Christmas is hereand with his arrival comes one of the most special days on the NBA calendar.
This year, on December 25th, the league will present five games that really shouldn’t be missed and with stars to enjoy. Which?
| Local | Visitor | Time (MX, ET, AR, ES) |
|---|---|---|
| New York Knicks | Philadelphia 76ers | 11:00 | 12:00 | 2:00 p.m. | 18:00 |
| Dallas Mavericks | Los Angeles Lakers | 13:30 | 2:30 p.m. | 4:30 p.m. | 20:30 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | Boston Celtics | 4:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | 23:00 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | Golden State Warriors | 7:00 p.m. | 20:00 | 22:00 | 2:00 |
| Phoenix Sans | Denver Nuggets | 9:30 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | 0:30 | 4:30 |
Before these duels, it is good to take a look back at history. Next, we get into the numbers you need to know.
More | NBA Christmas: the legends show on December 25
The participants, in three elements
Los Angeles Lakers
- Record Christmas: 24-24
- Last game at Christmas: Defeated 122-115 vs. Nets, in 2021
- Most Points in a Christmas Match: Jerry West, 47 vs. Knicks in 1963.
Golden State Warriors
- Record Christmas: 14-17.
- Last game at Christmas: Victory with 116-107 vs. suns
- Most Points in a Christmas Match: Wilt Chamberlain, 59 vs. The Knicks in 1961.
Boston Celtics
- Record Christmas: 15-20
- Last game at Christmas: Defeated 117-113 vs. Bucks, in 2021
- Most Points in a Christmas Match: Tom Heinsohn, 45 vs. Syracuse in 1961.
Phoenix Sans
- Record Christmas: 12-7
- Last game at Christmas: Defeated 116-107 vs. warriors
- High score in a Christmas match: Charles Barkley, 38 vs. Houston in 1993).
Milwaukee Bucks
- Record Christmas: 5-3.
- Last game at Christmas: Victory with 117-113 vs. Celtics in 2021
- Most Points in a Christmas Match: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 38 vs. Detroit in 1971.
Philadelphia 76ers
- Record Christmas: 18-14
- Last game at Christmas: 121-109 win vs. Bucks in 2019
- Most Points in a Christmas Match: Billy Cunningham vs. Bullet in 1969
New York Knicks
- Record Christmas: 23-31.
- Last game at Christmas: 101-87 win vs. Hawks, in 2021
- Most Points in a Christmas Match: Bernard King, 60 vs. New Jersey in 1984.
Denver Nuggets
- Record Christmas: 1-6
- Last game at Christmas: Lost 121-108 vs. Clippers, in 2020.
- Most Points in a Christmas Match: Dan Issell vs. jazz in 1979
Dallas Mavericks
- Record Christmas: 2-2
- Last game at Christmas: Defeated 120-116 vs. Jazz, in 2021
- Most Points in a Christmas Match: Dirk Nowitzki, 31 vs. Sacramento in 2003
Memphis Grizzlies
Taylor Jenkins’s will be coming on Christmas this year as he was one of two franchises along with the Charlotte Hornets that had never played on December 25th.
The leaders in the Christmas story
Most Wins (Players)
- Dwyane Wade: 10 (in 13 games)
- LeBron James: 10 (in 16 games)
- Udonis Haslem: 9 (in 10 games)
- Dick Van Arsdale: 9 (in 12 games)
- Mike Riordan: 8 (in 8 games)
Most Wins (Coaches)
- Jack Ramsey: 11 (in 14 games)
- Phil Jackson: 11 (in 18 games)
- Gene Shue: 9 (in 13 games)
- Red Auerbach: 9 (in 15 games)
- Erik Spoelstra: 8 (in 8 games)
More points
- LeBron James: 422 (in 16 games)
- Kobe Bryant: 395 (in 16 games)
- Oscar Robertson: 377 (in 12 games)
- Dwyane Wade: 314 (in 13 games)
- Kevin Durant: 299 (in 10 games)
more rebounds
- Bill Russell: 176 (in 8 games)
- Wes Unseld: 163 (in 9 games)
- Shaquille O’Neal: 155 (in 13 games)
- Wilt Chamberlain: 152 (in 6 games)
- Dolph Schayes: 144 (in 13 games)
More assists
- Oscar Robertson: 145 (in 12 games)
- LeBron James: 114 (in 16 games)
- Russell Westbrook: 93 (in 11 games)
- Kobe Bryant: 85 (in 16 games)
- Dwyane Wade: 80 (in 13 games)
more plugs
- Shaquille O’Neal: 25 (in 13 games)
- Elvin Hayes: 22 (in 7 games)
- DeAndre Jordan: 21 (in 7 games)
- Dwight Howard: 19 (in 9 games)
- Amare Stoudemire: 16 (in 7 games)
more robberies
- Russell Westbrook: 29 (in 11 games)
- LeBron James: 26 (in 16 games)
- Scottie Pippen: 24 (in 7 games)
- Dwyane Wade: 23 (in 13 games)
- Michael Jordan: 17 (in 6 games)
Most 3-pointers made
- LeBron James: 28 (in 16 games)
- James Harden: 26 (in 9 games)
- Kevin Durant: 25 (in 10 games)
- JJ Redick: 24 (in 11 games)
- Klay Thompson: 17 (in 7 games); Kyrie Irving (at 6)
In bold: active players.
Individual highs in a Christmas race
Points
- 60: Bernard King (Knicks), 1984 vs. New Jersey
- 59: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia), 1961 vs. New York
- 50: Rick Barry (San Francisco), 1966 vs. Cincinnati
Active: Kevin Durant, 44 with Oklahoma City in 2010 (vs. Denver)
rebound
- 36: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia), 1961 vs. New York
- 34: Bill Russell (Boston), 1965 vs. Baltimore
- 34: Wilt Chamberlain (Philadelphia), 1959 vs. Syracuse
Active: Clint Capela, 23 with Houston in 2018 (vs. Oklahoma City)
assist
- 18: Nate Archibald (Kansas City), 1972 vs. Milwaukee
- 18: Guy Rodgers (Chicago), 1966 vs. New York
- 17: Oscar Robertson (Cincinnati), 1961 vs. Lakers
Active: Russell Westbrook, 15 with Oklahoma City in 2016 (vs. Minnesota)
plugs
- 8: DeAndre Jordan (LA Clippers), 2011 vs. Golden State
- 7: Rudy Gobert (Utah), 2018 vs. Portland
- 7: Elvin Hayes (Washington), 1980 vs. New Jersey
thefts
- 7: Kyrie Irving (Cleveland), in 2016 vs. Golden State
- 6: Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City), 2015 vs. Chicago
- 6: Derrick Rose (Chicago), 2010 vs. New York
threefold
- 8: Patty Mills (Brooklyn Nets), 2021 vs. Lakers
- 7: Brandon Ingram (New Orleans), 2019 vs. Denver
- 7: Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets), 2020 vs. Boston
- 7: Duncan Robinson (Miami Heat), 2020 vs. New Orleans
- 6: James Harden (Houston), 2019 vs. Golden State
- 6: Kyle Kuzma (LA Lakers), 2017 vs. Minnesota
- 6: Kevin Love (Cleveland), 2017 vs. Golden State
- 6: Ryan Anderson (Orlando), 2011 vs. Oklahoma City
In bold: active players.
The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA or its organizations.
