NBA Christmas Games 2026: Schedule, Times & TV Channels
Last updated: October 2026. Games, tip times and TV details are from the official 2026/27 schedule release.
Friday · December 25 · 2026
Quick Answer
Five NBA Christmas games, all on ABC and ESPN: Spurs at Knicks at 12:00 PM ET, Heat at Celtics at 2:30 PM, 76ers at Lakers at 5:00 PM, Thunder at Timberwolves at 8:00 PM, and Nuggets at Warriors at 10:30 PM. It opens with a Finals rematch at the Garden and closes after midnight on the East Coast. One channel family, twelve straight hours.
Table of Contents
The five games
San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks
The Finals rematch opens the day. Wembanyama at Madison Square Garden against the champions.
Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
Giannis Antetokounmpo walks into Boston wearing Miami colours, adding a new edge to an old playoff grudge.
Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers
The homecoming window: LeBron James back in Los Angeles, this time as the visiting star.
Oklahoma City Thunder at Minnesota Timberwolves
Prime time belongs to the young powers of the West, in one of the league’s hardest road buildings.
Denver Nuggets at Golden State Warriors
The nightcap: Jokic against Curry, the two players who bent the sport’s geometry furthest.
Christmas is the league’s oldest showcase. The Knicks played in the first Christmas game in 1947 and this is their 59th appearance, more than any other franchise, while the Lakers extend their run to 28 straight Christmas Days. Every arena on the slate will be full, every game is national, and the whole day runs from noon to past midnight Eastern without a gap.
The day, game by game
Spurs at Knicks. The league wastes no time. This is the same pairing that decided the championship in the spring, and it puts Victor Wembanyama into Madison Square Garden on the NBA’s biggest regular-season stage. New York, who raised their banner on opening night, defends home court as champions; San Antonio arrives with the grievance. As an opener for a twelve-hour day, it is close to perfect.
Heat at Celtics. The afternoon sends Giannis Antetokounmpo into Boston in a Miami uniform, which still reads strangely and is exactly the point. Heat and Celtics carry years of playoff history, and this edition adds the league’s most physical player to the Miami side of it. Boston’s crowd on Christmas afternoon is one of the loudest settings on the calendar.
76ers at Lakers. The sunset window belongs to a homecoming. LeBron James returns to Los Angeles wearing Philadelphia colours, and every camera in the building will wait for the ovation. Underneath the theatre the basketball is real: the Lakers are one of four teams carrying the maximum 34 national TV appearances this season, and this is the date the league circled first.
Thunder at Timberwolves. Prime time goes to the league’s young core, champions against the team built to chase them. If you are choosing one game to watch in full, the neutral’s pick is probably this one.
Nuggets at Warriors. The nightcap pairs Nikola Jokic with Stephen Curry and tips late enough to finish on December 26 for half the country. Christmas night games have a habit of becoming classics. This pairing has produced them before.
However the day unfolds, every final score lands on the live NBA scores board as the games end.
How to watch all day
Simple this year: all five games are on ABC and ESPN, streaming through the ESPN app for viewers without cable. Because the whole day sits on one network family there is no channel-hopping; a television left on from noon carries you to the final buzzer. For British and European viewers the day is friendlier than most: the noon Eastern opener tips at 5:00 PM in the UK, and the 76ers-Lakers game lands in prime time there.
Questions fans ask
What NBA games are on Christmas Day 2026?
Five: Spurs at Knicks (12:00 PM ET), Heat at Celtics (2:30 PM), 76ers at Lakers (5:00 PM), Thunder at Timberwolves (8:00 PM) and Nuggets at Warriors (10:30 PM), all on ABC and ESPN.
What channel are the NBA Christmas games on?
ABC and ESPN carry all five games, with streaming through the ESPN app.
What time does the first Christmas game start?
Noon Eastern, San Antonio Spurs at New York Knicks, a rematch of the last NBA Finals.
Is LeBron James playing on Christmas Day 2026?
Yes. James and the Philadelphia 76ers visit the Los Angeles Lakers at 5:00 PM ET, his first game back in LA in a 76ers uniform.
Which team has played the most Christmas games?
The New York Knicks. Their 2026 appearance is their 59th, the most in league history, a tradition that began in 1947.
Conclusion
Five games, twelve hours, and not a weak one among them: Christmas 2026 is the strongest single day on the regular-season calendar. Pick your windows, keep the scores board open for the rest, and StreamMatch
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