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. This year the NBA is stuffing our stockings with a lineup of five games featuring the biggest stars in the league. 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 on ESPN and ABC/ ESPN3 with a Sling Orange or Sling Orange + Blue subscription.
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NBA Nationally Televised Games
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NBA Christmas Day Schedule and Preview
https://youtu.be/ugLm9JH-lX0?si=Wxk7CHZ6VXyBrYJs
San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks - 12:00pm ET
The Biggest Gift: Wemby at the Garden
When he entered the NBA last season, Victor Wembanyama was the most hyped rookie since LeBron James in 2003. And like LeBron, Wemby has not disappointed. His 7’3” frame gives him obvious advantages on the defensive side of the court, but what’s truly stunning is his athleticism and smooth shooting stroke. It seems like each week, Wemby puts up some heretofore unseen stat line; it should be fascinating to see what he presents he delivers for NBA fans in his Christmas day debut in front of an always electric crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks - 2:30pm ET
The Biggest Gift: Test of the West
https://youtu.be/yhxVM3rw-fw?si=4I95ltw34cGtncoy
The second of the five games is a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Final. But this season, things have gone as cold as the Minnesota weather for the Timberwolves. It appears that their trade for Knicks players Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo has left them in search of an identity. As of Dec. 23, the T-Wolves are just one game over .500 and one spot above the cut-off for the play-in tournament. Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks are fourth in the ultra-competitive West and they’re getting great contributions from the players on their roster that aren’t the big two of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. For Minnesota, this isn’t just a shot at revenge, it’s a chance to get right after a rough start to the season.
Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics - 5:00pm ET
The Biggest Gift: The champs should shine
This isn’t a Christmas cookie, so we’re not going to sugarcoat it: At 9-17, the 76ers are the most disappointing team in the NBA thus far. A lot of that has to do with early-season injuries to former MVP Joel Embiid (he’s expected to play on Christmas), and there's plenty of time to turn things around in the Eastern Conference, where the sixth-place team is only .500. Still, this game has the potential to turn into a showcase for the defending champion Boston Celtics, who look very much on pace to once again make a deep playoff run.
Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors - 8:00pm ET
The Biggest Gift: The presence of the unprecedented
https://youtu.be/-3rcvTi_H9U?si=z4mWUe_TPGocw_DC
At this late stage of his career, LeBron James owns too many eye-popping records to possibly list here (just last week, he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most minutes played in NBA history). However, there is one stat relevant to this particular game: 18. That’s the number of games that LeBron has played on Christmas, yet another NBA record he holds (unsurprisingly, he’s also the Christmas day leader in points). This year, he’ll face off against another all-time great in Steph Curry, the NBA’s all-time leading 3-point shooter. With two of the best to ever step on the hardcourt going head-to-head in what could be their final competition on Christmas, this game is the biggest present under the NBA’s Christmas tree.
Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns - 10:30pm ET
The Biggest Gift: Joker’s last laugh
https://youtu.be/CtxyAYu-RKU?si=9JK6gOJRyNaWiRYO
Nikola Jokic is a gift from the basketball Gods. Simply put, there is no precedent for his all-around greatness. Even after winning three MVPs and a championship in the past four seasons, he’s off to the best statistical start of his career this season. It goes without saying that he alone is worth staying up late to see. But with respect to the Joker, there’s another wild card out there for the Nuggets: Aaron Gordon, who two years ago delivered one of the filthiest dunks of all-time on Christmas day against these very same Phoenix Suns.