Nuggets expected to host Suns on Christmas Day

One less-heralded NBA franchise will be hearing sleigh bells again this year.

Mike Singer of the Denver Post reported on Sunday that the Denver Nuggets are slated to host the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day, according to an initial draft of the 2022-23 schedule.

Though the Nuggets claim the services of back-to-back reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, they were notably omitted from the Christmas Day schedule last season. Denver also rarely plays on Christmas in general, making just three Christmas Day appearances over the last decade and only seven in total since joining the NBA from the ABA in 1976.

A Nuggets-Suns matchup would serve as a rematch of their meeting in the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals (a series that had serious fireworks). But it will be just one of many NBA grudge matches to look forward to on Christmas this year.