The NBA on Christmas has been a tradition since 1947 — it’s a showcase day everyone wants to be a part of
“It’s a privilege, for players and for teams organizations,” said Joe Dumars, the NBA’s Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, and a Bad Boy era Piston who played on Christmas four times. “We highlight some of the best teams in the NBA on Christmas Day, and so when you’re on, when you’re playing on that day, it’s an honor.”
When did the NBA start doing Christmas games?
The first NBA games on Christmas Day took place in 1947, the NBA’s second season, and have continued ever since. This year is the 77th time the NBA has had games on Christmas Day.
NBA Christmas games full schedule 2024
All games are broadcast on ABC and ESPN (all times Eastern).
San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks (Noon)
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks (2:30 PM)
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics (5 PM)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors (8 PM)
Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns (10:30 PM)
NBA Christmas games analysis
“There’s some incredible matchups,” Dumars said. “You got last year’s Western Conference Finals. You got Wemby at the Garden. You got Sixers vs. Boston, Steph and LeBron. Then you have this kind of budding rivalry between Denver and Phoenix.”
Spurs at Knicks
The Knicks played on Christmas Day back in 1947 and have done so 56 times since (the most of any club), and the Christmas noon game at Madison Square Garden has become another New York holiday tradition. Victor Wembanyama is making his Christmas Day debut, but the last time he faced the Knicks (last season) he dropped 40 points with 20 rebounds on them — but the Knicks Jalen Brunson scored 61 in that game.
Wemby is the clear early frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year — he had 10 blocks last week against Portland — but will be challenged by the Knicks, the second-best offense in the NBA. Can Karl-Anthony Towns, as a floor-spacing big, pull Wembanyama away from the basket? This is a fascinating tactical game, plus we find out how Wembanyama handles the Garden.
ALL TEN OF WEMBY’S REJECTIONS
30 points.
10 blocks.
7 rebounds.
4 threes.The first player in NBA history age 20 or younger to record multiple games of 10+ blocks! pic.twitter.com/v95tWB0QgT
— NBA (@NBA) December 22, 2024
Timberwolves at Mavericks
This is a rematch of the Western Conference Finals from last May, so it brings a little bit of a rivalry edge. This is the debut of Anthony Edwards — one of the most dynamic young players in the NBA — on Christmas Day, going up against the Dallas star duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Despite a couple of stumbles, the Mavericks have continued to look like a threat to win to win the West and return to the Finals. Minnesota traded Towns away before the season and replaced him with Julius Randle, but Edwards and Randle together have led to a clunky, bottom-10 offense in Minnesota with spacing issues. That said, Minnesota is always a threat because it has one of the best defenses in the league, one that will challenge those Dallas stars.
76ers at Celtics
When the schedule leaked in August, this looked like the best game of the day — the defending champion Celtics against a team rebuilt over the summer to challenge them. Boston has looked every bit the team ready to repeat — and I hope you like 3-pointers, Boston is launching 50+ a game this season — but Philly… ouch. Due to injuries, primarily to former MVP Joel Embiid, the 76ers stumbled out of the gate, although they have looked better of late. Philly’s core trio of Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey have played a total of just 71 minutes together across four games (and in three of those games one of the players had to leave early with injuries). However, the 76ers have a +13 net rating in those 71 minutes and all three are expected to be available to take on Jayson Tatum and the Celtics on Christmas Day.
Lakers at Warriors
LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. These two teamed up in Paris to bring a gold medal home for USA Basketball, but they will face off on Christmas Day. LeBron is an NBA Christmas institution unto himself — he has played in 19 NBA Christmas Day games since his rookie season in 2003, and he is the all-time NBA and Christmas Day scoring leader ( last week, he also became the league’s career leader in regular season minutes played, he already led that category in regular season and playoff minutes combined).
Both the Lakers and Warriors have won championships in the last five years, but their aging rosters — both counting on youth to lift them back up — have been inconsistent and find themselves in the middle of the pack in a deep Western Conference. That said, both have also shown an ability to look like their vintage selves in big games, and there aren’t many bigger games than Christmas Day.
Nuggets at Suns
A budding rivalry in the West between the 2023 NBA champion and a superstar trio put together to challenge them. This game brings the star power with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic — playing this season like he should get a fourth — against Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. Phoenix, in particular, needs some wins as it sits at 14-13, which in this West is not good enough to even make the play-in.
