Like the NFL on Thanksgiving, NBA on Christmas Day has been a longtime tradition spanning a number of generations over seven decades. The first NBA game on Christmas came in 1947, which was the league’s second official season. That year, the New York Knicks beat the Providence Steamrollers 89-75.

Scheduling the NBA Christmas lineup isn’t an exact science. There’s a fluidity to it that tends to involve teams that appeared in the previous season’s NBA Finals. Looking over the 2025 NBA Christmas games lineup, you can see that both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder (last year’s NBA Finals teams) are playing on Christmas Day.

Additionally, the NBA tries to get its trendiest or most popular teams on Christmas if they’re believed to be a Playoff-caliber squad. In fact, the Christmas Day lineup is a sneak peek into who the NBA thinks will be successful this season like the Knicks, Spurs, and Timberwolves.

But that’s not all. The NBA also showcases its biggest stars in the sport like LeBron James (Lakers), Steph Curry (Warriors), Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), and Kevin Durant (Rockets). And, the league also puts its brightest rookie in the spotlight – Cooper Flag (Mavericks). They did this last year, as well, with Victor Wembanyama (Spurs) who will also play on Christmas for a second straight year.

The New York Knicks are the closest thing that the NBA has to a traditional holiday team like the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions who play annually on Thanksgiving in the NFL. The Knicks have played in 57 Christmas Day games and are 25-22.

The Lakers are tied with New York for the most Christmas wins with 25. However, they sport a 25-26 losing record. So, if the Knicks are the Lions of the NBA, then the Lakers would be the Cowboys.

Let’s dive deeper into the latest NBA odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our NBA predictions for the 2025 NBA Christmas games. 

NBA Christmas Schedule

Check out the following NBA Christmas Day lineup:

Since the 2008-09 season, the NBA has scheduled five games on Christmas Day. This year’s NBA Christmas lineup continues that tradition. The Cavs vs. Knicks tip off the holiday hardwood action. The Mavericks vs. Warriors get the primetime slot on the East Coast, while the Rockets vs. Lalers get the primetime slot on the West Coast. The Timberwolves vs. Nuggets will close out the night with a curtain-dropping battle.

NBA Christmas Games Betting

Keep an eye on the latest NBA odds for Christmas Day and monitor how the lines change throughout the week.

As of this writing, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the biggest betting favorites with a -375 moneyline. That makes the San Antonio Spurs the biggest underdogs at +300 odds. Furthermore, all of the home teams are favored on Christmas Day.

The Cavaliers vs. Knicks and the Timberwolves vs. Nuggets have the highest Totals of the day as they both slide in with an O/U of 230.5 points. Additionally, the Knicks vs. Cavs have the smallest spread at 1.5 points.

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NBA Christmas Games Predictions

Let’s take a look at the NBA lineup for Christmas Day and make our spread, total, and moneyline NBA picks for each game.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks Odds

The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are two teams expected to contend for the Eastern Conference title. Last year, the Cavs swept the Knicks as they went 4-0 during the regular season.

However, New York came out early this season and already defeated Cleveland to snap a four-game losing streak. Additionally, the Knicks improved their record against the Cavs to 122-109 all time.

With that said, Cleveland is starting to look like one of the best teams in the league just like last year. They’re ascending up the standings and getting healthy in the process. Darius Garland missed the first few weeks of the season due to an injury. Once he returned, the Cavs began looking like elite once again.

The Cavs rank 7^th for points scored (120.7 ppg) and 11^th for points allowed (115.5 ppg). They’re led by Donovan Mitchell who is putting up over 30 points per game. The Knicks are playing great defense as they rank 8^th in allowing 113.6 ppg. Their offense is 13^th at 118.9 ppg at the time of this writing.

The Knicks’ early season win came against a banged-up Cavs team. I don’t see that being the case on Christmas. I like for Cleveland to pick up a huge road win and establish themselves as the team to beat in the East.

Bet: Cleveland Cavaliers +108, Cavaliers +1.5 (-110) 

San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Odds

Of all the Christmas games, this is the one that I’m looking forward to the most. The San Antonio Spurs started off the season as one of the hottest teams and have continued that trend for the most part.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have maintained the best record in the NBA over the early portion of the season.

What makes this game even more exciting is that both teams rank as the top defensive squads in the league. They give up the fewest points per game and are anchored by big men in the paint.

You also have to love the matchup of Victory Wembanyama versus Chet Holmgren as these two unicorns are redefining how big men play the game. Wembanyama leads the league in blocks and is second in rebounds. Holmgren can score inside or outside and will test the Spurs’ defense.

San Antonio leads the series with a 102-89 record. However, the Thunder have gone 8-2 SU in the last 10 head-to-head meetings which includes going 2-1 SU last season. I like for the Thunder to win this game but I’m taking San Antonio to cover.

