Here’s to the soft chimes of the “Jingle Hoops,” while the carolers bellow “and-1!” in unison. The NBA’s annual five-game Christmas set is unwrapped Thursday, with telecasts that total more than 12 hours of bucket-getting.

Some parts are long-standing. We’ll tune in to the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, this date’s usual headliners. The Knicks will also get an animated altcast for the second year in a row. We’ll see LeBron James and Kevin Durant, epochal stars who still command spotlights. And we’ll hear Run D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis” at least a half-dozen times, which is fine, because that brassy beat is unimpeachable.

There’s a lot of newness to this year’s proceedings, too. The futuristic rivalry between Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Oklahoma City Thunder gets some run. Cooper Flagg makes his holiday debut, and “Inside the NBA” tries its first all-day Christmas special. Check out Thursday’s matchups below, with broadcast information and festive franchise records.

NBA Christmas Day viewer guide

Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.

GameTime (ET)TVStream

Cavs at Knicks

Noon

ABC, ESPN

Spurs at Thunder

2:30 p.m.

ABC, ESPN

Mavs at Warriors

5 p.m.

ABC, ESPN

Rockets at Lakers

8 p.m.

ABC, ESPN

Wolves at Nuggets

10:30 p.m.

ABC, ESPN

ABC is free over the air. ABC and ESPN also stream on ESPN Unlimited.

“Inside the NBA”

The decked halls of ABC and ESPN will boom with “Inside the NBA” shenanigans. That curmudgeonly quad (Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Ernie Johnson) had been exclusive to TNT before the league’s new media rights deal tipped off for 2025-26. The famed studio show made its ESPN debut on Oct. 22 and has been on hiatus since mid-November.

“Inside the NBA” returns for Christmas with pregame, postgame and halftime duties for Cavs-Knicks and Rockets-Lakers.

Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks

The Knicks just lifted an NBA-related trophy for the first time since 1973, and they won’t put a banner up? Bing bong, bah humbug. New York won the in-season tournament last week off the strength of velvet shooting and efficient spread offense. Tourney MVP Jalen Brunson is out-of-his-mind balling right now, and his side is 14-2 at home so far. Karl-Anthony Towns pulls opposing centers out to the arc, like a 7-foot tide.

Cleveland counters with New York native Donovan Mitchell and an overarching urgency — the Cavs are well behind last season’s 64-win pace. Both teams love to let the 3-ball fly, which should make for a compelling opener.

Ryan Ruocco is on the call, with Doris Burke for color commentary and Jorge Sedano as the sideline reporter. This game also gets “Dunk the Halls” treatment on ESPN2 and the Disney Channel. That live simulcast turns Madison Square Garden to Main Street, U.S.A., and puts the animated hoopers next to Disney characters. Can Mickey Mouse guard the pick-and-roll? Is Stitch the ideal bench-mob dunk reactor? Younger audiences can find out alongside Drew Carter (play-by-play) Monica McNutt (analysis) and Daisy Duck (quack pack).

The second edition of “Dunk the Halls” will also feature a cartoon halftime parade down Main Street, where the characters will compete for “Best Christmas Parade Float.” Maybe this winner will hang a banner, who knows.

Cleveland on Christmas: 7-7. Thursday marks the Cavs’ first holiday action since 2017, when they had a finals rematch with the Durant-era Warriors.
Single-game scoring leader: LeBron James, 34 points in 2003.

New York on Christmas: 25-32. This is the franchise’s 58th Christmas clash, most in NBA history. It won a maximum-chaos matchup with the Spurs last year.
Single-game scoring leader: Bernard King, 60 points in 1984.

San Antonio Spurs at Oklahoma City Thunder

Wembanyama holds singular presence in the league. His unprecedented combination of size and skill has reimagined basketball in real time. Wemby and San Antonio stunned the league’s reigning champions in the NBA Cup semifinals. He seems to have beef with counterpart Chet Holmgren and the Thunder, which makes this budding rivalry all the better. Fellow franchise blue-chippers Stephon Castle (age 21) and Dylan Harper (19) stride far beyond their years.

Tough sledding awaits in the dust bowl: OKC chases the best point differential of all time, and it takes Thursday’s court with a 14-0 home mark. Gilgeous-Alexander fronts a whirring and vicious perimeter attack. This could be a Western Conference finals preview.

