NBA Christmas Day Preview: Five Games Featuring 7 of the League’s Top 10 Scorers

The record for most points in a Christmas game is 60. Could Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Anthony Edwards break that mark?

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder drives against Devin Vassell of the San Antonio Spurs at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 13, 2025. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

One of the tentpole dates of the sports calendar is nearly upon us. The NBA on Christmas Day is a tradition that dates back nearly 80 years, to the league’s second season in 1947, and has been held every year since except for 1998, when a lockout was in place.

This year’s five-game slate features seven of the league’s top 10 scorers, providing a chance for history to be made. The all-time record for most points in a Christmas NBA game is 60, by Bernard King back in 1984. Could the likes of Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Anthony Edwards break that mark? Here’s a look at the schedule.

Cavaliers at Knicks: Noon ET

No team is more of a staple in the Christmas NBA games than the New York Knicks, who played in the first holiday game in 1947 and will be playing in their record-extending 58th Christmas Day game. Meanwhile, the Cavs are making their first appearance on the holiday since LeBron James’ second stint with the team in 2017.

The Cavs swept the four-game regular season series a year ago, but the Knicks got their revenge this year. These teams have met just once this season—in the opener on Oct. 22—and the Knicks prevailed, 119-111. The Cavs are 7-7 all-time on Christmas Day, while the Knicks, in addition to having the most games played, are tied for the most Christmas wins (25) and have the most Christmas losses (32).

Spurs at Thunder: 2:30 p.m. ET

This matchup gained even more excitement when the Spurs ended the Thunder’s 16-game win streak just a few weeks ago in the NBA Cup semifinals. Two of the league’s biggest stars will be featured as reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander makes his Christmas Day debut and Victor Wembanyama makes his second appearance.

The Frenchman certainly didn’t disappoint in his debut last year—he had 42 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks, and four assists in a loss to the Knicks. That dropped San Antonio to 5-7 all-time in Christmas games, but that record is still miles ahead of the Seattle SuperSonics/OKC Thunder franchise, which is 6-14. That .300 win-loss percentage is tied for the worst in NBA history among teams with at least five games played on Christmas.

Mavericks at Warriors: 5 p.m. ET

Klay Thompson’s lone visit of the season to his Bay Area stomping grounds will come on Dec. 25. His former Splash Brother, Stephen Curry, tied an NBA Christmas record with eight three-pointers on the date last year in a defeat to the Lakers. The record he tied is held with three other players, so Curry could look to break it this year.

He’ll have to do it against one of the top performers in NBA history on this day as Anthony Davis is averaging 30.3 points across four Christmas games. That’s the second-most among active players, trailing only Joel Embiid at 31.3 points.

Rockets at Lakers: 8 p.m. ET

The day wouldn’t be complete without LeBron James, the league’s all-time leading scorer, who also has the most points (507) in Christmas Day history. His counterpart in this game, Kevin Durant, ranks fourth all-time with 342 points on Christmas, and the four-time scoring champ is a 36-point outing away from passing Oscar Robertson for third place.

Meanwhile, Doncic will play his first Christmas game as a Laker, and L.A. can only pray that Doncic can replicate his efforts from his Christmas game with the Mavs in 2023. Doncic scored 50 points in that 128-114 win over Phoenix, which is tied for the third-most points in a Christmas Day game in league history. Doncic and James will hope to get the Lakers franchise back to .500 on this day as it enters with a 25-26 record.

Timberwolves at Nuggets: 10:30 p.m. ET

This is a burgeoning rivalry as the two split playoff series in 2023 and 2024, while Denver has won both matchups this season. Nikola Jokic is one of 10 players ever to record a triple-double on Christmas, and notching another would make him, Robertson (four), and Russell Westbrook (two) as the only players with multiple triple-doubles on Xmas.

As for Minnesota, it’s just happy to be invited. Prior to this year, the Timberwolves had played in just three Christmas Day games. That’s the fourth fewest out of the 30 NBA teams, with only the Raptors (two), Grizzlies (one), and Hornets (zero) having played fewer.