Every year, the NBA Christmas Day schedule features a full slate of basketball. Last season, five games took place from noon to 10:30 ET. What can we expect in 2023?
Five Christmas Day games last season meant that a third of the league was on national TV while families around the country celebrated the holiday. It's the rare opportunity for hoopheads to carve out their entire day to watch basketball, and generally the matchups all carry higher stakes than your average regular season game.
Even with the introduction of the in-season tournament, there isn't a more bankable TV block for the league than Dec. 25. Expect several compelling matchups, starting at noon eastern time and proceeding all the way to the late-night 10:30 slot.
With the power of precedent at our disposal, as well as an understanding of which teams in the NBA drive revenue and excitement, let's hash out predictions for the 2023 Christmas Day schedule from front to back.
Predicting NBA Christmas Day schedule, 12 ET: Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks
The Knicks always play on Christmas Day. It's always a home game with a raucous Madison Square Garden crowd. It's hard to get mad; there is something magical about the MSG environment and the Knicks are actually good at the moment, so this no longer feels like a pre-programmed stinker.
It feels simple enough to pair New York with Cleveland in this slot. The Cavs lost to New York in the first round and will be hungry for revenge. There's a built-in narrative around Donovan Mitchell potentially wanting to play for the Knicks, which is great TV fodder, and the Cavs are theoretically pretty close to contention in the imminently winnable East.
Mitchell is a player who can draw eyeballs, not to mention the looming improvement of up-and-coming stars like Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. For the Knicks, it's another chance to flex Tom Thibodeau's defensive muscles against J.B. Bickerstaff, who was thoroughly out-coached in Cleveland's first-round defeat.
There are probably more exciting possibilities floating in the ether, but with the Knicks essentially pencilled in as the noon Christmas Day openers, it's hard to imagine a juicier opponent than Cleveland. The NBA won't program something like Oklahoma City vs. Houston for the diehards, so we can settle for a tempestuous rematch.
Predicting NBA Christmas Day schedule, 2:30 ET: Los Angeles Lakers at Denver Nuggets
A rehashing of the conference finals to brighten everyone's afternoon. With presents opened and lunches stomached, NBA fans get to feast on perhaps the most anticipated matchup of next season. The Nuggets swept the Lakers out of the postseason, but all four games were close and, more importantly, all four teams were heated.
The Nuggets openly challenged the media's LA-driven narrative and Bruce Brown recently went on a podcast to call LeBron old. Brown is no longer with Denver, but those sentiments will linger around the franchise. The Lakers will have a point to make and the Nuggets are always a safe bet to play no-nonsense, high-quality basketball.
Nikola Jokic is the consensus best player in the world now. There's no ducking the reputation, despite his best efforts. People are going to start tuning into Denver games. The Lakers already draw a national audience. This could be LeBron James' last season, year No. 21 — a potential retirement tour will get butts in seats, especially on a day like Christmas.
The Lakers were the No. 7 seed in the West last season. That won't dissuade the NBA schedule makers — LA is getting national TV spots no matter what — but it will be interesting to see if the Lakers can carry over their success from late in the season to the new campaign. The roster is largely the same, with a few minor tweaks in the second unit. James was still a top-10 player last season, but he's certainly on the decline. Anthony Davis was the best player in the playoffs, but consistency and availability year to year with Davis are far from guaranteed.
The Nuggets, meanwhile, lost key depth pieces — primarily the aforementioned Brown. Denver will still be pegged as title favorites in the West, but the gap has narrowed on multiple fronts. This is potentially a good litmus test for the reigning champs.
Predicting NBA Christmas Day schedule, 5 ET: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
Another playoffs rematch, because why not? The bad blood between Boston and Philadelphia, new and old, is palpable. The Celtics have ended the Sixers' season a laughable number of times now. Last postseason was a pretty even fight — the Sixers were a quarter away from winning in six, but another classic Philly meltdown handed the Celtics another conference finals ticket.
There's some uncertainty over just what the Sixers' roster will look like next season. James Harden has demanded a trade and any attempt to keep him into the season could get dicey. That said, Joel Embiid isn't going anywhere and getting the reigning MVP on Christmas Day feels like an absolute must.