Mark Jones takes play-by-play. He’s flanked by Jay Bilas on the mic and Katie George on the sidelines.

San Antonio on Christmas: 5-7, coming off that three-point Grinching from the Knicks.
Single-game scoring leader: Victor Wembanyama, 42 points in the aforementioned Grinching.

OKC on Christmas: 6-14, but that includes the Seattle SuperSonics’ record book, which is an eggnog-spiker for some folks.
Single-game scoring leader: Kevin Durant, 44 points in 2010.

Dallas Mavericks at Golden State Warriors

Seeing Klay Thompson on a team that isn’t the Warriors feels weird. It’s like seeing Jack Skellington at the bank or “sweet and sour” candy canes on the shelves. Thompson will earn his holiday cheer from the Bay Area faithful, but fascination should funnel into Flagg. The 19-year-old rookie is finding his footing with remarkable quickness. Dallas has shown some punch after its sack-of-coal start, and Anthony Davis is still a mismatch at the rim.

Golden State needs a get-right win on national TV as it ebbs and flows around .500. Last Christmas, Steph Curry gave us his heart — 38 points, with 17 in the fourth quarter and two treys in the final 13 seconds. He, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are seeing Dickens ghosts in the crowded Western Conference.

Dave Pasch is our narrator for this third game. He’s supported by P.J. Carlesimo in analysis and Malika Andrews with updates.

Dallas on Christmas: 4-4. The Mavs played on Dec. 25 just three times across their first 40 years of existence, and are now lined up for their sixth straight Christmas showcase.
Single-game scoring leader: Luka Dončić, 50 points in 2023.

Golden State on Christmas: 15-19, with a suspenseful two-point loss to the Lakers last time out. It was the most-watched regular-season game in five years.
Single-game scoring leader: Wilt Chamberlain, 59 points in 1961 (as a Philadelphia Warrior).

Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Lakers

Durant’s Rockets are elite rebounders, committed defenders and stretchy shot creators. First-time Christmas gamers Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson are creative standard-setters at their positions. Houston begins the week with top-five ratings on both sides of the floor. LeBron and the Lake Show scramble tempos off their headstrong drives and icy pull-ups. L.A.’s big three can hang around with the best of the West, though Luka Dončić (leg) and Austin Reaves (calf) carry injury designations. No matter the outcome, the vintage pairing of James and Durant deserves top-of-the-tree shine.

Accordingly, the network’s A-team is in town on Figueroa Street. Mike Breen, voice of basketball at this point, captains a crew of Richard Jefferson, Tim Legler and Lisa Salters. Chuck-Shaq interludes to come.

Houston on Christmas: 6-6. Durant ranks fourth in career Christmas scoring.
Single-game scoring leader: James Harden, 41 points in 2018.

Los Angeles on Christmas: 25-26. James ranks first in career Christmas scoring, and he’s second in assists. He’s also the holiday’s winningest participant with 11 Ws.
Single-game scoring leader: Jerry West, 47 points in 1963.

Minnesota Timberwolves at Denver Nuggets

There’s quite a style clash around the fifth and final game. Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards is magnetic marketing material — he’s wishing us a “Merry Spritemas,” lest we forget. Edwards attacks the basket with flash and ferocity. He’s welcomed in high spirits and higher altitude by Nikola Jokić, ground-bound triple-doubler with meticulous deceleration. Jokić seems indifferent to the bells and whistles, but he shapes a basketball game like few others ever have. Wolves bucket Julius Randle and Nuggets slasher Jamal Murray round out a deep supporting cast. The fireplace should be crackling in Colorado.

Marc Kestecher’s play-by-play rounds out our NBA Christmas slate, aided by Stephanie White’s breakdowns and Alyssa Lang’s interviews.

Minnesota on Christmas: 2-1. The Wolves defeated the Dončić-led Mavs (remember them?!) in 2024.
Single-game scoring leaders: Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are tied at 26 points.

Denver on Christmas: 3-7. The Nuggets lost to the Phoenix Suns last year 110-100, as mountains melted in desert heat.
Single-game scoring leader: Nikola Jokić, 41 points in 2022.

NBA Christmas game odds

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