It's not a rule, but the NBA champion routinely gets a home Christmas game and this year is no exception -- with Toronto playing on the holiday for only the second time since 2001.
Toronto Raptors forward Chris Boucher throws down a dunk against the Dallas Mavericks during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank GunnA six-pack of Christmas nuggets to know going into this year's slate of showcase NBA games on the holiday: Boston at Toronto, Milwaukee at Philadelphia, Houston at Golden State, the Los Angeles Clippers at the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans at Denver.
With the Raptors getting a home game, the only two active franchises yet to play at home on Dec. 25 are Minnesota and New Orleans. And with the Raptors playing again, Sacramento -- not part of NBA Christmas since 2003 -- now has the second-longest active drought on the holiday. The longest is Atlanta's; the Hawks haven't played on Dec. 25 since 1989.Philadelphia is hosting a Christmas game for the first time in 31 years, and Denver is hosting for the first time in 25 years.
Same goes for New Orleans, which got the Christmas nod in large part because it had the No. 1 draft pick in Zion Williamson.
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