The NFL might be trying to dominate the holiday weekend, but the NBA takes center stage on Sunday with the annual Christmas quintuple-header. Five games on Sunda will be showcasing the best of the league, and some up-and-coming teams in the NBA. We all know that it all centers around the first matchup of the year between Golden State and Cleveland, but there are some interesting games on the schedule. It’s not the most loaded slate of games, but there are definitely some intriguing matchups to watch during the day. Today’s “Heat Check” is going to touch on all five games and give you something to watch in each game.

Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks (12:00 PM, ESPN)

This matchup of the second and third place teams in the Atlantic division kicks off the action on Christmas day. Both teams have been on a great run as of late which should elevate the play in this one. Isaiah Thomas is the focal point of Boston’s offense, and when healthy he has been incredible so far in 2016. The offensive matchup between Thomas and Carmelo Anthony should be fun to watch. I definitely can’t wait to see the one-on-one matchup between Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. You have a perennial All-Star and an emerging superstar squaring off with Horford and Porzingis. This will be a tone-setter between these division foes.

Golden State Warriors vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2:30 PM, ABC)

The Rematch. That alone is worth the price of admission here. The two best teams in the NBA the last three seasons squaring off? Count me in. Kevin Durant in the mix adds another layer of intrigue to this matchup that we haven’t seen these past two seasons. Durant likely draws LeBron James or Kevin Love while on offense, and will definitely matchup with James on defense. I’m interested to see how the Warriors new “Death Lineup” will deal with Cleveland’s versatility. Make sure you are settled in for this one folks, it is going to be one hell of a game.

Chicago Bulls vs. San Antonio Spurs (5:00 PM, ABC)

For me, this is one of the more interesting games of the day. On one side you have Chicago, which is still trying to gel with the trio of Rajon Rondo, Dwayne Wade, and Jimmy Butler but comes into the game losing seven out of the last ten. Then you have San Antonio, which is the second-best team in the tough Western Conference and the perennial power in the NBA. I absolutely can’t wait to watch the matchup of Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler in this game. They are two of the best rising stars in the league right now and it won’t be long before both of them will factor into the MVP race every season.

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (8:00 PM, ESPN)

It may not be the best matchup of the day but this one has the potential to be a fun game to watch. Russell Westbrook is obviously the draw in this game considering he’s the resident “human highlight reel” this season. I want to focus on the Timberwolves though. Minnesota’s record is pretty ugly right now but this team is in the midst of building around one of the best young core of players in the league. Karl-Anthony Towns will be the preeminent center in the NBA sooner rather than later. Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine are a high-flying duo, which should produce their fair share of highlight plays. This game is definitely worth watching as long as it stays competitive.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 PM, ESPN)

Man this game looked so much better before December started. The Clippers are a top-three team in the West but lost Blake Griffin earlier this week. Then there are the Lakers, who have taken a massive nosedive since the beginning of the month. If there is one matchup to keep an eye on its whenever Chris Paul and D’Angelo Russell are covering each other. Outside of that I think the Clippers should dominate the “Battle of L.A.”

That’s it for me this week folks. I want to wish you all happy holidays! I’ll be back on Tuesday for a shortened week of coverage for Shooting the Moon. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.

Fantasy championship week is finally here! 15 mentally grueling weeks trying to outsmart your friends and co-workers have led to this. One game separates you from the glory of victory or the agony of being the first loser. Financially second place isn’t too bad but is still a consolation prize nonetheless. We’re here for championships though, so we’re going to zero in on the best matchups of the week.

You know, fantasy football is really a funny game. One of the things I do when prepping for the regular season is to look ahead to Week 16. I circle a couple of games that I think can be exploited and target certain players accordingly. Whether that means drafting them or keeping their name on my radar for down the road. Sometimes I’ll make the mistake of drafting too much for that week which leaves me at the mercy of a team or two that may not be such a sound investment.

Last year I was right on the money when I looked ahead, making moves to get invested in the Jaguars-Saints game. This season I got a little too hot on the Buccaneers-Saints game, and of course the only league championship I’m playing for is with a team that has no one in that game. It just goes to show how much can change in just a few months.

Hopefully some of you had some better luck than I did when looking ahead at the schedule in draft prep or making a great deadline move. Let’s get down to business though and talk about the three best games/matchups of the week.

Best Game: Indianapolis vs. Oakland

On the surface, I love the potential matchup here. Two great offenses squaring off in Oakland should make for one of the best games of Saturday. Even better? Both defenses rank in the bottom quarter of the league in passing defense. Andrew Luck and Derek Carr will both have the opportunity to light up the opposing defense in this game. That means T.Y. Hilton, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Donte Moncrief, and Seth Roberts are all candidates for WR1 (Hilton/Cooper), WR2 (Crabtree), and WR3/Flex (Moncrief/Roberts) consideration this week. The weather looks good for this game too so definitely target this game.

Top Matchup: Atlanta (vs. Carolina)

This NFC South matchup should produce a great fantasy day for the Falcons. Atlanta has been able to survive these past few games without Julio Jones and in fact, they’ve thrived without their best player. Devonta Freeman is coming off of his best game of the season while Taylor Gabriel continues to look like a waiver-add that could win you a championship. Matt Ryan owners have to be giddy with the prospect of this matchup. Despite the performance of the Panthers on Monday night, I think that this offense is too much to handle right now.

* San Diego has a great matchup this week with Cleveland as well.

Sneaky Matchup: Houston (vs. Cincinnati)

Call me crazy, but I think Tom Savage can unlock the potential of this Houston offense. We’ve waited all year to finally see what this young core of skill players can do, and now they have finally pulled the plug on Brock Osweiler. Just from watching the difference between the offense with Savage and Osweiler at the helm, you can easily see that Savage is an upgrade. Now the matchup isn’t great but I think that Houston’s skill players are very underrated in terms of talent. Obviously the production hasn’t been there. That being said, something totally changed last week with the benching of Osweiler.

Good Matchups: Washington (vs. Chicago), Tampa Bay (vs. New Orleans), New Orleans (vs. Tampa Bay), Tennessee (vs. Jacksonville), Miami (vs. Buffalo), New England (vs. NY Jets), Chicago (vs. Washington)

Tough Matchups: San Francisco (vs. Los Angeles), NY Jets (vs. New England), Cincinnati (vs. Houston), Denver (vs. Kansas City), Kansas City (vs. Denver), Pittsburgh (vs. Baltimore), Baltimore (vs. Pittsburgh)

Good luck to all of you vying for a fantasy championship this week. The final “Reality of Fantasy” for the 2016 season will be an awards edition and focus on dynasty leagues. Stay tuned for “Heat Check” which will be up later today. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.