Christmas Day delivers an NBA feast, with five marquee matchups featuring playoff implications, star power and plenty of fantasy basketball intrigue. From a bruising Eastern Conference showdown at Madison Square Garden to a heavyweight clash between San Antonio and Oklahoma City, this slate offers no shortage of storylines.
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Injuries loom large across several games, creating potential value swings and unexpected rotation changes. Superstars like Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Anthony Edwards and Donovan Mitchell headline the action, while emerging contributors could swing outcomes. Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of what to watch as the NBA takes center stage on Christmas.
Cleveland Cavaliers (17-14) at New York Knicks (20-9)
New York leads this season series 1-0. It’s 7-3 over its past 10 games and it is 14-2 at home. Cleveland is 5-5 over its past 10 and is 6-6 on the road.
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Like many of the games on this Christmas Day slate, there’s a notable injury report. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby are both questionable, while Evan Mobley remains sidelined. Potential absences to Brunson and Anunoby could lead to more minutes for Tyler Kolek and Jordan Clarkson, plus Mitchell Robinson and wing players like Ariel Hukporti.
For the Cavs, Dean Wade has been starting in place of Evan Mobley, and Sam Merrill is coming off a great performance and will help with the team’s offensive punch. Jaylon Tyson and Jarrett Allen should also continue seeing expanded roles. Donovan Mitchell has been Cleveland’s best performer, averaging 31.9 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals this month.
Brunson has been New York’s best player, but know for sure that Karl-Anthony Towns will be available. In December, he’s producing 23.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals.
San Antonio Spurs (22-7) at Oklahoma City Thunder (26-4)
The Spurs lead this season series 2-0. They’re 9-1 over their past 10, winning seven straight and are 10-5 on the road. OKC is 7-3 over its past 10 and is undefeated at home.
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This game has a much cleaner injury report than Cavs/Knicks, though Chet Holmgren and Ajay Mitchell are notably questionable. Their potential absences could create more opportunities for Isaiah Hartenstein, Jaylin Williams, Cason Wallace, Alex Caruso and others. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to produce at an MVP level, averaging 32.4 points, 6.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.0 blocks in December.
For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama has come off the bench for five straight games and produced 17.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.0 blocks in 20.6 minutes. It’s unclear if he’ll rejoin the starting five and see a minutes increase for Christmas Day.
Dallas Mavericks (12-19) at Golden State Warriors (15-15)
This is the first time these teams have faced off this season. The Mavericks are 3-9 on the road but are 6-4 overall across the past 10 games. Golden State is 9-4 at home and 5-5 across the past 10 games.
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Dallas has a handful of role players questionable for this game, and one starter in PJ Washington. Cooper Flagg is coming off an excellent performance, with 33 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists, 1 steal and 1 block against the Nuggets. Anthony Davis has rounded back into form as well, averaging 26.3 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks across his past six games.
For the Warriors, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler continue to be the team’s go-to options offensively. Curry is averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.4 steals over his past five. During that same stretch, Butler is averaging 21.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steals.
Houston Rockets (17-10) at Los Angeles Lakers (19-9)
This is the first matchup of the season for these squads. Houston is 9-8 on the road and 4-6 across the past 10. The Lakers are 7-4 at home and 5-5 over the past 10.
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Luka Dončić and Rui Hachimura are questionable for this one, as is Jaxson Hayes. That means we could see expanded roles from Austin Reaves and LeBron James as the Lakers’ primary creators, while Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart could see extra run. Reaves played 22 minutes in his return from a calf strain on Tuesday but should be at full strength for Christmas. In his prior 10 games, he averaged 27.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
Over LeBron’s past six games, he’s putting up 26.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.0 steals. The Rockets are being led by Alperen Şengün, who is having a career year with 23.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks.
Minnesota Timberwolves (20-10) at Denver Nuggets (21-8)
Denver leads this season series 2-0. It’s 9-5 at home and 7-3 across the team’s past 10 games. Minnesota is 8-5 on the road and is 8-2 over the past 10 with a three-game win streak.
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For Minnesota, Jaden McDaniels is questionable. His potential absence could lead to more minutes for Jaylen Clark and Terrence Shannon. Anthony Edwards continues to lead the way with averages of 28.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals.
Denver could be even more shorthanded than usual as Cam Johnson suffered a knee sprain Tuesday against the Mavericks. Assuming he is sidelined, more minutes should be in store for Tim Hardaway Jr. and Spencer Jones. Nikola Jokić is putting up MVP numbers with 28.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 10.8 assists and 1.4 steals in December.
