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The NBA’s upcoming Christmas Day slate reportedly features hardwood stars of the past, present, and future.
If the reported NBA Christmas Day slate is to be believed, basketball fans have been very good this year.
ESPN’s Shams Charania revealed a five-game slate for the NBA’s 2025 Christmas calendar on Friday.
Despite increased competition from a holiday invasion from the NFL, the NBA has played games on Christmas since its second season back in 1947, and the tradition will carry on to the 2025-26 campaign. All games will be broadcast on either ABC or ESPN.
2025 NBA Christmas Day Schedule
Cleveland Cavaliers vs New York Knicks
San Antonio Spurs vs OKC Thunder
Houston Rockets vs LA Lakers
Dallas Mavericks vs Golden State Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves vs Denver Nuggets
Cavaliers vs Knicks
The slate is said to open at Madison Square Garden, where the New York Knicks will host the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many view New York and Cleveland as the top teams in the Eastern Conference following several unfortunate happenings to fellow contenders and Cavs star/Empire State native Donovan Mitchell will be home for the holiday after pushing Cleveland to the top of the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
The Knicks also reportedly made several futile plays for Mitchell’s services but have since built an elite foundation headlined by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Cleveland’s participation is its first Christmas game since 2017 and its first not to feature LeBron James in any way, shape, or form since 1990 (not including a 2014 get-together as an opponent when he was with Miami).
Spurs vs Thunder
Part two features a Christmas tradition in the form of the defending NBA champions hosting a game, as the Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the San Antonio Spurs at Paycom Center. It’ll be a battle between newly-minted MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his potential successor Victor Wembanyama, who is back on the Christmas docket despite the Spurs’ active playoff drought. Such a showing will also be the Thunder’s first since 2018, the second-longest Christmas drought ended on this year’s reported slate.
Rockets vs Lakers
In the middle will the Los Angeles Lakers’ seemingly traditional posting at Crypto.com Arena, one that will situate them against another rising Texas squad in the Houston Rockets. The visiting Rockets are fresh off a second-place posting in the Western Conference and hopes are even higher with the addition of Kevin Durant.
Time will tell if it’s the last holiday haunt for James, who, barring injury, will become the first player to appear in 20 Christmas games upon his participation. On a related note, Durant would become the 8th player to make 13 such showings.
Mavericks vs Warriors
At night, another rising star vs. champion matchup will be staged in primetime, as the Dallas Mavericks hit the Bay Area to face the Golden State Warriors. Though Luka Doncic is set to partake in the game prior, the Mavericks will get to showcase newly-minted top NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg. His first Christmas showing, potentially the first of many, will come against staples Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, who will respectively partake in their 12th and 11th games on Dec. 25.
Timberwolves vs Nuggets
The slate closes with a late night showing of Western contenders as the Minnesota Timberwolves head to the Rockies to face the Denver Nuggets. A matchup between MVP contenders Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic will be well-worth staying up late as both teams, who have been mainstays in the latter portions of recent Western playoff brackets, will seek to make an early statement.
This year’s output will have a tough act to follow: the first four games of last year’s Christmas slate were decided by a combined 15 points, the closest being the Lakers’ 115-113 triumph over the Warriors at Chase Center. Austin Reaves put in the game-winning basket for SoCal, countering a 38-point effort from Curry.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
