Christmas is near, and even though we’ll see three NFL games going up against the five-game NBA slate on Sunday, Christmas remains the NBA’s day. And we’ve got some pretty good and interesting matchups to watch.

The requisite New York Knicks Christmas home game at Madison Square Garden tips things off, as they host Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. That’ll be followed by LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers heading to Texas, where Christmas is also bigger, to take on Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks. After that, a highly anticipated showdown between the two biggest monsters in the Eastern Conference gets the prime midday time slot with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks facing Jayson Tatum and the reigning East champion Boston Celtics in Beantown. Then, another budding rivalry is highlighted with Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies trying to once again measure up with the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors. To finish off the night, we get a rematch of a contentious 2021 playoff matchup between Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns and Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets.

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While you don’t necessarily want to drink too heavily too early, you can definitely have a mimosa, a bellini or a little spiked egg nog to toast to the holiday (if you celebrate it). If you don’t celebrate it, call it brunch, get yourself a nice little beverage and enjoy the day’s games.

If you want to participate in this fun little drinking game, for any or all of the games, we’ve got you covered. I’ve included three prompts for each team, along with a reckless option for each game. Feel free to throw your own prompts into the comments below.

As one more reminder, we only drink responsibility here, and any beverage can be replaced with water or hot cocoa or maybe even holiday cookies. Or maybe you’re a fitness freak binge-eating carrots and celery while downing some green juice. Either way, you can responsibly substitute “take a drink” with your own preferred option.

Let’s get to the games:

76ers at Knicks, noon ET (ESPN)

Drink whenever Joel Embiid scores inside of 10 feet

The 76ers’ franchise big man is at his best when he’s scoring more toward the basket. Yes, he can shoot 3-pointers. Yes, he’s killing it from the midrange this season, knocking down 46.2 percent of his shots from 16 to 23 feet. But Embiid is a monster when he’s being more physical than everybody else and reminding them of his prowess in the paint. He makes roughly six shots per game inside of 10 feet. As versatile as he is, he should even try to do it more. He makes 78.2 percent of his shots inside of three feet. He makes 70.5 percent of his shots inside of five feet and 64.4 percent of his shots inside of 10 feet. The more he works toward the basket, the more miserable Christmas will be for the Knicks.

Drink whenever James Harden is the only man back in transition defense and the opponent scores

The Sixers have struggled in transition defense during the first part of the season, and their entire defense got better during the stretch in which James Harden and Tyrese Maxey were both out. They’re not strong defenders (I know, I know, the four times a game Harden might defend the post aren’t bad), and they’re both terrible in transition. With the way the Sixers’ offense is structured with Harden on the floor, he’s too often the only one back in transition, and that doesn’t go well for Philadelphia. The Sixers allow the third (tied) highest transition rate and are 22nd in points per 100 possessions allowed in transition. The Knicks have the 11th (tied) highest transition volume, but the thing that might save Harden, the Sixers and your liver is that New York is just 15th (tied) in transition offense.

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Finish your drink if Embiid incites a skirmish by trolling the other team

I’m not sure anybody is better at getting someone on a basketball court frustrated than Embiid. He can start it on social media, or he can finish it on social media. Julius Randle can be a fiery guy, and it wouldn’t shock me if Embiid even got Tom Thibodeau a little too heated. We’re not going to get an outright brawl — or even a fight necessarily — but we definitely have to finish our drinks if Embiid gets the Knicks to erupt, and I’m extending that to Spike Lee too.

Drink whenever Jalen Brunson scores off a pivot as if he’s a foot taller than he is

Did you know Brunson is third in the NBA in buckets made in the paint that aren’t in the restricted area? Only Bam Adebayo and Pascal Siakam make more per game. Brunson routinely gets into the paint, fakes, pivots and hits a fadeaway jumper. Brunson makes 7.3 shots per game, and 3.0 of them happen in the paint outside of the restricted area. That’s a remarkable percentage for a guy his size. He’s going to get plenty of chances to do it in this game too. He can get by the majority of Philadelphia’s perimeter guys, and he’s not going to go at Embiid standing at the rim.

Jalen Brunson's pivot game is ELITE

— NBA (@NBA) October 7, 2022

Drink whenever the Knicks knock down a 3-pointer

This is surprisingly safe as a drinker at home. The Knicks don’t hit a lot of 3-pointers. And you might not even finish one beer if you only take a drink when the Knicks knock down a 3-pointer. On average, the Knicks make 11.4 3–pointers per game. According to an article I skimmed on Wired.com (I wasn’t going to read the whole thing once I saw graphs and equations, but I scrolled to the bottom), a beer has roughly 10 sips in it. The Knicks are 20th in 3-pointers made this season. The Sixers give up the second fewest 3-point makes per game at 10.7 per game. Let’s see if the Knicks get hot.