Look for Sha Gilgeous-Alexander to get a few late-game free throws to ice the win for OKC. SGA is on Top 3 in scoring and on pace for a second consecutive MVP award.

Bet: Oklahoma City Thunder -375, San Antonio Spurs +9.5 (-110)

Dallas Mavericks vs. Golden State Warriors Odds

After 180 all-time meetings, the Dallas Mavericks lead this series with a 95-85 record. These two teams split their four matchups last season, winning two games apiece.

The Dallas Mavericks faced some early season adversity with key injuries in addition to the absence of Kyrie Irving. It will be interesting to see if Irving can get back by March 2026, and make a push for the Play-In Tournament.

The Mavs have flashed some scary potential at times with Anthony Davis and Cooper Flagg. The latter is still finding his footing in the NBA but he has shown that the game isn’t too big for him.

The key for Dallas is to keep Davis healthy because the Mavs are a terrible team without him. He’s a double-double machine and one of the most dominant big men in the league when healthy and playing to his full potential.

The Golden State Warriors are doing what they always do. Start off the year in first gear, slowly put it into second gear by Christmas, and then pick up the speed for the second half of the season when they make a run at a high Playoff seed.

As for this game, the Warriors are 3-3 in their last six Christmas games. Dallas is 2-3 in their last five games on Christmas Day. The Warriors are a better team at this point in the season. Look for Golden State’s backcourt to be the difference maker in this game.

Bet: Golden State Warriors -190

Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Odds

The Los Angeles Lakers have dominated this head-to-head rivalry with a 150-90 all-time record. They’ve also won five of the last eight matchups including two in a row.

Both teams project to be contenders for the Western Conference title behind the Thunder. The Lakers played a good deal of the early season without LeBron James. But you can expect James to be a big reason why they make a serious run at the Conference Championship this season.

The Rockets are still learning to play together with the addition of Kevin Durant and the loss of Fred VanVleet. Nevertheless, they have one of the most explosive offenses in the league at over 122 ppg.

With that said, I like the Lakers at home in this matchup despite LA going 4-6 in their last 10 Christmas games. With the way Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic have been playing, this team is a legit three-headed monster. They not only have the talent to beat the Rockets, but they will also get the late-game calls at home on Christmas.

I also like the Over for this game as they combine to score nearly 230 points per game and allow a combined 229 points per game.

Bet: Los Angeles Lakers -145, Lakers -2.5 (-110), Over 223.5 (-110)

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets Odds

This should be an explosive game as the Denver Nuggets have one of the highest scoring teams in the league. They’re currently scoring 124.2 ppg which includes 125.5 ppg at home. Minnesota is allowing 118.6 ppg on the road, so you can expect the Nuggets to cross that 120-point threshold.

However, the Nuggets are just 2-3 SU in their last five Christmas Day games. The Minnesota Timberwolves are 2-0 SU in their last two Christmas games which dates back to 2017. They beat the Mavericks last year on Christmas, while the Nuggets lost at home to the Suns.

Last season, the Timberwolves swept the Nuggets. However, Denver snapped that four-game losing streak to Minnesota early in the 2025-26 season when they won by 13 points in late October. Keep in mind, that game was without Anthony Edwards who was out with an injury.

I actually like Edwards and the Timberwolves in this matchup. I think they can edge out the Nuggets in Denver, and win on Christmas Day. Additionally, I like the Over in this matchup. In four of their last five meetings, including their first game this season, these two teams combined to easily surpass 231 total points.

Bet: Minnesota Timberwolves +152, Timberwolves +4.5 (-110), Over 230.5 (-110)

Best Bets For NBA Christmas Games

The following is our list of the best bets for NBA Christmas games:

• Cleveland Cavaliers +108
• Golden State Warriors -190
• Minnesota Timberwolves +4.5 (-110)

Our favorite Christmas Day NBA bets involve two road teams and one home team. The Cavs are returning to last year’s form and have the talent to go into New York and beat the Knicks. Cleveland is a more balanced team on both halves of the court and I expect that trend to play out on Christmas.

The Warriors have the backcourt to demolish the Mavericks, who will need more time and a returning Irving to really make a run at the Playoffs.

Lastly, the Timberwolves took four of the last five games versus the Nuggets. With a healthy Edwards, I expect this team to ruin Denver’s Christmas plans.

NBA Christmas Day Parlay

• Cleveland Cavaliers +108
• Golden State Warriors -190
• Minnesota Timberwolves +4.5 (-110)

If you bet $100 on this NBA Christmas Day parlay card, then you would win $506 and a total payout of $606. That’s a 5x on your initial investment. Furthermore, this is a very winnable NBA parlay card considering the teams and talent involved.

If parlays are your favorite kind of wagers, then check out our best NFL parlays and College Football parlay picks of the week.

NBA Christmas Day Record

The following is a list of each active team’s record on Christmas Day. These records do not include the 2024 NBA Christmas Day games.