Spurs-Knicks, 76ers-Lakers highlight 2026 NBA Christmas Day slate

The NBA on Tuesday announced its set of games for this year’s Christmas Day. It has been a long-honored tradition of the league to feature marquee matchups on December 25 as a treat to fans.

This year, it will be headlined by a rematch of last year’s NBA Finals, the New York Knicks versus the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.

Many will be eager to see if the Knicks can maintain their mastery of the Spurs, with Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart leading the way. San Antonio, meanwhile, should be hungry to seek vengeance against the defending champions, with Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Devin Vassell sticking together.

Another matchup to watch on this year’s Christmas Day is the Los Angeles Lakers battling the Philadelphia 76ers at Crypto.com Arena. It will be the first time that LeBron James will face the Lakers after leaving in free agency, and it should be emotional, to say the least.

Which NBA Christmas matchup are you most hyped for?

Spurs-Knicks at 12 PM ET
Heat-Celtics at 2:30 PM ET
76ers-Lakers at 5 PM ET
Thunder-Timberwolves at 8 PM ET
Nuggets-Warriors at 10:30 PM ET pic.twitter.com/9uwr849kYf

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 11, 2026

James will play on Christmas Day for the 20th consecutive year.

Also on the slate on December 25 are the following: The Miami Heat versus the Boston Celtics at TD Garden, the Oklahoma City Thunder against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Arena, and the Denver Nuggets versus the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center.

Last year, over 47 million tuned in to watch the NBA on Christmas Day, a 45% increase from 2024. According to ESPN, it was the largest audience on the special day in 15 years.

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