Sorry, NFL fans, the NBA has better Christmas games this year

The NBA finally caught a break in its annual Christmas battle with the NFL: Thursday’s holiday slate of football is marred by losing teams, while basketball’s quintuple-header on ABC and ESPN features a deep batch of title contenders.

Four of the six NFL teams set to play on Christmas have already been eliminated from the playoffs, including the big-name Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. To make matters worse, the Chiefs will face the Denver Broncos in the prime-time time slot without three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes, who suffered a season-ending knee injury this month.

By contrast, eight of the 10 NBA teams taking the court Thursday have winning records. That group includes each of the top six teams in the loaded Western Conference plus the New York Knicks, who are fresh off winning the NBA Cup. Remarkably, the last time each of the top six teams in either conference played on Christmas was 1977.

Whether the relative quality of the matchups helps the NBA make a dent in the NFL’s ratings dominance remains to be seen. Last year, the NFL’s two Christmas games averaged more than 24 million viewers compared with 5.25 million across the five NBA games.

Here’s a viewer’s guide to the hardwood festivities for basketball fans looking forward to a feast, or for football fans looking for something a bit more substantive.

All times Central.

Cavaliers at Knicks, 11 a.m.

This appetizer looked like a no-brainer when the NBA released its schedule in August: Cleveland and New York appeared to be the strong favorites to reach the Eastern Conference finals after the Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks were decimated by injuries during the 2025 playoffs. Instead of emerging as two juggernauts on a playoff collision course, the Knicks have left the Cavaliers in the dust since scoring a 119-111 opening-night win in October.

Jalen Brunson and the Knicks (20-9) are rolling along at full speed, winners of 11 of their past 14 games after storming through Las Vegas this month to capture the NBA Cup. Coach Mike Brown, who was hired to replace Tom Thibodeau over the summer, has New York dreaming of its first NBA championship since 1973 thanks to an elite offense built around Brunson and a newly empowered bench unit that provided crucial contributions in a Cup championship game win over the San Antonio Spurs.

By contrast, Donovan Mitchell’s Cavaliers (17-14) have regressed in all facets after a scintillating 64-win campaign a year ago. How bad has it gotten? Cleveland boasted a 26-4 record on Christmas last year, and its top-ranked offense in 2024-25 has plummeted to ninth this season. The middling play and unfulfilled expectations have fueled speculation that owner Dan Gilbert will shake up a core that includes Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The oft-injured Garland, 25, has become the main scapegoat thanks to the worst shooting season of his seven-year career.

Verdict: Decent. Let the kids open their presents at their own pace; there’s no need to rush for tipoff. The veteran Knicks are reliably entertaining and Madison Square Garden always delights, but the real intrigue lies in parsing the Cavaliers’ murky future. Should Cleveland give up on Garland in favor of a bigger and more reliable point guard option, or should it trade Allen and install the versatile Mobley as its full-time center? Will Mitchell, who has never advanced to the conference finals in nine seasons with the small-market Utah Jazz and Cavaliers, decide it’s time to explore his options?

Spurs at Thunder, 1:30 p.m.

Boom, nailed it. Coming into this season, the Thunder was heavily favored to become the NBA’s first back-to-back champions since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018. Given Oklahoma City’s formidable defense and stacked roster of young talent, the big question was whether any other rising teams would pop up as potential long-term foils.

Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs (22-7) made a strong case they were up for the challenge by upsetting the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals. The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama hit several clutch baskets to help bring home the win, but it was his extraordinary defensive impact that truly bamboozled Oklahoma City. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander struggled to get to the foul line and to create open looks for his pet midrange jumpers, which forced Oklahoma City’s supporting cast to pick up the slack from outside. While the Thunder (26-4) is on track to become just the third team to win 70 games in NBA history, inconsistent three-point shooting remains its biggest vulnerability.

San Antonio proved it was far more than a one-man band when it kept climbing in the standings despite Wembanyama’s monthlong absence because of a calf strain. Recent lottery picks Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper bring major pop to the backcourt, and all-star guard De’Aaron Fox has been a steady source of efficient offense. The Spurs look far more organized on both ends of the floor in their first full season under Coach Mitch Johnson, and Wembanyama is captaining a defense that has improved from 25th last season to sixth this season.

Verdict: Superb. Build the day around this battle between the West’s top two seeds. San Antonio has won seven straight games — its NBA Cup championship game loss to the Knicks doesn’t officially count in the standings — and has proved it isn’t afraid of the Thunder monolith. Meanwhile, the Thunder remains undefeated at Paycom Center and will want to prove it can make the proper adjustments to Wembanyama’s presence after suffering a blowout road loss to the Spurs on Tuesday.

