’Tis the season for cozy sweaters, decking the halls and holiday basketball.
Christmas is still over a month away, but with temperatures dropping, the sun setting before 5 p.m. and the air getting crisper, it’s time to start looking ahead to Christmas—including which basketball games will be played on the holiday.
The NBA has annually played games on Christmas Day since the league’s inception in the late 1940s. The league traditionally uses the holiday as an opportunity to spotlight several of the sport’s top teams and biggest stars as they draw in some of their best ratings of the season. This year will be no different as once again, the NBA is turning to its biggest draws to help spread some holiday magic.
Here’s a look at this year’s NBA Christmas schedule and how to watch those games.
How to watch NBA’s Christmas Day games
No team has played on Christmas more than the Knicks, who will take part in their 58th Christmas Day game next month. The Knicks are tied with the Lakers for the most wins on Christmas with 25 such victories. This year they will take on the Cavaliers, who are second in the East at 10–5 and will play on Christmas for the first time since 2017. New York defeated Cleveland 119–111 in their first game of the season this year.
The Cavaliers-Knicks game will also feature a special live-animated alt-cast called “Dunk the Halls” which will feature iconic characters including Mickey Mouse and Stitch. The alt-cast will air on ESPN2 and Disney+.
The Victor Wembanyama show is expected to return to Christmas Day this year as the Spurs face the Thunder. Wembanyama is currently out with a left calf strain, but could be back for Christmas as San Antonio takes on the reigning NBA champions. Though the Spurs fell to the Knicks on Christmas last year, Wembanyama went off as he scored 42 points with 18 rebounds and four assists.
The struggling Mavericks will head to Golden State to face the Warriors on Christmas Day. This will mark the Warriors’ 13th consecutive appearance on Christmas as the NBA spotlights Steph Curry and Co. again on the holiday. No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg, who is averaging 15.5 points per game in his first month of action, will play on the holiday for the first time in his young career.
LeBron James will play on Christmas for the 20th time in his career as the Lakers host the Rockets. No player has played on Christmas more than James, but this year he will play on the same team as Luka Dončić for the first time on Christmas. Dončić, the current NBA leader in points per game, is one of just four players ever to score at least 50 points in a Christmas Day game, doing so in 2023. James, Dončić & Co. will take on the Kevin Durant-led Rockets for the first time since he joined Houston.
Finally, the NBA’s Christmas Day slate will close with a late matchup between the Timberwolves and Nuggets. Denver has already beaten Minnesota twice this year, and will make it a third time behind the efforts of superstar Nikola Jokić, who is averaging a triple-double for the second straight season.
Each NBA team’s all-time record on Christmas
- Cavaliers: 7–7
- Knicks: 25–32
- Spurs: 5–7
- Thunder: 6–14
- Mavericks: 4–4
- Warriors: 15–19
- Rockets: 6–6
- Lakers: 25–26
- Timberwolves: 2–1
- Nuggets: 3–7
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Full NBA Christmas Day Schedule: How to Watch Every Holiday Matchup.