Embiid will face new wrinkles in the Boston frontcourt. The Celtics loaded up on frontcourt talent with the trade for Kristaps Porzingis, a player who Embiid traditionally toasts on defense, but a player who also toasts Embiid going the other way due to his ability to stretch the floor. That's a fun dynamic to introduce on St. Nick's special day.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both experienced varying levels of success against Philly's defense in the postseason, but Tatum's epic 51-point Game 7 will live in the history books. The Sixers would hope to avoid a repeat on the national stage. Meanwhile, Embiid will look to avenge his putrid 15-point, four-turnover performance in the same game.
An ongoing rivalry with a historic precedent and two MVP candidates — what more can you ask for on Christmas? The Sixers play the Celtics better than the current narrative might suggest, but Boston continues to operate as a thorn in Philly's side. This is good primetime programming.
Predicting NBA Christmas Day schedule, 8 ET: Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat
Don't fix what isn't broken. We know the Bucks and Heat hate each others guts, more or less. The Bucks were the No. 1 seed and suffered the embarrassment of losing to Miami, the No. 8 seed, in the first round. That loss resulted in Mike Budenholzer getting the boot and a summer of reflection from two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Stylistically, this probably isn't the sexiest matchup for the 8 PM slot. The Bucks and Heat are both liable to play slow, mucky, low-scoring basketball. The Heat shot the lights out in the playoffs but were largely terrible behind the 3-point line last season. The Bucks have the greatest downhill driving force in NBA history and arguably the best defensive core in the NBA, but getting 3s through the net is a struggle from time to time.
That said, NBA fans love ugly basketball. With so many old-heads pining for the the lost physicality of the 80s and 90s, why not serve it up on a silver platter as everyone settles into the couch after a hefty Christmas dinner? Let dad slowly doze off into a turkey-induced coma while Giannis rams headlong into Bam Adebayo's chest. What better way to celebrate the eternal love of family than with Jimmy Butler jacking up a contested mid-range jumper with three seconds on the shot clock?
In all seriousness, this game is destined to make headlines. The Bucks have something to prove: we're the No. 1 seed, the best team in the East, with the best player in the world. The Heat could very well employ Damian Lillard by this point, which adds another layer of excitement. Miami will be eager to prove last season wasn't a fluke either way.
This represents a slight departure from last season's programming, when three of the five games involved Western Conference teams. That said, the East is where a lot of the drama currently resides and the NBA will want to milk it.
Predicting NBA Christmas Day schedule, 10:30 ET: Phoenix Suns at Golden State Warriors
For the true sickos on the East coast and the primetime crowd on the west coast, the day wraps up with Golden State and Phoenix. The only non-rematch from the postseason, but there's plenty of tissue connecting these two franchises. Mainly it's Kevin Durant, who won two rings with Golden State before making his odyssey to Brooklyn a few years ago.
The Durant-Warriors beef won't die, at least not in the media. Durant and Stephen Curry are good friends and frankly any real conflict is probably a thing of the past, but I'd be willing to bet a sizable portion of my life savings that Draymond Green and KD would jaw face-to-face at some point. Take it to the bank.
On the basketball front, Phoenix and Golden State figure to be two of the most explosive offensive teams in the NBA next season. The Warriors have removed themselves from the Jordan Poole drama and upgraded the backcourt with, that's right, former Phoenix Sun Chris Paul. Meanwhile, the Suns will have the league's most potent 'Big Three' with Durant, Devin Booker, and newcomer Bradley Beal.
This is the perfect stage for Paul to get a crack at his former team. Meanwhile, it's not a stretch to consider this a potential conference finals preview: both teams have clear-cut championship aspirations. Golden State and Phoenix were ousted in the second round on opposite ends of the bracket, but both teams tangibly improved over the summer.
Curry and Booker, Durant battling Wiggins' defense, Deandre Ayton getting his lunch money stolen by Kevon Looney on the glass. It's a good way to close out the holiday. This is marketable for the league and exciting from a basketball perspective. This feels like the strongest bet for two specific teams in a specific time slot.
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