The NBA might be stuck in its summer doldrums right now, but it’s never too early to think about Christmas. The league’s 2025 Christmas day schedule leaked on Friday afternoon thanks to ESPN insider Shams Charania, and the five-game slate is shaping up to be another fantastic day of basketball.
The NBA had to bring the heat for these Christmas day matchups, because the NFL is infringing on their territory. The NFL might say they view Apple and Google, not the NBA and MLB, as their main competition, but Dec. 25 has always belonged to the basketball boys. With the NFL bringing the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Detroit Lions to its Christmas day schedule, the NBA followed with their own historic franchises and global stars. Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Victor Wembanyama, rookie hot shot Cooper Flagg, and many more will all be on display come Christmas day for the NBA.
Let’s rank the five games we’ll see on Dec. 25 by which ones you need to watch the most.
5. Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors
This matchup being last speaks to how strong the NBA’s Christmas slate is. The Warriors are a lock to play every Dec. 25 as long as Steph Curry is still Steph Curry. I’m a bit surprised the league gave Cooper Flagg its biggest stage right away as a rookie, especially during a year when teammate Kyrie Irving will be sidelined as he recovers from a torn ACL. Flagg will be the youngest player in the NBA this year as he turns 19 years old a few days before Christmas. It’s a big spot for him, but I truly believe he’ll be one of the faces of the league one day soon, and it’s a great move to start building his brand with marquee games like this from the jump.
I see the Warriors in the No. 6-8 seed range in the West this year. I doubt Dallas can do better than the play-in without Irving. This is a solid game, but it’s all totally cool to skip it for extra socialization with friends and family on the holiday.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
The first game of the day features the two front-runners in the East. Madison Square Garden is a classic backdrop for Christmas day in the NBA, and this one has two very good teams in a measuring stick game for what many expect to be the eventual Eastern Conference Finals matchup.
So why is it No. 4? There’s just not a lot new about either of these teams, unless you’re getting jacked up about Lonzo Ball spot minutes or Guerschon Yabusele in the Knicks’ eighth man role. Both of these teams are facing a certain amount of pressure to finally breakthrough this year in a season where the Celtics and Pacers are effectively eliminated already thanks to season-ending injuries from Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton. I can’t wait to see these two teams play in May, but there’s not quite as much sense of discovery here compared to the rest of the slate.
3. Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers get a full season of Luka Magic this year, and having LeBron James as a sidekick is still pretty good even a week short of his 41st birthday when this matchup will be played. The Lakers will go as far as Luka can take them, but there’s even more reason to be optimistic about the Rockets. Houston won 52 games and earned the No. 2 seed in the West last year with nothing resembling a primary scoring option. Enter Kevin Durant, the 37-year-old sniper finally ready to win again after a failed stint in Phoenix. With a team of rabid athletes and defenders around him, Durant should step into an easy role as a shooter and off-ball scorer who doesn’t need to be Superman for his team to win every night.
The Rockets are the deeper and more athletic team. The Lakers still have the best individual player on the floor, and maybe even the two best depending on how much LeBron wants to push it during the regular season. I like the Rockets to win more regular season games than the Lakers this year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Doncic uses this stage as an opportunity to gun for his first MVP trophy. This will be high-level basketball with two very good coaches and future Hall of Famers on both sides.
2. Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets
The nightcap features the best rivalry going in the NBA right now. The Nuggets knocked off the Wolves on their way to the first championship in franchise history back in 2023. The Wolves ended their chances of a repeat the next year with a stunning Game 7 win that minted Anthony Edwards as a blue chip superstar already. It’s must-see TV every time these two teams play, and this matchup will be no exception.
Want to watch the best player in the world? Nikola Jokic is set to retain that title for the sixth straight season. Want to see the most exciting American player in the game, the guy who bears the closest resemblance to MJ and Kobe? That would be Minnesota stud two-guard Anthony Edwards, who continues to prove he’s ready for the moment. Denver loaded up over the offseason to finally improve Jokic’s supporting cast, while the Wolves are hoping their young players take another step forward and get them over the top. Minnesota has won six straight games against Denver, which is wild. The Nuggets feel like the biggest championship threat to the Thunder this season, and they can prove it against the Wolves.
1. San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder won the 2025 NBA championship, and could be even better this year as Nikola Topic joins the rotation and all of their key players get another year closer to their prime. If any team is ever going to build a dynasty in the second-apron era, the Thunder are the obvious bet to do it. The Spurs might be their biggest challenger long-term. Victor Wembanyama already feels like a top-10 player in the world as he enters this third season, and he still has so much room to grow. The Spurs finally gave Wemby a decent supporting cast this year as De’Aaron Fox locked in with a massive extension, and lottery luck rewarded the team with No. 2 pick Dylan Harper.
The Thunder are at the mountaintop. Wembanyama wants to lead the Spurs there, and just making the playoffs in a loaded West would be a step in the right direction this year. Wembanyama was insanely awesome on Christmas last season, and he’s only getting better. This might not be the matchup to decide the West yet, but it probably will be eventually, and that makes it the most exciting game of NBA Christmas.
