetokounmpo said. “It’s going to be like a big party.”
Antetokounmpo’s younger brother, Alex Antetokounmpo of the NBA G League’s Wisconsin Herd, will be in the area to play the Long Island Nets on December 27. Antetokounmpo even mentioned the possibility of attending a Broadway show.
Another peculiarity of this schedule is that the Bucks play in the afternoon in each of their two games against the Knicks. The noon tip for gaming on Christmas Day complicates exactly when players and their families can celebrate the holiday.
“We’re going to get into the Christmas spirit and play a game and then come back and open presents,” Beasley said. “I think it’s too early to open gifts at seven in the morning for a (noon) game.”
Despite the unusual time frame in New York, the Bucks appreciate the opportunity to play on Christmas Day.
Portis recalled his childhood watching Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett every Christmas, and believes it’s a privilege he doesn’t take for granted. Neither is point guard Damian Lillard, a seven-time NBA All-Star who played only once on Christmas Day.
“It’s a special day, it’s a special opportunity to do it,” Lillard said.
Being in New York only increases this feeling.
Your subscription could not be saved. Try again.
Your subscription was successful.
“As a kid, in middle school and high school, I definitely knew that at Christmas, as soon as you opened the presents, my mom would cook and we would watch the NBA all day,” Beasley said. “It’s a great day for NBA basketball. It will be great to play. I will watch it in the future with my kids and tell them, “Look, Dad played in the NBA on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.”
2023-12-25 19:23:20
#peculiarity #NBA #calendar #forced #Bucks #extend #vacation #York #Arroba #Juarez
