How to watch every NBA game on Christmas Day: Schedule, TV channels, and more
If you didn't already have enough going on on Christmas Day between opening presents and carving roast beast, the NBA has once again gifted us with a daylong roster of games to keep fans occupied well into the night. There are five NBA Christmas Day matchups, all of which will air on ABC and ESPN, and will stream on platforms like DirecTV, Fubo, and ESPN Unlimited.
Kicking things off at 12 p.m. ET is a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and recently crowned NBA Cup winners, the New York Knicks. After that is a matchup between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by the Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors, and the Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers. The night will end with a 10:30 p.m. ET contest between the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets. After which point, you'll be ready for a long winter's nap.
A complete schedule of the day's events is below, including tip-off times, how to watch, and more. Here's everything you need to know about this week's Christmas Day NBA games.
How to watch 2025 Christmas Day NBA games:
Date: Thursday, Dec. 25
Time: 12 p.m., 2:30 p.m, 5 p.m., 8 p.m, 10:30 p.m. ET
TV channels: ABC, ESPN
Streaming: DirecTV, Fubo, ESPN Unlimited and more
Which teams are playing basketball on Christmas Day?
The NBA's Christmas Day games have been a part of the league's schedule for years, and this year, there will be five back-to-back games broadcast on ABC and ESPN on Thursday. The schedule for the day is as follows:
Thursday, December 25
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks, 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT (ABC, ESPN)
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San Antonio Spurs vs. OKC Thunder, 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT (ABC, ESPN)
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Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT (ABC, ESPN)
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Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers, 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT (ABC, ESPN)
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Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets, 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT (ABC, ESPN)
