Photos by Darren Carroll/NBAE via Getty Images The Silver and Black is in New York City for an early morning Christmas Day game Welcome to the Game Thread. Veterans of the Game Thread know how we do things around here, but for all you newbies we have a few rules. Our community guidelines apply and basically say be cool, no personal attacks, don’t troll and don’t swear too much. It’s Christmas Day, and the first order of business after opening the presents is to turn on the TV for the usual December 25 NBA slate of games. First up is the San Antonio Spurs against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden. The Spurs are on the second game of a four game road trip, which started off in an inauspicious fashion Monday against the Philadelphia 76ers who took advantage of late miscues by the young Spurs and gritted out a 11-106 win. The Knicks are one of the best teams in the east, and they have few weaknesses, with Jalen Brunson running the point and Karl-Anthony Towns using his offensive versatility to break down defenses. Chris Paul’s veteran leadership is needed tonight to avoid the late game meltdown that we saw on Monday, while Wembanyama’s overall elite skills should be the biggest advantage for the Silver and Black. This game will be simulcast on Disney+ with animated toons replacing some of the players, and that should be fun to watch, but since I’m writing a recap I’ll probably avoid that, since I won’t really know who to credit Goofy’s baskets to on the Spurs roster. [Is he Sochan? He’s gotta be Sochan.] Sit back and watch the game today, remember that it’s OK to wear pajamas while watching the Spurs, unless you’re in the arena, then it could be frowned upon. After tonight, the Spurs travel to Brooklyn to take on the Nets on Friday. Just go down to Penn Station (underneath Madison Square Garden) and take the 2 or 3 train and get out at the Barclay Center stop. It’s about a 25 minute ride, $3 for the fare, one of the best transportation bargains in the city. Pounding the Rock on Playback Game Prediction: It will be said that Tom Thibodeau’s heart grew three sizes on this day, after Wembanyama shows him the true meaning of Christmas, and he will play every player on the Knicks roster tonight. One final word: Go Spurs GOOOOOO!! San Antonio Spurs at New York KnickerbockersDecember 25, 2024 | 11:00 AM CTStreaming: Disney+ [animated]TV: ESPN/ABC Reminder: It is against site policy to post links to illegal streams in the comments, but it is not against site policy to exchange email addresses, for instance.