2026 NBA Christmas Games: Schedule, Matchups, Start Times

The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day in 2026, beginning with a rematch of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks. The Friday, Dec. 25 slate also includes Miami at Boston, Philadelphia at the Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City at Minnesota and Denver at Golden State. 2026 NBA Christmas Day Schedule Spurs at Knicks Christmas basketball begins at Madison Square Garden with a rematch of the 2026 NBA Finals. New York enters the season as the defending NBA champion after also winning the 2025 NBA Cup. Heat at Celtics Miami visits Boston in the second game of the day. The matchup puts two longtime Eastern Conference rivals back on the Christmas stage. 76ers at Lakers Philadelphia visits Los Angeles for the middle game of the holiday schedule. The matchup sends LeBron James back to Los Angeles to face his former team after joining the 76ers. Thunder at Timberwolves Oklahoma City visits Minnesota for the fourth game. It will be the Timberwolves’ first Christmas Day home game. Nuggets at Warriors Denver and Golden State close the Christmas schedule in San Francisco. The 10:30 p.m. ET start makes it the only game in the final window of the day. How Many NBA Games Are Played on Christmas? The NBA will play five games on Christmas Day in 2026. It marks the 19th consecutive season with a five-game Christmas schedule. When Does the 2026-27 NBA Season Start? The 2026-27 regular season begins Tuesday, Oct. 20, with Boston at Detroit, Philadelphia at New York and Oklahoma City at San Antonio. The regular season concludes Sunday, April 11, 2027.