Finish your drink when they show celebrities at the sideline. Not each celebrity. That would be insane

It’s a Knicks game, and it’s Christmas, which is prime time and positioning when it comes to being a public figure. Maybe someone has a project to promote, and that’s part of the reason to show them on television. Jerry Ferrara, Spike Lee, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, John McEnroe, Michael Strahan, Anne Wintour, Whoopi Goldberg, Fat Joe and Pete Davidson could all be there. They’ve been known to attend a big Knicks game from time to time. Chug that drink when the stars come out on TV after a commercial break.

Reckless option: Drink whenever Thibodeau looks incredulous on the sideline

Lakers at Mavericks, 2:30 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)

Drink when we get a deep LeBron James 3-point attempt

Did you know James has shot by far the most 3-pointers from 27 feet or deeper this season? It’s not even close. LeBron has taken 55 of those deep shots; second place on that list is Marcus Smart at 38. James consistently takes these deep 3-pointers. And guess what? He’s terrible at them. He’s made 11 of them. That’s 20.0 percent accuracy on those deep shots. But despite his horrific lack of success with them, he just keeps on taking them. I get it too. You get up there in years, and you want to conserve energy. Not much difference between pulling up from 25 and pulling up from 28 in terms of effort. Might as well save the extra steps for something else, even if the shot is the equivalent of just handing the ball to the opponent most of the time.

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Drink whenever the announcers talk about the Lakers trying to get to the playoffs

Some people keep hanging onto the idea that James and company are going to magically get better and find their way into the postseason. I don’t even know if we should be convinced they can find their way into the Play-In Tournament. But that doesn’t stop the collective “us” from discussing what the Lakers could do to reach the postseason. Maybe if they pull off this trade? Maybe if they find the right amount of health with their stars? The team just isn’t capable, but out of respect for LeBron’s career, “we” continue to talk about this team like there’s a real chance it becomes postseason-worthy.

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Finish your drink when LeBron James approaching the all-time scoring record comes up

We’re closing in on less than 25 games (assuming LeBron stays healthy and keeps this rate of scoring) before he passes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list. It’s pretty ridiculous to think about. I don’t know if anybody truly thought that was an unbreakable record, but the level of consistency, skill and longevity it takes to even get in the conversation doesn’t seem fathomable. It’s going to come up during this broadcast, and it probably should be talked about more. Chug that drink when it does.

Drink whenever Luka Dončić makes a ridiculous play

Dončić going against your team can be frustrating. The best defender is on him. They’re trying to take away what he wants to do. And he just gets to the shot regardless. You can’t speed him up. You can’t truly take things away. The Mavericks star just methodically gets wherever he wants. And I honestly think he takes more difficult shots because he’s bored out there. It’s the only way to explain some of the stuff he tries. JR Smith once said that open shots are boring. Dončić seems to subscribe to the same idea, so drink every time he makes a ridiculous play.

Luka Dončić is just showing off here 😳

🎥 @NBATV

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) October 23, 2022

Drink whenever Dončić gets a trip to the free-throw line

While it’s still a little perplexing that Dončić is in the low 70s for free-throw accuracy, he’s getting to the line at a record pace for him. He had a massive free-throw rate his second season in the NBA, and he’s always had a pretty healthy helping of trips to the free-throw line in his career. But even this volume of free-throw attempts for him is a career best so far. He’s getting there 10.1 times per game, 13.8 times per 100 possessions and a .455 free-throw rate for the season. You’ll at least finish one beer/drink/water if you’re drinking every time he takes a freebie.

Finish your drink if Dončić records a 40-point triple-double

I know, it’s a lot of Dončić in this section, but whatever. He’s the show in Dallas, and everything is centered around what he does on a basketball court. He has five 40-point triple-doubles in his career. Three of them have happened this season, and we’re not even in 2023 yet. If he does this against the Lakers, chug that drink and grab some snacks to munch on.

Reckless option: Drink whenever LeBron’s and Luka’s numbers get compared to each other.

Bucks at Celtics, 5 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)

Big drink whenever Giannis Antetokounmpo takes the ball the length of the floor for a dunk

Did you know 326 NBA players have made fewer than 96 field goals on the season so far? Giannis Antetokounmpo has made 96 shots just in transition opportunities. It’s crazy just his transition shot making has outperformed roughly two-thirds of the league. He has 16 dunks this season in which he took the ball up the floor and just dribbled around everybody before using the Go-Go Gadget arms to dunk on someone or maybe even an entire team. There are some flat-out rude ones he’s done against Houston. If he does this against the Celtics, take a big sip because you’ll need it to try to put your mind in a state that understands the physics of Giannis.

