Anta Clause and The Joker steal Christmas

Pretty fitting the game of the day on the historical Christmas Day NBA games was the last game. Just too bad most people were asleep by then. (Honorable mention to Snoop Dogg for the moment of the day while people were awake hours though)

Anytime these teams play each other it is usually an instant classic. You got Ant who can score as many points as anybody, jump over anybody, and has the swagger/confidence that he's not afraid of anybody and he makes it known too. There's a few matchups in the NBA that bring out the best in Ant, (KD, Steph, Jokic) just because of the level of respect he has for those guys, so he wants to kill them. He's publicity said Jokic is the best player in the league currently, behind him, so when they play it's the 2 best in the league. Instant classics. And this one even better because of the Anta Clause Sprite commercials that had been going around with Ant starring as Anta Clause.

On the other hand, you got Nikola Jokic, the best player of this decade and one of the best players ever. At home. On Christmas Day. You already know he's about to put on a show. Say no more.

1st quarter starts off real even, T Wolves have a slight lead but multiple lead changes and ties. Jokic is carrying Denver and Ant is taking over for Minnesota. Trading buckets on each end and each player ending with 14 points in the 1st. It wasn't a matter of if 1 of them would score 50, it was are both of them going to score 50. But then on the 14th point of the quarter for Anta Clause, his sleigh crashed while finishing a contested layup and fell on his shoulder. Throughout the rest of the game Ant would be seen massaging his shoulder, heating it on the bench, and really not having a significant impact at all. He would have 14 at the end of 1, and 22 with about 4 to play left in the 4th.

Because of Ant being out, Jokic also didn't need to do as much. The Nuggets pulled away to having a lead between 10-20 through the rest of 3rd quarter and most of the 4th. But Jokic was still picking up stats left in right in other categories. A Christmas triple double is routine for Jokic at this point, having a 40 point triple double another time on Christmas. It is like asking for a new game for Christmas as a kid, you know it'll be there.

But with a few minutes left the T Wolves made a run and was able to cut it to 6. Randle hit some buckets and so did McDaniels but this article isn't about them. This article's about Anta Clause, and he made sure the game was made about him too. Done messing with the shoulder, now it's time to find a way to deliver some presents. Ant drills a 3 to cut to lead to 3, and then finishes at the rim the next possession- 1 point game. Jamaal Murray the real sidekick out there splashes a 3, and the nuggets score again to make it a 6 point game. But it's Ant who keeps making clutch plays. Fouled on a 3, splashes all 3. Then they get a turnover and easy finish to cut it to 1. Foul 2 free throws for Jokic. Done narrating. Now time to envision.

Anta clause comes to save Christmas. 1.1 seconds left the clock, he comes flying around a screen catch and shoot from the near corner... for 3... ITS GOOD!!!! But wait was it a 3?! The refs have to check was his foot on the line like KD vs the Bucks. No it wasn't, 3 pointer confirmed. Overtime on the way. Anta has arrived and presents delivered.

Nuggets having blown this lead no way can recover. And Ant is on fire feeling himself now. The start of OT, all T Wolves. And not just the start but the first 3 minutes. Ants hitting 3s, dunking like crazy, Anta has come for Christmas. But we forgot about Jokic who keeps banging 3's and gets them back in it with a 6 point run from the Nuggets in 2 possessions so fast.

Ant would end up getting ejected with 55 seconds left and 44 points. Double what he had with 4 min to go in the 4th quarter. It's a shame he lost, given the performance he put on, but it would've been a bigger shame for Jokic to lose with his performance and lead they had throughout the game. Jokic ends up with a 56 16 and 15 triple double, one of the more historic stat lines you'll ever see. And also doubled the 28 points he had with 4 left in the quarter. Both hero's showed up when needed most and it's fitting because it wasn't Anthony Edwards vs Nikola Jokic- no it was Anta Clause vs the Joker. 2 mythical figures that were brought to life on Christmas Night.