NBA Christmas games 2026 are officially set, with the league announcing a five-game schedule for Friday, December 25, 2026. The holiday lineup features a rematch of the 2026 NBA Finals, LeBron James returning to Los Angeles, and marquee stars such as Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokić.
The NBA released its 2026-27 schedule on August 11, confirming five nationally televised Christmas Day games. Every matchup will air on ABC and ESPN.
The action begins at noon Eastern Time and continues through the evening. The final game is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET.
NBA Christmas Day 2026 schedule
| Time | Matchup | National TV |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 p.m. ET | San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks | ABC/ESPN |
| 2:30 p.m. ET | Miami Heat at Boston Celtics | ABC/ESPN |
| 5:00 p.m. ET | Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers | ABC/ESPN |
| 8:00 p.m. ET | Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves | ABC/ESPN |
| 10:30 p.m. ET | Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors | ABC/ESPN |
The 2026 Christmas schedule marks the 79th edition of NBA basketball on December 25. It also continues a run of five Christmas Day games that began in 2008.
For U.S. basketball fans, the schedule creates a full day of nationally televised NBA action without overlapping start times.
Spurs and Knicks open the Christmas slate
The holiday begins at Madison Square Garden when the San Antonio Spurs visit the New York Knicks at noon ET.
This matchup has immediate championship significance. The Spurs and Knicks were the two teams that met in the 2026 NBA Finals.
New York enters the 2026-27 campaign as the defending NBA champion. The Knicks will also receive their championship rings and raise their banner at Madison Square Garden on opening night in October.
The Christmas meeting gives both teams another nationally televised contest early in the new season.
Jalen Brunson will headline the Knicks, while Victor Wembanyama remains the centerpiece of San Antonio’s roster.
The teams already have Christmas history together. They met at Madison Square Garden on December 25, 2024, when New York won 117-114.
Wembanyama produced 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in that game.
The Knicks have one of the longest Christmas traditions in professional basketball. Their 2026 matchup will be the franchise’s 59th Christmas game and its 51st home game on December 25.
New York has appeared on Christmas since the NBA’s first holiday games in 1947.
The Spurs also played on Christmas in 2025. San Antonio defeated Oklahoma City 117-102, with De’Aaron Fox scoring 29 points and Wembanyama finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
That makes the opening game especially interesting for fans who remember San Antonio’s strong performance during the previous holiday schedule.
Heat visit Celtics in the afternoon
The second game moves to Boston, where the Miami Heat will face the Celtics at 2:30 p.m. ET.
The Heat return to the Christmas schedule for the first time since 2023. The game will also mark Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first Christmas appearance with Miami.
Antetokounmpo has already established a strong individual record on December 25. He has played in six Christmas games during his career.
He has scored at least 30 points in three of those appearances and collected at least 12 rebounds in five.
Miami also has an impressive history on the holiday.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has won all nine of his Christmas Day games. Those victories came in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020 and 2023.
The Heat own a 12-2 Christmas record, giving the franchise an .857 winning percentage on December 25.
Boston has an equally recognizable place in the NBA’s holiday tradition. The Celtics will make their 39th Christmas appearance in 2026, which ranks third in league history.
Boston’s most recent Christmas game came in 2024. The Celtics lost that matchup to Philadelphia 118-114.
The Heat-Celtics matchup also continues a rivalry that has featured several playoff meetings during the 2020s.
76ers bring LeBron James back to Los Angeles
The 5 p.m. ET matchup between the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers is one of the biggest attractions on the Christmas schedule.
LeBron James will return to Los Angeles to face the Lakers after joining Philadelphia in free agency.
James spent eight seasons with the Lakers. His return to Crypto.com Arena on Christmas Day gives the game a major personal storyline.
The matchup also features several other established stars.
Philadelphia’s group includes James, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey. The Lakers feature Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves.
James has more Christmas Day appearances than any other player in NBA history. He has played in 20 Christmas games and is scheduled to reach 21 in 2026.
His Christmas statistics are also among the league’s best.
James owns the Christmas Day record for points with 525. He has made 187 field goals and has 30 steals.
He has also recorded 142 assists on Christmas, leaving him three behind Oscar Robertson’s record of 145.
James also has the most Christmas victories by a player, with 11.
His history with the holiday makes the Philadelphia-Los Angeles matchup one of the most significant games on the schedule.
The Lakers also bring another Christmas scoring record into the matchup.
Dončić scored 50 points for the Dallas Mavericks against the Phoenix Suns on Christmas Day in 2023. He remains the only current NBA player to score at least 50 points in a Christmas game.
That performance placed him among an exclusive group that includes Bernard King, Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry.
The 2026 meeting will therefore feature two players with substantial Christmas Day history.
Read More – When Do NBA Tickets Go on Sale? Latest 2026-27 Ticket Update
Thunder and Timberwolves meet at 8 p.m. ET
The fourth game starts at 8 p.m. ET, with the Oklahoma City Thunder traveling to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves.
Minnesota will make its third consecutive Christmas appearance and fifth overall.
Anthony Edwards produced 44 points in Minnesota’s Christmas matchup against Denver last season. The Timberwolves ultimately lost that game 142-138 in overtime.
LaMelo Ball is also scheduled to make his Christmas Day debut for Minnesota.
The matchup gives Minnesota another opportunity to appear on one of the NBA’s biggest regular-season stages.
Oklahoma City enters the game with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as its leading star.
Gilgeous-Alexander has become one of the NBA’s most accomplished players and will be among the central attractions on December 25.
The Thunder and Timberwolves have also developed recent postseason history.
Oklahoma City defeated Minnesota 4-1 in the 2025 Western Conference Finals.