Giannis Antetokounmpo against 5 Golden state warriors in transition with a left hand dunk ( 12-13-2022 )

— NBA BASKETBALL (@DejoseMark) December 14, 2022

Drink whenever Grayson Allen makes a Celtics player upset

Allen has the reputation of a dirty player. It’s mostly just because of the stuff he’s done in college and the NBA. Maybe you choose to ignore it when he’s on your favorite team, but everybody else feels a certain type of way about it. Because of the way he plays and because of the “fiery” nature of Marcus Smart, these two are destined to get into it. I could see Allen getting under Jaylen Brown’s skin. I could see him maybe even making Derrick White annoyed. It’s going to happen. It’s going to happen probably more than once. Drink when it does.

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Finish your drink if the referees whistle Giannis for a 10-second violation at the free-throw line

We’re back to this again. Mark Cuban told the NBA it needs to call it this season, and eventually, officials did. He recently got called for it a couple of times in an easy enough win over Golden State. But much like the emphasis on traveling calls, we probably will see the league try to curtail some of this Giannis procrastinating to actually take the free throw. Honestly, it shouldn’t take that long to shoot something he’s making less than 65 percent of the time, so we’ll finish the drink if he gets whistled for it on Christmas.

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Drink whenever Jayson Tatum is mentioned in the MVP conversation

First and foremost, it’s way too early to have awards conversations. I like to tweet after the first night of the regular season that a certain player has to be considered for MVP at that point, but that’s because I’m an idiot. In reality, we should start getting into that around the trade deadline or All-Star break. With that said, any conversation for MVP at this point or later on in the season has to heavily include Tatum. Before fans of other players freak out, yes, there will be plenty of validation and consideration for a lot of guys having great years. But Tatum will be mentioned up and down that broadcast on Christmas for the type of season he’s having.

Drink whenever Marcus Smart embellishes some contact

Remember the flop warnings? They’re not as much of a thing as they used to be. In fact, I think we went full seasons without getting them until Patrick Beverley was hit with one in late October. They did it to stop players from treating this like it’s a World Cup match with all of the selling contact in dramatic fashion. Smart is one of the greatest ever at flopping. Just a reminder, flopping doesn’t mean they’ve created a foul call that shouldn’t have happened. It can be selling the contact on a foul call that does happen. But Smart is always going to flop in games.

Finish your drink if Jaylen Brown has one of those ridiculously hot first or third quarters

Brown does this thing every once in a while when he just starts a half stupid hot from the field. He’s had 60 first quarters in which he’s scored at least 10 points. He’s had 60 third quarters in which he’s scored at least 10 points. He’s just great sometimes at getting hot and setting the tone for what the opponent should expect in trying to guard him. If he does, chug that drink.

Reckless option: Drink whenever Giannis takes a shot in the paint.

Grizzlies at Warriors, 8 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)

Drink whenever Ja Morant does something absurdly athletic

Morant has become one of the most surreal stars in the NBA. Everything about him has helped put the Memphis Grizzlies back on the map. They’re not just good. They’re really fun too. And their star player is a massive reason for that. Big dunks. Flying through the air like someone turned the gravity off. Doing 360 layups. He’s going to have a fun time on Christmas, so make sure you hydrate before you choose to participate in this one.

sum serious @JaMorant 🎿

— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) December 8, 2022

Drink whenever Jeff Van Gundy talks about how much he loves the increased number of travel calls

There are so many travels being called. All of a sudden, a few weeks into the season, the NBA and the officials decided to make this an emphasis. You’re getting a bunch in each game, and most of them are good calls. We know Van Gundy is going to work this game, and he loves talking about rules and rule implementations. He’s going to love talking about players no longer getting away with it as much. And probably ask for more. Drink whenever it comes up.

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Finish your drink if they mention how strong Steven Adams is

We know the Jason Momoa/Aquaman mentions will happen with Adams in a nationally televised game. That’s just part of the schtick now. Like 15 years ago when you were legally obligated to mention that Ashton Kutcher and Kyle Korver look similar. But I’m not interested so much in that. I’m more interested in the stories and the instances in which Adams’ ridiculous strength just comes into play and the broadcast talks about it. We’ve seen him eat shots from Zach Randolph. We’ve seen him become the new Nikola Peković with being an immovable object. Adams’ strength should be talked about.

Drink whenever Jeff Van Gundy complains about this game not having Steph Curry in it

Curry’s shoulder injury could not have come at a worse time for the NBA. The Warriors are already struggling to find consistency on the court. Now they’re missing an MVP candidate and a version of Curry that is probably the best we’ve ever seen when you factor in his effort and play on defense. Van Gundy won’t like that we’re not getting him, and he’s going to mention it a lot.

