Kaseya Center will showcase a high-profile Eastern Conference matchup during the NBA Christmas Day schedule. The Philadelphia 76ers will visit the Miami Heat in the fourth game of a five-game slate for the league. Philadelphia is off to a tremendous start this season, posting a 20-8 record and an 8-4 mark on the road. Miami is 17-12 despite injury concerns as Jimmy Butler (calf) is questionable after he missed the past two games. The Sixers, meanwhile, have ruled out Joel Embiid (ankle).

The Phoenix Suns will look to continue their recent mastery of the Dallas Mavericks when they meet in a Christmas Day matchup in Phoenix. The Suns (14-14), who have won 11 of the last 13 matchups against Dallas, will look to snap their two-game overall losing streak. Phoenix went 0-2 in its road trip to Portland and Sacramento this past week. The Mavericks (17-12), who went 2-2 against the Suns last season after losing the previous 10 games in the series, snapped a three game losing streak with a 144-119 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. Kyrie Irving (heel) is out for Dallas, while Bradley Beal (ankle) and Jusuf Nurkic (personal) are out for Phoenix.

When Adam Silver handed LeBron James the first ever In-Season Tournament MVP award, he quipped that the trophy "didn't come with a franchise." The joke was aimed at James' very public pursuit of ownership of whatever NBA team eventually lands in Las Vegas, and it's a quest that he may well succeed in. His performance over the past few days certainly couldn't have hurt his chances, either. After all, he likely just played the most consequential stretch of professional basketball Las Vegas has ever seen.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told reporters on Saturday that he's planning to meet with Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant ahead of the All-Star's return from his 25-game suspension. Silver said that Morant, who is eligible to return on Dec. 19, has 'complied with everything' the league has asked of him. 

In the final minutes before the Los Angeles Lakers took on the Indiana Pacers in the inaugural In-Season Tournament Final, The Athletic's Shams Charania issued a troubling report: Austin Reaves, arguably the third best Laker, was dealing with a non-COVID related illness. His offense was going to be critical in a possible shootout with the run-and-gun Pacers, so the Lakers needed him at full strength. 

The Phoenix Suns (11-7) are hosting the Denver Nuggets (13-6) in a battle on Friday evening. This is the first of three matchups between these Western Conference foes. The Suns lead the all-time series 102-87, and Phoenix has won two straight games over Denver. Phoenix is seventh in the NBA in scoring (116.4), while Denver ranks seventh in points allowed (109.7). Jamal Murray (ankle) and Aaron Gordon (heel) are questionable for Denver, while Devin Booker (ankle) and Bradley Beal (back) are out for the Suns.

Memphis Grizzlies star has been issued a subpoena to testify in a civil lawsuit related to a 2022 incident in which he is accused of assaulting a teenager during a pickup basketball game at his home. Per court files obtained by ESPN, Morant's parents and close friend, Davonte Pack, have also been issued subpoenas. 

Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant notched another milestone in his historic career on Friday night when he passed Hall of Famer Moses Malone to move into the top-10 on the NBA's all-time scoring list. With 30 points in the Suns' 119-111 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Durant is up to 27,423 career points.