The NBA’s Christmas Day slate seems to lack some of its usual lustre as the league grapples with the rise of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

The Golden State Warriors, led by NBA three-point king Stephen Curry, travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns in a battle of the league’s top two teams. It looks to be the highlight of the five-game programme that will be lacking Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant and likely Dallas’ Luka Doncic.