So it goes to figure that the league is very particular about choosing the teams that will play on Christmas Day. It\u2019s the NBA\u2019s annual showcase, an opportunity to draw new viewers and create the sort of sports-centric holiday memories that last a lifetime. That\u2019s a fitting pedestal upon which basketball\u2019s biggest stars can stand, from opening tip at 12 p.m. ET to the final buzzer of the late West Coast game after midnight. <\/p>\n
For 2026, the NBA loaded the Christmas Day slate with five awesome games featuring just about every A-list superstar name possible. However, as we are all painfully aware, things do not go according to plan during the NBA season. Five months from now there\u2019s a decent chance at least one of these matchups is a bust, whether it\u2019s due to injury or a team\u2019s unexpected failure to play at the expected level. In order to capture the complete picture of the 2026 Christmas Day slate, we must consider all factors. <\/p>\n
Let\u2019s dig into each of the games and break down why the NBA chose them\u2014as well as the chances they wind up disappointing. <\/p>\n
12 p.m. ET: Spurs at Knicks, Madison Square Garden![\"Victor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kzrzceyhpe0ctys32p.jpg\" "\\"Victor")
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Wemby will face his foes in New York on Christmas, again. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
Why this game was chosen: Well … duh! This should be the first NBA Finals rematch of the season and will be a highly-anticipated follow-up to the competitive, thrilling five-game series from June<\/a>. It\u2019s also a rematch of the 2024 Christmas Day slate, hinting that the NBA is interested in making Spurs-Knicks at noon a recurring feature on Christmas. And we wouldn\u2019t be mad about that at all. <\/p>\n Victor Wembanyama will grace the floor of Madison Square Garden for the first time since his team blew a historic Finals lead in Game 4<\/a>. He will reckon with the ghosts of his failures in front of an enormous Christmas audience. What great theater it will be. On the Knicks\u2019 side of things, Jalen Brunson has a tremendous sense of the moment and should put on a grand show\u2014and the crowd will be in a frenzy to welcome San Antonio back into the lion\u2019s den. <\/p>\n Chance of disappointment: 20%. The only way this game lets us down is due to injury. Wemby was hurt around this time last year and teams that make the Finals tend to be more at risk of injury the following season, simply due to the fact that they played more games than any other team in the league. <\/p>\n But if we know anything about Wembanyama, he\u2019ll have this particular matchup circled on his calendar and possibly stapled to his locker. It\u2019ll be his first true opportunity to avenge his Finals loss and to measure just how much he was able to improve year-over-year. He will be extremely motivated to be on the court no matter what. As long as he\u2019s out there, the game should prove fun given New York\u2019s competitive depth that should be able to withstand an injury if necessary against a high-caliber opponent. <\/p>\n This is a high-floor matchup that could end up the best of the bunch if it plays out the same way it did in June. <\/p>\n 2:30 p.m. ET: Heat at Celtics, TD Garden Giannis\u2019s first year with the Heat will feature a Christmas game. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Why this game was chosen: The last two years have made it easy to forget but Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the biggest stars the NBA has and he\u2019s always going to get a prominent spot on big days like this. Jayson Tatum is no slouch in that department either. Pitting the two head-to-head on Christmas with the backdrop of the electric Celtics-Heat rivalry from earlier in the decade is a no-brainer by the league. <\/p>\n It could also wind up an important game standings-wise. Miami could be a newly-formed juggernaut with Giannis in the mix but is far from a perfect team and won\u2019t run away in the East standings. Boston figures to be in a similar boat as a competitive squad post-Jaylen Brown trade, with enough weaknesses that every game will matter in terms of playoff positioning. Christmas comes early in the NBA calendar but it wouldn\u2019t be shocking if this contest played a role in the seeding battle come April. <\/p>\n Chance of disappointment: 80%. Unfortunately this game is also most likely to let us all down. Antetokounmpo\u2019s extensive injury issues held him to 36 games last season. Tatum was once an iron man but it remains to be seen how consistent his availability will be post-Achilles tear. The Heat figure to be pretty good but depth is a real issue, and nobody really knows how good the Celtics will be after swapping Brown for Paul George (whose own consistent injury problems that could sideline him). <\/p>\n In short, one or both teams could be closer to mediocre than elite with injury questions around three of the four biggest stars of the game. If everything breaks right, this will be a great watch, but there are too many pitfalls to exhibit confidence that will happen at this stage. <\/p>\n 5 p.m. ET: 76ers at Lakers, Crypto.com Arena LeBron and Luka will meet as rivals on Christmas this year. