The 2025 NBA Christmas Day schedule promises a blockbuster five-game slate, featuring thrilling rivalries and formidable teams from both conferences, courtesy of ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel.

Kicking off the holiday festivities at noon ET, the New York Knicks will host the Cleveland Cavaliers in a potential Eastern Conference Finals preview. This will be the Knicks’ 58th Christmas Day appearance, the most in NBA history, while the Cavaliers bring their competitive roster despite injuries to other top Eastern teams.

The Lakers will continue their tradition of Christmas Day appearances, their 27th straight year playing on the holiday. They will host the revamped Houston Rockets, featuring Kevin Durant, in what is expected to be a high-profile battle. Durant’s Rockets, who finished second in the Western Conference last season, will face the Lakers, led by LeBron James and Luka Doncic. This Lakers-Rockets clash will be the centerpiece of the day and follows their meeting on opening night, where the Rockets visited the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder for ring night.

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Other crucial games include the Dallas Mavericks traveling to the Golden State Warriors. The Mavericks, led by No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg, will test themselves against the Warriors and Stephen Curry, continuing a rivalry that has been one of the NBA’s focal points. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder, fresh off their 2025 championship, will host the San Antonio Spurs, giving fans a chance to see the Thunder celebrate their title on home court.

The nightcap features the Denver Nuggets hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves in a rematch of their intense 2025 Western Conference semifinals showdown. This game will highlight star matchups between Nikola Jokic of Denver and Anthony Edwards of Minnesota, both essential to their teams’ successes.

Notably absent this year are the Boston Celtics, the 2024 NBA champions, who will miss the 2025 Christmas Day for the first time since 2015 due to Jayson Tatum’s season-ending Achilles injury.

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