NBA Schedule for Christmas Day 2016

Christmas comes but once a year, a chance to join friends and family in a celebration of togetherness, love and camaraderie. While you and your loved ones exchange decadently-wrapped packages tied up with string, the NBA has delivered yet another slate of interesting matchups, for kids from one to 92. Beginning at noon ET, five games – three on ESPN, two on ABC – will carry us through the evening and into Boxing Day. Pour some eggnog, hop into your favorite ridiculous pajamas and curl up with this lineup, full of compelling basketball.

Celtics at Knicks (12 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Both the Celtics and Knicks have come out of the gate swinging, with New York playing better than most people likely expected. With All-Stars Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford leading the charge against “whose team is it really?” candidates Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, this game could end up having striking implications in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.

Warriors at Cavaliers (2:30 p.m. ET, ABC)

For the second year in a row, Cleveland plays Golden State on Christmas Day. As far as the quality of basketball goes, it doesn’t figure to get any better than the Warriors’ visit to Cleveland, which doubles as both a Finals rematch and a Finals preview. LeBron James will look to continue the three-game winning streak the Cavs currently own against Golden State, having overcome a historic deficit to win the title in June. The re-loaded Warriors, of course, acquired Kevin Durant in the offseason and are sporting an even more efficient offense than last year’s record-breaking squad. The locker room champagne scent jokes will likely be kept to a minimum this time.

Bulls at Spurs (5 p.m. ET, ABC)

Chicago and San Antonio are two unique cases of teams featuring non-lottery pick MVP candidates. In Kawhi Leonard, the Spurs have perhaps the league’s most versatile wing defender, a two-time defending (of course) Defensive Player of the Year who has turned into a disruptive two-way presence under Gregg Popovich. For the Bulls, Jimmy Butler has become the ego between Chicago’s id and super-egoistic tendencies. Both players are enjoying career years, and the Spurs will be looking to exact revenge following Chicago’s 95-91 victory against them earlier this month.

Timberwolves at Thunder (8 p.m. ET, ESPN)

With the possible exception of Kevin Garnett’s MVP season in 2004, there has never been a better time for Minnesota to make its Christmas Day debut than now. With 21-year-old Karl-Anthony Towns already playing like an All-Star in a loaded Western Conference, the Wolves are a young, dangerously athletic team poised for future dominance. Russell Westbrook, on the other hand, is a dangerously athletic superhuman who has normalized the triple-double during his scorched earth campaign. Hell hath no fury like a point guard scorned.

Clippers at Lakers (10:30 p.m., ESPN)

Rounding out the holiday for the second year in a row is the Staples Center Civil War. Though the Clippers looked decidedly anemic against the Warriors earlier this month, they still figure to pose perhaps the greatest threat to a third consecutive Western Conference title for Golden State. Chris Paul has been playing some of the best basketball of his career this season. Even so, under new coach Luke Walton, the baby Lakers have been exciting in the post-Kobe era. They will look to start the process toward reclaiming Los Angeles as their own.