Mason Plumlee of the Denver Nuggets shared his thoughts about the upcoming NBA Christmas Day game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Q: Realistically can you reach the playoffs and what would you say to those who will still say you are outsiders?
MP: “Yeah, I think you’re always going to have people doubt you can do it until you do it. That’s part of the motivation but it’s not the ultimate motivation.”
Q: Which of your teammates has impressed you the most this season with his performance?
MP: “Will Barton. Will Barton, we’ve known he’s a good player but he’s continue to get better. His decision making, his efficiency, his willingness to do everything from playmaking to scoring to defense, he just gets better each year. It’s fun to play with him.”
Q: How do you rate your team’s chances against the Pelicans?
MP: “We’ve got to be ready to play. We weren’t ready to play them the last game. They’re a fast-paced team, they get up and down and we’ve got to be better.”
Q: How do you think the Pelicans are dealing with Zion’s absence?
MP: “I’m not sure because I haven’t seen them with him so it’s hard to say. They didn’t have him last year and they were a pretty good team. NBA, the stars are stars for sure but you’ve got to appreciate they have a lot of good players over there and they can beat anybody on any night.”
Q: Which other young players have impressed you from the Pelicans?
MP: “Brandon Ingram. He’s really taken his game to another level this year.”
Q: Are these Christmas Day games more special than other regular season games and why?
MP: “Yeah, I think it’s a privilege. They only put the marquee teams on Christmas day so when we saw the schedule announced we were really excited to be on the Christmas day game.”
Q: What is your favourite thing about Christmas?
MP: “Family. Mine’s coming out and I haven’t seen them in a while so I’m excited to see them.”
Q: Is there anything in particular you want for Christmas?
MP: “A win. Last time we played on Christmas we lost by about 20. I was with Brooklyn and it kind of ruined Christmas.”
Q: How does it feel to be playing on Christmas? Do you miss spending time with your family?
MP: “If they can come out and catch the game that’s a bonus.”
Q: How will your teammates celebrate Christmas as a team?
MP: “We have a little gift exchange. We probably won’t do it on game day but we’ve had a fun white elephant exchange.”
Q: Do you personally have any Christmas traditions?
MP:“My mom has some cookies that she makes that are really good but we don’t’ have any hard and fast traditions.”
Q: Is there any place in the world you would like to spend Christmas someday?
MP: “Not necessarily a location, my family is so all over the place we’re just happy to get together.”
The Denver Nuggets take on the New Orleans Pelicans as part of NBA Christmas Day games on Sky Sports. The NBA Christmas Day games are available to watch on Sky Sports Arena on Dec. 25 starting from 5pm in the UK. The Nuggets also host the Memphis Grizzlies at European Primetime on Dec. 28 on Sky Sports from 10pm.
