Promotional art for the NBA on Christmas Day

NBA on Christmas Day: Preview, How to Stream, and More

The NBA continues its yuletide tradition with five games on Christmas Day. Here's our preview, how to stream, and more.

Maybe it’s the awesome commercials, the one-off shoe drops, or the plethora of legendary performances, but watching the NBA on Christmas Day is a holiday staple. No matter what the NFL does, hoops-watching and the 25th of December go together like cookies and Santa Claus. The last couple of years, the calendar has helped Roger Goodell make in-roads, but this year the NBA is bringing it with a stacked lineup of five games featuring the biggest stars in the league. Even if you’re not into the round ball, there are plenty of sports to watch over the Holiday weekend (read about all of them here). Here’s a full schedule of upcoming national TV games on Sling, followed by a closer look at the NBA Christmas Day slate; you can watch all five games with a Sling Orange or Sling Orange + Blue subscription. Sign up below!

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NBA Nationally Televised Games

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NBA Christmas Day Schedule and Preview

Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks - Noon ET, ESPN

After starting the season 5-4 in their first nine games following the trade for Damian Lillard, the Bucks have started to gel. Now sitting at 20-7 and second in the Eastern Conference (as of Dec. 20), the Bucks head into this matchup playing solid ball. The same could be said for the Knicks. These teams actually play each other back-to-back, with the second game falling on Christmas Day. The stars from both teams have had incredible single-game performances as of late, with Giannis scoring 64, Jalen Brunson netting 50, and Damian Lillard dropping 40. What’s better than starting your Christmas Day with some basketball in the mecca that is Madison Square Garden?

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Golden State Warriors at Denver Nuggets - 2:30pm ET, ABC/ ESPN

The defending champs will welcome Steph Curry and company for an afternoon matchup in the Mile High City. Hovering around .500, the Warriors have had an up-and-down year, as they too try to gel with new players. Chris Paul’s arrival, the increased role for players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, and Andrew Wiggins’ struggles have all been subplots, but the main storyline is Draymond Green’s indefinite suspension after striking Phoenix’s Jusuf Nurkic in the face. On the other side, the Nuggets have been coasting along behind two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. Jamal Murray has been in-and-out of the lineup, while coach Michael Malone has tried to battle-test an inexperienced second unit heavy on rookies and second-year players. Setting aside the stakes and storylines for both teams, Steph Curry vs Nikola Jokic is as easy on the eyes as it gets.

Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers - 5pm ET, ABC/ ESPN

The oldest and biggest rivalry in the NBA, the Lakers and Celtics will meet in a primetime bout in Los Angeles. Although the Lake Show have struggled with injuries, they have a fairly simple formula for success: get the ball to the timeless LeBron James, who continues to defy reason by averaging 25pts, 7 assists and 7 rebounds with his 39th birthday just a week away. When healthy, the Lakers have proven they are definite contenders. The Celtics have been what we thought they were. With the arrival of Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, Joe Mazzula’s bunch haven’t missed a beat. Along with the underrated Derrick White, the Celtics are the current favorites to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy as NBA champs.

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Philadelphia 76ers at Miami Heat - 8pm ET, ESPN

After unloading James Harden to the Clippers, the 76ers have moved on to the future. The emergence of Tyrese Maxey and the consistent dominance of Joel Embiid has the team sitting in third place heading into Christmas Day. The Heat have enjoyed an emergence of their own, in the form of rookie combo guard Jamie Jaquez. Jimmy Butler has been struggling with a calf strain, and if he’s out, we really can’t blame you for switching over to the heavyweight battle between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, which goes down at the same time on ESPN3.

Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns - 10:30pm ET, ESPN

In what’s become a common theme for this column, a spate of injuries has prevented Phoenix from reaching their potential early in the season. The big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal have only played just a couple of games together, and the team is currently just one game over .500. The Mavs have had injuries of their own, with Kyrie Irving sustaining a leg/foot injury that has kept him out of the lineup for 5+ games. In his absence, Luka Doncic has been nothing short of superb, averaging 37/11/9 in his last nine games. This is a good night cap with plenty of shotmakers.

To watch Christmas Day NBA games on Sling TV, use the link below and subscribe to Sling Orange!