• Get NBA League Pass TODAY There are an abundance of dates on the NBA calendar that qualify as must-watch TV for fans all over the globe, but Christmas Day’s hoops marathon stands out as one of the very best with wall-to-wall basketball starting at noon eastern. Here’s our preview for all of the five matchups, which will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ and Disney+: The Knicks are among the top teams in the East, but the ascending Spurs pose an interesting challenge to open the Christmas Day NBA slate. It’s worth watching just for San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama. The Frenchman has been on a tear in recent weeks, averaging 28.5 points on 48.2% shooting, 8.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 5.7 blocks since his recent return from injury. But he’ll have a difficult matchup against New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who is on a streak of 18 straight double-doubles while averaging 24.7 points and 14.6 rebounds per game. Two of the game’s biggest superstars will go head-to-head in this rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Finals. Anthony Edwards might be “struggling” by his standards after not reaching the 20-point mark in three contests in a row, but he’s still having an outstanding year while shooting a career-high 41.4% from 3-point range. The Mavericks counter with perennial Kia NBA MVP candidate Luka Dončić, who recently returned from a two-game absence due to a heel injury. While the Mavericks have won four of their last six games, the Timberwolves have dropped four of their past six. The 76ers are looking to dig their way out of an early hole and get back into playoff contention before the season gets away from them. They were expected to be among the best teams in the Eastern Conference after acquiring Paul George in the offseason. But while they head into Christmas at 10-17, their 7-3 record over the past 10 games shows promise. As for the Celtics, the reigning NBA champions remain the team to beat and are at full strength. The amount of star power in this game is remarkable with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porziņģis on one end and George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the other. The Warriors have been slumping of late and recently acquired Dennis Schröder via trade, so they’re still in an adjustment period while posting a 15-13 record. The Lakers have cooled off after a hot start and sit at 16-13. Struggles aside, this is a game no basketball fan in the world will want to miss with long-time rivals LeBron James and Stephen Curry going head-to-head once again. James is only days away from turning 40, but he continues to perform at an elite level with averages of 23.2 points, 9.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. Curry isn’t slowing down even with a few subpar outings of late; he’s averaging a solid 21.8 points and 6.6 dimes while making 40.3% of his 3-point attempts. Two teams that were expected to contend in the Western Conference have been underachieving, with injuries and absences hampering both teams. It’s unclear if Devin Booker (groin) available. But even if he’s not, the Suns still have Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal running the show on offense. The Nuggets also have an injury doubt in Jamal Murray (calf), but they’re still anchored by the one and only Nikola Jokić. The three-time Kia NBA MVP winner is having another stellar season, averaging 30.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game while notching a league-leading 11 triple-doubles across 24 contests.

There are an abundance of dates on the NBA calendar that qualify as must-watch TV for fans all over the globe, but Christmas Day’s hoops marathon stands out as one of the very best with wall-to-wall basketball starting at noon eastern. The Warriors have been slumping of late and recently acquired Dennis Schröder via trade, […]

There are an abundance of dates on the NBA calendar that qualify as must-watch TV for fans all over the globe, but Christmas Day’s hoops marathon stands out as one of the very best with wall-to-wall basketball starting at noon eastern. The Warriors have been slumping of late and recently acquired Dennis Schröder via trade, so they’re still in an adjustment period while posting a 15-13 record. The Lakers have cooled off after a hot start and sit at 16-13. Struggles aside, this is a game no basketball fan in the world will want to miss with long-time rivals LeBron James and Stephen Curry going head-to-head once again. James is only days away from turning 40, but he continues to perform at an elite level with averages of 23.2 points, 9.0 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. Curry isn’t slowing down even with a few subpar outings of late; he’s averaging a solid 21.8 points and 6.6 dimes while making 40.3% of his 3-point attempts.
Two of the game’s biggest superstars will go head-to-head in this rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Finals. Anthony Edwards might be “struggling” by his standards after not reaching the 20-point mark in three contests in a row, but he’s still having an outstanding year while shooting a career-high 41.4% from 3-point range. The Mavericks counter with perennial Kia NBA MVP candidate Luka Dončić, who recently returned from a two-game absence due to a heel injury. While the Mavericks have won four of their last six games, the Timberwolves have dropped four of their past six.

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The Knicks are among the top teams in the East, but the ascending Spurs pose an interesting challenge to open the Christmas Day NBA slate. It’s worth watching just for San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama. The Frenchman has been on a tear in recent weeks, averaging 28.5 points on 48.2% shooting, 8.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 5.7 blocks since his recent return from injury. But he’ll have a difficult matchup against New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who is on a streak of 18 straight double-doubles while averaging 24.7 points and 14.6 rebounds per game.

Two teams that were expected to contend in the Western Conference have been underachieving, with injuries and absences hampering both teams. It’s unclear if Devin Booker (groin) available. But even if he’s not, the Suns still have Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal running the show on offense. The Nuggets also have an injury doubt in Jamal Murray (calf), but they’re still anchored by the one and only Nikola Jokić. The three-time Kia NBA MVP winner is having another stellar season, averaging 30.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 9.7 assists per game while notching a league-leading 11 triple-doubles across 24 contests.

Here’s our preview for all of the five matchups, which will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ and Disney+:

The 76ers are looking to dig their way out of an early hole and get back into playoff contention before the season gets away from them. They were expected to be among the best teams in the Eastern Conference after acquiring Paul George in the offseason. But while they head into Christmas at 10-17, their 7-3 record over the past 10 games shows promise. As for the Celtics, the reigning NBA champions remain the team to beat and are at full strength. The amount of star power in this game is remarkable with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porziņģis on one end and George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the other.