Let’s not forget the cherry on top of this budding rivalry: Wembanyama’s tough talk. The French phenom jabbed the Thunder in multiple interviews this month, downplaying his matchup with Chet Holmgren, suggesting he will be a better player than Gilgeous-Alexander once he’s fully healthy and lauding San Antonio’s “ethical” basketball after beating Oklahoma City in Las Vegas. Can he walk the walk again?

Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors, 4 p.m.

Somehow, this matchup is sad and a bit hopeful at the same time. Dallas (12-19) and Golden State (15-15) hold the two worst records among the 10 teams playing on Christmas, and both sides are working through heartbreak. The Mavericks are still reeling after their incomprehensible decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February, and Stephen Curry’s aging Warriors have looked like old news as they struggle to keep up with a new wave of West powerhouses.

The two franchises’ fan bases head to the holiday table with real angst. Repeated protests over the Doncic trade led Dallas to fire general manager Nico Harrison last month, and Warriors owner Joe Lacob recently expressed his frustration with his team’s direction in a private email to a fan that surfaced online. When Curry and Draymond Green face off against former teammate Klay Thompson, all parties will probably wish they could take a time machine back to the Warriors’ dynasty days.

Nevertheless, No. 1 draft pick Cooper Flagg, who turned 19 Sunday, has started to perform like a future franchise player for Dallas. The Maine native is averaging 24.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists in December, highlighted by a career-high 42 points in an overtime loss to the Utah Jazz last week. And while Golden State’s Green and Jimmy Butler have sputtered at times, the 37-year-old Curry has already exploded for four 40-point games this season. Thanks to the NBA’s forgiving play-in tournament format, Dallas and Golden State still have months of meaningful basketball ahead of them.

Verdict: Meh. Worth a shot, but don’t feel obligated to stick around if the action starts to flatline. Even though these teams leave a lot to be desired, Flagg’s Christmas debut and Curry’s 12th holiday showcase could produce some magic. If not, keep the in-laws engaged by cooking up some trade scenarios involving Dallas’s Anthony Davis or Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga.

Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers, 7 p.m.

The Lakers (19-9) and Rockets (17-10) are title hopefuls with noticeable similarities: Both teams possess old head mainstays (LeBron James and Kevin Durant), international standouts (Doncic and Alperen Sengun) and aspiring first-time all-stars (Austin Reaves and Amen Thompson). Perhaps more important, Los Angeles and Houston enter the holiday with dueling flaws that could prove fatal.

Doncic, James and Reaves have combined to form a lethal offensive attack, but the Lakers’ weak perimeter defense has repeatedly been exploited by opponents. Though the big and brawny Rockets rank in the top 10 in both offense and defense, they consistently struggle to execute in clutch moments and are just 6-8 in games that were within five points in the final five minutes. With Doncic’s status uncertain because of a calf contusion, this Christmas showdown could boil down to which team is better at covering up its obvious weakness.

Looking ahead, both teams should be eyeing reinforcements before the trade deadline. The Lakers need to add athleticism and length to their perimeter corps, and the Rockets could use an experienced organizer to replace point guard Fred VanVleet, who is sidelined with a season-ending knee injury.

Verdict: Giddy up. With or without Doncic, this season’s first meeting between the Lakers and Rockets should be fascinating. A high-profile, nationally televised showdown in front of a flock of celebrities at Crypto.com Arena will help both teams judge their playoff worthiness and/or trade deadline desperation. James is slated for his record 20th Christmas appearance, and his matchups with Durant rarely disappoint.

Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets, 9:30 p.m.

For years now, the Nuggets (21-8) and Timberwolves (20-10) have excelled at bringing the best out of each other in what has blossomed into one of the league’s best on-court rivalries. After Denver beat Minnesota en route to the 2023 title and the Timberwolves exacted playoff revenge in 2024, both teams were eliminated by Oklahoma City in last year’s postseason. Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards are back, flanked by experienced supporting casts and dead set on factoring into the title mix again.

Jokic has already posted a pair of triple-doubles in two victories over Minnesota this season, but the Timberwolves have started to hit their stride by winning 10 of their past 12 games. During that stretch, Edwards delivered Minnesota’s most impressive win of the season by hitting a go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute to defeat Oklahoma City on Friday.

Like clockwork, Jokic has joined Gilgeous-Alexander on the MVP short list by carrying Denver through injuries to starters Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun. Edwards, for his part, is headed for his fourth all-star nod by averaging a career-high 28.7 points per game.

Verdict: Food coma heaven. Basketball die-hards must pace themselves on Christmas in preparation for a thrilling nightcap. Come playoff time, Denver’s health concerns and Minnesota’s chronic turnover issues could leave Jokic and Edwards searching for answers. There’s plenty of time to worry about that later. Spend the holiday embracing the joy of high-intensity and high-scoring hoops.