Drink whenever they mention the Draymond Green punch or Klay Thompson’s frustrations with injuries

The Warriors have issues getting the young guys up to speed with replacing players like Gary Payton II and Otto Porter Jr. from last year’s championship squad. They have issues with Curry’s shoulder and making sure Andrew Wiggins isn’t missing more games (which he rarely does). They’ve also had some crazy stuff happen with Green, including the punching of Jordan Poole in that preseason practice. It’s going to get mentioned. Thompson’s frustrations coming back from injuries will probably get its own little video montage package. Drink when that stuff comes up on the broadcast.

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Finish your drink if Jordan Poole pulls off a ridiculous bucket

Poole has really struggled with his shot so far this season. He looks nothing like the guy people were saying should have received more votes for Most Improved Player last season. But without Curry in the mix, they’re going to need him to pull some stuff off. There will be a point in which he dribbles through four defenders and hits an off-balanced shot. Chug the drink when that happens.

Reckless option: Drink whenever Green or Morant yell at the opponent.

Suns at Nuggets, 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Drink every time Devin Booker lights up a defender with a midrange jumper

Anti-analytics people always complain that the midrange shot has become hated and unwanted. But that’s only if you can’t shoot them or are a bad shooter in general. For someone like Booker, that’s not the case. The Phoenix Suns star is one of the deadliest midrange shooters in the NBA. You have to run at him to get him off the 3-point line, but he’s super comfortable taking that dribble in and knocking it down from 20. He’s great at cooking an opponent with a series of moves before pulling up on a dime in the midrange. He’s third in the NBA in shots made in the midrange, and he makes 47.2 percent of his midrange shots. Drink when he does.

Drink every time whenever the broadcast mentions heated moments the Suns have had with other teams

I don’t know if this is a Suns thing. I don’t know if it’s a Booker thing. I don’t know if it’s a Chris Paul thing. Maybe Jae Crowder was a culprit when it came to this stuff, but it’s still there. The Suns seem to get into it with plenty of teams out there. It happened against Denver, and we even had that occur at the end of Phoenix sweeping them in 2021. Recently, they got into it with the New Orleans Pelicans. It happened against the Lakers a couple years ago. It happened with their trash talking extravaganza with the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs. It even happened a bit with Deandre Ayton and his coach Monty Williams. The Suns love to get into it, and it could lead to some good banter during the game.

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Finish your drink if Chris Paul gets a technical foul

CP3 only has two technical fouls this season, but he’s also missed 14 games so far. He had 14 technical fouls last season and 12 the year before that. Paul is fiery on the court, and he’s constantly yelling, complaining and angling for both mental and physical advantages. He’s not going to be able to help it. It’s just a part of his game at this point. If he gets T’d up, then you chug that drink. If he gets thrown out? Chug two.

Drink every time Nikola Jokić makes a ridiculous pass

This has the potential to be dangerous if Jokić puts on a show. In fact, if he’s doing that thing when he’s closing in on a triple-double in the first half, we’re switching you to water or celery juice or something heavy in electrolytes in the second half. The two-time MVP just does some absurd stuff passing the ball at times. This stuff is just so routine, and yet it’s still stupefying most of the time. Look at this:

Jokic with the behind-the-back assist while having multiple defenders around him 🤯

🎥 @NBA | @nuggets

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) December 7, 2022

It’s absurd and so mundane to him. He doesn’t even need to get the assist. Just do it when he throws the pass.

Drink every time Jamal Murray hits us with the archer celebration after a jump shot

Murray has struggled a little bit with his 3-point shot so far this season, as he returns from the ACL injury that happened prior to the 2021 postseason. He’s only making 33.8 percent of his 3-pointers, which is usually below league average. He’s a 36.6 percent shooter for his career, but he was over 40.8 percent in the pandemic-truncated season before he got hurt. Also, his midrange jumper has been extremely accurate. I still love the archer celebration, which helped him get the Blue Arrow nickname. Every time he hits one from deep and does the celebration, drink.

Finish your drink if Nikola Jokić gets into it with a Suns player and remind them he’s bigger than everybody

I mentioned it briefly, but remember the Jokić-Cameron Payne moment in Game 4 of the 2021 second round? The Nuggets weren’t getting destroyed in Game 4, but the series was heading toward a sweep. The Suns were up eight in the third quarter when Jokić got frustrated at a no-call and probably just the overall imminent ending to his season. He did a take foul and hit Payne in the face during the process. Payne went down. Jokić eventually got ejected from the game. But a kind of funny moment happened in the early aftermath of the hit.

Booker does the right thing by stepping up to Jokić and taking up for his teammate. Jokić quickly reminds him that he’s the far more physically imposing part of this equation and just starts walking Booker back before they get fully separated. It’s nothing against Booker either. He doesn’t really back down, but he does have to succumb to physics at a certain point. It’s always humorous to me when big men remind everybody they’re big men. Finish the drink if this happens again.

Reckless option: Drink whenever Jokić or Paul flop.

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(Top photo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jaylen Brown: David Butler II / USA Today)