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Why this game was chosen: Bravo to the schedule makers for this brilliant stroke. LeBron James\u2019s first game back in Los Angeles<\/a> was going to be appointment viewing whether it took place on opening night or in March. Putting it on Christmas will guarantee the interest will be at an all-time high as far as the off-court narrative of it all goes. <\/p>\n On the court, there\u2019s a real chance this game slaps. The two months between season tip-off and Christmas is enough time to believe the 76ers will be finding their identity as they approach the date in Los Angeles. If that proves to be the case, they\u2019re a very interesting matchup with the Lakers and Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2014who is wont to exploding for 50-point games <\/a>at a moment\u2019s notice. It\u2019s hard not be pumped about this. <\/p>\n Chances of disappointment: 40%. The LeBron of it all is good fodder for the lead-up to the game but once the ball tips things might go off the rails. Both Philadelphia and L.A. have glaring defensive deficincies up and down the rosters, which means it\u2019s not hard to foresee a blowout when projecting how the game will unfold. James will also be nearing his 42nd birthday; the sciatica might act up again, putting a damper on all the narrative excitement around his return to play the Lakers. Don\u010di\u0107 is no guarantee to be healthy, either, after he missed the whole Los Angeles playoff run with a hamstring issue. <\/p>\n The novelty of the 76ers will still be shiny and new on December 25 so the contest will be interesting to some degree no matter what. But question marks remain. <\/p>\n 8 p.m. ET: Thunder at Timberwolves, Target Center Anthony Edwards and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are a tremendous Christmas Day matchup. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Why this game was chosen: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the two-time reigning MVP, which means he is guaranteed a Christmas slot for the foreseeable future. At large, his Thunder team have led the NBA in wins for two seasons running so they\u2019re a very solid bet to show up and play well on Christmas. On the other side, Anthony Edwards is an established superstar with room yet to grow and a box office skillset. This year he\u2019ll have a similar player by his side in LaMelo Ball<\/a> after the Timberwolves ditched Naz Reid and Julius Randle to add him this offseason via trade. <\/p>\n Minnesota will need some time to figure out how life works with this new roster but (like with Philly) the league is hoping the two-month runway from season tip will be enough to put forth a competitive effort against OKC. Edwards\u2019s playoff history with the Thunder should give him a bit of extra energy, too. <\/p>\n Chances of disappointment: 75%. It\u2019s always enjoyable to watch a great team like the Thunder play basketball but their method of winning hasn\u2019t been the prettiest over these recent years. The delightful stretches of midrange shot-making SGA is prone to can help, but OKC\u2019s style does trend towards ugly. The Wolves haven\u2019t been much to write home about in that regard, either, with Edwards leading the way. The ball should move more freely with Ball in the mix but it\u2019s going to take time for the two stars to figure out how to play together. Perhaps longer than that two-month runway into Christmas Day. <\/p>\n But really the reason we\u2019re down on this one is straightforward: it\u2019s the most obvious competitive imbalance on the slate. The Thunder are on the shortlist of championship favorites for the upcoming season, while the Timberwolves would be happy with home court advantage and a playoff series win. That means there\u2019s a greater chance this spirals into OKC beating the tar out of Minnesota with its ruthless combination of defense and efficient scoring\u2014not an unfamiliar sight, but one we\u2019d rather avoid on Christmas. <\/p>\n 10:30 p.m. ET: Nuggets at Warriors, Chase Center The Nuggets-Warriors game will be the final of Christmas Day in 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n Why this game was chosen: Steph Curry and Nikola Joki\u0107. It’s as simple as that. The NBA doesn\u2019t need to explain why they\u2019re putting a perennial MVP finalist and Curry on the floor together on Christmas. So we won\u2019t go long on that, either. <\/p>\n Chances of disappointment: 60%. There\u2019s a very real chance that Golden State just stinks outright despite Curry\u2019s best efforts, which would not make this a very fun watch. Curry is also good for a lengthy, annual sideline stay due to injury once or twice at this point in his career; if he misses Christmas, this game dances on forgettable territory. <\/p>\n But from where I\u2019m standing, it isn\u2019t the most likely game to disappoint. Why? Because Joki\u0107 is an absolute monster on Christmas<\/a>. He\u2019s always a ridiculously prolific statistical player but he levels up on Yuletide, for whatever reason. Entering the Nuggets\u2019 Christmas Day matchup with the Timberwolves in 2025, the Denver superstar averaged 27.8 points, 12.6 rebounds and 7.8 assists on December 25\u2014and then he scored 56 points to go with 16 rebounds and 15 assists. It was the first 55\/15\/15 game in NBA history. Joki\u0107 can be counted on to deliver something special no matter what on Christmas, which means he\u2019ll be worth watching no matter who he\u2019s playing. <\/p>\n NBA on Christmas Day matchup power rankings<\/p>\n After all that, we now have a clear ranking for how exciting we expect these games to be. <\/p>\n 5. Heat vs. Celtics Only five months and change to go! <\/p>\n Listen to SI\u2019s NBA podcast, Open Floor, below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Giannis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kzrzdgcrg1jma6nt1m.jpg\" "\\"Giannis")
<\/p>\n![\"LeBron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kzrzfmf7r74jdn3kcr.jpg\" "\\"LeBron")
<\/p>\n![\"SGA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kzrzgmywzg7megfm6x.jpg\" "\\"SGA")
<\/p>\n![\"Steph](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01kzrzhypwxh7009nf18.jpg\" "\\"Steph")
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4. Thunder vs. Timberwolves
3. Nuggets vs. Warriors
2. 76ers vs. Lakers
1. Spurs vs. Knicks<\/p>\n
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