The NBA loves to give its fans a gift on Christmas Day, and this year's schedule is particularly special. The biggest game of the Christmas slate will be LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on the defending champion Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. The Houston Rockets, who had the NBA's best record last season but have gotten off to a slow start this time around, will take on Russell Westbrook, Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Two of the Eastern Conference's best teams, the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, will also meet, and the Milwaukee Bucks will face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden to kick things off. The final game of the night will feature two playoff contenders out West, the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers. Here's the full schedule.
NBA 2018 Christmas Day schedule
- 12 p.m. ET: Milwaukee Bucks at New York Knicks (ESPN)
- 3 p.m. ET: Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets (ABC)
- 5:30 p.m. ET: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics (ABC)
- 8 p.m. ET: Los Angeles Lakers at Golden State Warriors (ABC/ESPN)
- 10:30 p.m. ET: Portland Trail Blazers at Utah Jazz (ESPN)
LeBron facing the Warriors has become a holiday tradition, as he has played Golden State on Christmas the last three seasons as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 76ers and Celtics also have a renewed rivalry, with Boston eliminating Philly in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. The Bucks and the Knicks each have one of the most exciting young players in the NBA -- Giannis Antetokounmpo for Milwaukee and Kristaps Porzingis for New York -- but unfortunately Porzingis wont' take the floor as he recovers from ACL surgery.
