The NBA’s 2026 Christmas Day schedule begins with a Finals rematch at Madison Square Garden and ends with Nikola Jokić visiting Stephen Curry.

All five games will air nationally on both ABC and ESPN on Friday, December 25. The league announced the holiday lineup on August 11 as part of its ongoing 2026-27 schedule rollout.

Matchup Eastern time Pacific time TV
San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks 12 p.m. 9 a.m. ABC, ESPN
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics 2:30 p.m. 11:30 a.m. ABC, ESPN
Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers 5 p.m. 2 p.m. ABC, ESPN
Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves 8 p.m. 5 p.m. ABC, ESPN
Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors 10:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. ABC, ESPN

Spurs-Knicks brings the NBA Finals back to Madison Square Garden

The opening game is a rematch of the 2026 NBA Finals, which New York won to secure its first championship since 1973.

That makes the noon game more than another showcase for Victor Wembanyama and Jalen Brunson. San Antonio will return to the arena where the Knicks staged their historic Game 4 comeback before later clinching the championship in San Antonio, while New York will get an early measuring point against the team it defeated on the sport’s biggest stage.

It is also the safest bet on the schedule to retain its meaning through December. Records, rotations and injuries can change the context of any holiday matchup, but the Finals history will remain.

LeBron James’ Los Angeles return carries a condition

Philadelphia’s visit to the Lakers is scheduled to be LeBron James’ first game in Los Angeles since leaving the franchise for the 76ers. It also creates the possibility of an unprecedented father-son matchup between LeBron and Bronny James.

The possibility is not a guarantee. Both players would need to be active and appear in the game for the historical first to occur. A schedule announcement cannot settle December availability or the Lakers’ rotation months in advance.

The basketball matchup should have substance even without that milestone. Los Angeles has reorganized around Luka Dončić, while Philadelphia added LeBron and Jaylen Brown to a core that already included Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Christmas will offer a prominent checkpoint for two heavily reconstructed teams.

Heat-Celtics adds Giannis to a familiar rivalry

Miami and Boston have met four times in the playoffs since 2020, but the personnel around that rivalry has changed significantly. Giannis Antetokounmpo now gives the Heat a different offensive and defensive center of gravity alongside Bam Adebayo.

Boston provides an immediate test of how that partnership functions against a disciplined opponent. The useful questions will be practical: how Miami spaces the floor around two powerful interior scorers, who handles late possessions and whether the Heat can keep Boston from turning difficult offensive alignments into transition opportunities.

Thunder-Timberwolves puts two rebuilt contenders on the same floor

Oklahoma City and Minnesota split four regular-season meetings last season, one year after the Thunder eliminated the Timberwolves in the 2025 Western Conference Finals.

Minnesota now has LaMelo Ball alongside Anthony Edwards, giving the Wolves another high-level passer and ball-handler. Oklahoma City still presents a demanding comparison because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder can pressure a defense without sacrificing their own lineup flexibility.

By Christmas, Minnesota should have enough evidence to show whether Ball has made Edwards’ possessions easier or simply created another high-usage relationship that needs time to settle.

Jokić-Curry closes the day

The final game pairs two players who changed how NBA offenses are built. Curry stretched defenses far beyond the three-point line; Jokić turned the center position into an elite passing and creation hub.

That contrast gives the late game a clear basketball appeal even without a recent playoff rematch attached. Denver will try to make Golden State defend cuts, size and decisions around Jokić. The Warriors will test whether the Nuggets can contain Curry’s movement across multiple actions without losing their defensive shape.

The schedule supplies the matchups, not the conclusions. Team form and player availability will determine how much competitive weight each game carries when December arrives. For now, the Finals rematch and LeBron’s scheduled return to Los Angeles are the two defining events on a five-game slate built around recognizable basketball questions rather than exhibition value alone.