The NBA schedule on Christmas Day consists of five games on ESPN or ABC:
- Boston Celtics at New York Knicks (noon ET, ESPN)
- Golden State Warriors at Cleveland Cavaliers (2:30 p.m., ABC)
- Chicago Bulls at San Antonio Spurs (5 p.m., ABC)
- Minnesota Timberwolves at Oklahoma City Thunder (8 p.m., ESPN)
- LA Clippers at Los Angeles Lakers (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
With so many great teams and great players in action, here is a breakdown of what to watch for.
Plenty of star power
In terms of sheer star power, the Christmas Day slate will deliver. Twenty-five players who have made an All-NBA team and 29 players who have made an All-Star team could potentially suit up.
Four of the five active former MVPs -- Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Derrick Rose -- are expected to play. All five first-team All-NBA selections from last season -- Curry, James, Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook and DeAndre Jordan -- will be on display.
Every active player who has won a scoring title is playing as well.
Emerging stars who are not listed above include Kristaps Porzingis, Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram.
LeBron is home for the holidays
LeBron has rarely been home for Christmas lately, but when he is, he doesn’t lose. James is 3-0 in home games on Christmas, including 2-0 with the Cavs. This is the first time James will be in Cleveland for Christmas since 2008.
The Cavs have never lost at home on Christmas. They are 5-0, tied with the Miami Heat for the most wins without a loss on Christmas Day in NBA history.
How the Grinch stole Steph
Curry has played five times on Christmas and averaged over 35 minutes per game. He has scored 11.2 points per game on 28 percent shooting and has more than four times as many turnovers (17) as he does made 3-pointers (four) in those games.
Curry has been held to under 20 points in all five of his Christmas games. Of all the dates he has played on more than twice (and there are over 100 of them), Christmas is the day he has averaged the fewest points per game.
Wade the active leader
With Kobe Bryant retired, it’s Dwyane Wade -- not LeBron -- who is the active king on Christmas Day. Wade leads active players in both games played and points on Dec. 25. Wade will be playing his 12th game on Christmas, which will tie him for fifth-most in NBA history.
Wade ranks third all-time in points on Christmas (277) behind Bryant (395) and Oscar Robertson (377). He could, however, get passed by James, who sits just seven points back at 270 in fifth. James will likely pass Shaquille O’Neal (272) as well.
Westbrook’s stocking stuffers
Westbrook had 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists on Christmas in 2013. It was his seventh career triple-double and the eighth triple-double on Christmas in NBA history. Nobody has had one since then.
Should Westbrook get another one, he would be the second player in NBA history with multiple triple-doubles on Christmas. The other is Robertson, who had four between 1960 and 1967.
While most fans will focus on his points, rebounds and assists, watch out for Westbrook’s steals. He had six on Christmas last year and has 20 for his career on Christmas, which ranks second all time. He has a chance to pass Scottie Pippen (24 in seven games) to become the all-time Christmas leader in steals.
Christmas is about the kids
No team in NBA history has ever had more than one player 21 or younger average 20 points per game. Minnesota has three of them.
No team in NBA history has ever had more than one player 21 or younger score at least 20 points on Christmas. Towns, Wiggins and LaVine have all scored at least 20 in the same game three times this season. At least two of them have done it in the same game on 17 different occasions.
Towns, Wiggins and LaVine are the highest-scoring 21-or-younger trio in NBA history. The team that held that distinction previously is the one they are facing on Christmas, though Westbrook is the only player remaining from what was once a high-scoring trio that included Durant and James Harden.
The Lakers are always on
Though they are in the midst of the one of the worst months in franchise history, the Lakers are feeling the Christmas cheer for the 18th straight season. They have played on Christmas every season since 1999-2000. It’s the second-longest streak of its kind in NBA history.
Christmas without Kobe is going to be strange for the Lakers. This is the first time they will play a Christmas game without Bryant on the roster since 1991, which was also a game against the Clippers.
The last time the Lakers played a Christmas game with Bryant not on the team, Jordan Clarkson, Ingram, Russell, Larry Nance Jr. and Julius Randle were not born yet. Coach Luke Walton was 11 years old.
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