Their 2025-26 regular-season series was much closer. The teams split their four meetings, finishing 2-2 against one another.
That recent history gives the Christmas matchup an additional competitive edge.
The Thunder also played on Christmas in 2025, losing 117-102 to San Antonio.
Gilgeous-Alexander had 22 points, six rebounds and four assists in that game.
For Minnesota, the Christmas appearance continues the franchise’s growing presence on the holiday schedule.
Nuggets and Warriors close the night
The final game begins at 10:30 p.m. ET when the Denver Nuggets visit the Golden State Warriors.
The matchup pairs two of the NBA’s most influential modern stars: Nikola Jokić and Stephen Curry.
Jokić has produced extraordinary numbers in his Christmas appearances.
He has played in six Christmas games and recorded three triple-doubles.
His most remarkable holiday performance came during the 2025 Christmas game against Minnesota. Jokić finished with 56 points, 16 rebounds and 15 assists as Denver defeated the Timberwolves 142-128 in overtime.
That performance placed Jokić among a very small group of players to reach at least 40 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists on Christmas.
He has reached that statistical combination twice.
Denver guard Jamal Murray also made Christmas history during the same game. He made nine 3-pointers, establishing the record for the most 3-pointers made in a Christmas Day game.
Golden State brings its own long Christmas tradition into the late-night matchup.
The Warriors will make their 16th Christmas appearance in the past 17 seasons. The 2026 game will also be their 14th consecutive Christmas appearance.
Curry has been a major part of that tradition.
He scored 23 points on Christmas in 2025. The previous year, he scored 38 points against the Lakers in a 115-113 Golden State loss.
Curry has made 28 3-pointers on Christmas, tying former Warriors teammate Klay Thompson for third place on the holiday’s all-time list.
Curry also ranks eighth in Christmas assists with 74.
The Denver-Golden State matchup therefore gives fans a fitting conclusion to the five-game schedule.
Major stars featured across Christmas Day
The 2026 schedule includes a remarkable collection of established NBA stars.
Among the biggest names scheduled to appear are:
- LeBron James
- Stephen Curry
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Nikola Jokić
- Jalen Brunson
- Joel Embiid
- Jaylen Brown
- Victor Wembanyama
- Luka Dončić
- Anthony Edwards
- Tyrese Maxey
Several players also enter the holiday with championship or individual award credentials.
James, Curry, Antetokounmpo, Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokić have won NBA championships, MVP awards and Finals MVP awards during their careers.
Brunson and Brown are also NBA champions and Finals MVPs.
Embiid won the 2022-23 NBA MVP award.
That combination gives the Christmas schedule a strong mix of established veterans, current stars and emerging players.
What makes the 2026 Christmas schedule different
The biggest feature of the schedule is the number of meaningful connections between the teams.
The opening matchup is a rematch of the 2026 NBA Finals.
Miami and Boston have a long-running Eastern Conference rivalry with multiple playoff meetings during the current decade.
Philadelphia and the Lakers feature James’ return to his former home.
Oklahoma City and Minnesota meet after their recent Western Conference playoff battles.
Denver and Golden State close the day with Jokić and Curry.
The league has therefore built the holiday schedule around recognizable teams and players rather than ordinary regular-season pairings.
That approach keeps Christmas Day basketball centered on games with established storylines.
How the Christmas games fit into the 2026-27 season
Christmas Day comes just over two months after the start of the 2026-27 regular season.
The season opens on October 20 with three games.
Boston will visit Detroit at 3 p.m. ET. Philadelphia will then visit New York at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Oklahoma City at San Antonio at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The Christmas schedule arrives on December 25, placing the five-game holiday slate during the early portion of the regular season.
The December 25 games remain regular-season contests. Their results will count toward each team’s 2026-27 record.
By Christmas, teams will have had several months to establish their standings and develop their new rosters.
That makes the holiday games an important point in the season while still leaving substantial time before the playoffs.
Where to watch NBA Christmas games 2026
All five Christmas Day games will air nationally on ABC and ESPN.
The first game begins at noon ET, followed by contests at 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET.
The national television lineup allows U.S. viewers to follow the entire Christmas schedule from the first game through the late-night finale.
Fans can plan their holiday viewing around the five scheduled windows without having to choose between games taking place at the same time.
Complete Christmas Day schedule at a glance
The confirmed lineup gives fans a simple way to plan the day:
- 12 p.m. ET: San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks
- 2:30 p.m. ET: Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
- 5 p.m. ET: Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers
- 8 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves
- 10:30 p.m. ET: Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors
All five games are scheduled for December 25, 2026, and all five will be shown nationally on ABC and ESPN.
The schedule also gives fans representation from both conferences throughout the day. New York and Philadelphia headline the Eastern Conference portion, while San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, Denver and Golden State provide several major Western Conference storylines.
What fans should remember about the 2026 slate
The NBA has now confirmed the complete Christmas Day schedule for the 2026-27 season.
The Knicks and Spurs will open the holiday with a Finals rematch at Madison Square Garden. The Heat and Celtics follow in Boston.
Philadelphia and the Lakers then take the 5 p.m. window, putting James back in Los Angeles against his former team.
Oklahoma City and Minnesota meet in the evening before Denver and Golden State close the schedule.
The five games provide a mixture of championship history, individual milestones and recent rivalries.
For viewers in the United States, the schedule also offers a straightforward Christmas basketball lineup, with games running continuously from noon through the final 10:30 p.m. ET tip.
The 2026 Christmas schedule gives NBA fans five nationally televised games featuring some of basketball’s biggest stars, making December 25 one of the most anticipated regular-season dates of the year.