The countdown to Christmas is on, and several pro sports seasons are in full swing, with jam-packed lineups for basketball, football and hockey over the next week.
The Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association have a busy week ahead with a three-game home stand, including two games against Western Conference opponents.
On Wednesday evening, the Memphis Grizzlies come to town, and tip off is at 8:30 p.m. in Toronto.
The Los Angeles Lakers will then visit the Air Canada Centre on Friday with the same start time.
To finish off the week, the Atlanta Hawks will finish the Raptors’ home stand with a Saturday night tilt at 8:30 p.m.
The basketball week will also bring you two primetime matchups on TNT and Sportsnet featuring the LA Clippers visiting the defending NBA champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The late game features James Harden and the Houston Rockets against Steph Curry and the Warriors.
Harden currently leads the league in early season MVP voting, and the Warriors are Vegas favourites to win the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy.
The National Football League schedule is starting to heat up, with playoffs beginning in just five weeks.
Thursday Night Football has the Dallas Cowboys vising the Minnesota Vikings. Kickoff is at 9:25 p.m.
The two teams are both coming off short weeks, with just a week of rest each. They each played last Thursday for the Thanksgiving afternoon football games in the United States.
The games have a full spread on Sunday, Dec. 4, with the Atlanta Falcons visiting the Kansas City Chiefs.
Atlanta currently sits in first place in the National Football Conference South Division, while Kansas City is one game out of first in the American Football Conference. Start time is 2 p.m.
A later game with a 5:25 p.m. start time features two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Eli Manning and the New York Giants heading to Heinz Field to battle Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Steelers currently sit tied for first in the AFC North division with the Baltimore Ravens, but they don’t hold the tiebreaker advantage, so they need victories to capture sole possession of the top spot.
In National Hockey League action, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a huge Western Conference road swing coming up this week with visits to three Canadian cities.
On Tuesday evening, they head into Edmonton for a matchup featuring the last two first-overall draft picks – Auston Matthews of Toronto and Connor McDavid and the Oilers.
The Leafs defeated the Oilers 2-1 in overtime in their first meeting this year, and neither Matthews nor McDavid registered any points.
On Wednesday, Toronto faces the Calgary Flames. As is the case Tuesday night, Wednesday’s puck drop is set for 10 p.m.
The rebuilding Leafs cap off their busy week with a stop in Vancouver for a primetime game Saturday at 8:30 p.m. against the struggling Canucks on CBC and Hockey Night in Canada.
Saturday also has an abundance of games starting early in the afternoon.
The Boston Bruins travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres with a 2 p.m. start time.
Also, the Chicago Blackhawks hit the road to take on the Philadelphia Flyers in a rematch of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
Puck drop is at 2 p.m. for the Chicago and Philly contest, as well.
The day concludes with the second game of a doubleheader on CBC with the Anaheim Ducks taking on the Oilers.
The Ducks and Oilers are both in the Pacific Division, and there are only two points separating them right now, so future post-season implications are likely on the line.
